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News & Events

Check out the latest Texas Children's Hospital news including recent events, awards, and updates on the Vision 2010 expansion program.  To learn more about upcoming events sponsored by both Texas Children's and the Community, visit our events calendar.

WINTER 2007

Celebrating a life, comforting future families
The Whaley and Eller families, including April Eller (third from left), present a gift of $8,000 to neonatal nurse Julie Siller (second from left) to provide new seating and to create a more comforting environment for future families waiting in Texas Children’s Newborn Center®. Eller initiated the families’ fundraising efforts to celebrate the memory of her nephew, Noah Whaley, who lost his life when he was only 8 days old. 

Ronnie and Cathy Matthews help make miracles
From left, Cathy and Ronnie Matthews, owners of RE/MAX Legends, present Camille Landry of Texas Children’s Hospital with a generous contribution of $10,000 to Children’s Miracle Network.  The Matthews, longtime supporters of Children’s Miracle Network as well as of numerous other charities, strongly believe in giving back to the community. “We recently toured the NICU at Texas Children’s Hospital, and we were truly amazed,” said Ronnie. “The babies and children we saw tugged at our heartstrings.  We feel privileged to be able to help miracles happen.”

The gift of entertainment–and distraction
Myrna Fisch (standing left of the machine), Radio Lollipop coordinator, made a generous gift to Texas Children’s Hospital to help purchase a Snoezelen distraction therapy machine to benefit patients in the Clinical Care Center.  Texas Children’s Child Life team uses the interactive device to keep patients distracted during otherwise painful or tedious procedures. Young patients using the Snoezelen can change the colors of its bubble column and select different music and soothing scenes to watch through the mounted projector.

Credit union employees walk the talk
“People helping people.” That’s the credit union philosophy, and it’s exactly what the Houston Chapter of Credit Unions does for its members and for its area charities like Texas Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network. From left, Angie Harrison, Victoria Bernal and Gilbert Tobias show off some of the balloons that were sold at the Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union during the Houston Chapter of Credit Unions’ 2007 miracle balloon fundraising campaign which raised more than $5,000 for charity care at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Pin Oak rides again for cancer patients
The 2007 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show raised $50,000 for Texas Children’s Cancer Center®, thanks to many generous friends like Compass Bank Private Wealth Management, one of Pin Oak’s largest sponsors. The horse show began over 60 years ago to raise funds to start Texas Children’s Hospital. Today, in addition to dedicated support, representatives from Pin Oak, like the miniature horse, Spirit, visit the Cancer Center annually to cheer up patients like (from right) Raymie Fruia, here with her sister, Danielle, and friend Hagan Brignac.

NFL Hall of Famers team up for Arts in Medicine
The 2007 Administaff Kenny Houston Golf Classic at the Oakhurst Golf Course raised $16,000 for Texas Children’s Hospital and the Arts in Medicine program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center®. This is the tenth year retired Houston Oiler Kenny Houston and fellow former NFL players have teamed up to help raise money for the Arts in Medicine program, which provides therapeutic, educational and meaningful opportunities for Cancer Center patients and their families. Patients Ella Langridge and Stephen Jesse Gierman present Houston with a gift to thank him for his and the other
tournament participants’ longtime support.

Helping kids never tasted so good
Participating local Dairy Queen restaurants held Miracle Treat Day, a special Blizzard event to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network. As part of the “sweet” celebration, The New 107.5 K-Hits promotions team joined the fun at the Dairy Queen on Spencer Highway in Pasadena, whose employees (pictured) have been the top fundraisers for Children’s Miracle Network for two straight years. In total, greater Houston area Dairy Queen locations raised almost $25,000 last year through their miracle balloon campaign and Miracle Treat Day.

18 holes, 17 years of support for renal patients
In its 17th year, the 2007 Hobby Golf Classic was the largest golf tournament yet with more than 250 golfers and more than $11,000 raised for renal services at Texas Children’s Hospital, which is the largest donation the tournament has made to the hospital. From left, Randy Thorton, Texas Children’s Hospital; Jorge Morales, Texas Children’s renal service; Ana Acosta, event coordinator, Hawker Aircraft; Eileen Brewer, M.D., Texas Children’s renal service; Mary Case, Hobby Airport; Edgar Gerhardt, Jr. Anglers & Hunters of America; and Jerry Haven, also Texas Children’s Hospital, celebrate another successful year of bringing together the William P. Hobby Airport business community for fun and support of a great cause.

Houston kids get the ultimate Astros experience
Houston Astros infielder Adam Everett and his wife, Jennifer, hosted more than 100 kids at Minute Maid Park this past summer for the Ultimate Field Experience, an event which raised about $33,000 for charity care at Texas Children’s Hospital. Everett, his fellow Astros players and mascot Junction Jack took the field with the kids and gave them personalized baseball training tips and techniques. The Everetts said the event was one way they can show their appreciation for the excellent care their daughter, Peyton, continues to receive at Texas Children’s Hospital. 

Beachtown makes a splash at Texas Children’s
Tofigh Shirazi (left), owner and founder of Intercontinental United Investors Group and president of Beachtown Galveston Corporation, has committed a percentage of the proceeds from every property sold in his Beachtown Galveston development to Texas Children’s Hospital. While recently touring the hospital, Shirazi spends time with pediatric neurology patient Sara Arnold (center) and her parents. Through the partnership between Texas Children’s and Beachtown, Shirazi has already given $15,000 to support the neurological research institute.

Making way for new maternity center
In November 2007, the Crowne Plaza building across Fannin Street from Texas Children’s was imploded to make room for the hospital’s new comprehensive maternity center. The 18-story, 700,000-square-foot Texas Children’s Maternity Center will be designed with capacity to deliver up to 5,000 babies per year.

According to Mark A. Wallace, president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s Hospital, the center will have both maternal/fetal medicine specialists from Baylor College of Medicine as well as private OB/Gyn physicians. “We will provide world-class OB/Gyn and maternal-fetal medicine services, along with our already outstanding neonatal program and comprehensive array of pediatric subspecialty services,” said Wallace.

The center will have 1,200 below-grade parking spaces and will connect to the hospital via a bridge so that babies in need of more specialized care can be transported quickly and safely across the street.

Wallace also stated that a Well’s Fargo banking branch would go in on the third level. Wells Fargo’s partnership with Texas Children’s has been longstanding and recently culminated in the bank’s $1 million contribution toward the new Maternity Center, one of the hospital’s priorities for expansion under the Vision 2010: Excellence to Eminence initiative.

Texas Children’s will break ground on the center at the end of January 2008.

Adolescent & sports medicine service receives major training grant
The adolescent medicine and sports medicine service at Baylor College of Medicine, based at Texas Children’s Hospital, recently received a $1.9 million Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) training program award from the nationally funded Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau. One of seven grants given nationally and the only one to a hospital in the southern U.S., the award will help train the next generation of leaders in adolescent health over the next five years. Now in its tenth year, the Baylor/Texas Children’s program trains 10 fellows a year.

“Our program has faculty in medicine, psychology, nutrition, social work, research, nursing and public health, and we all are dedicated to fellowship training,” said Albert Hergenroeder, M.D., LEAH program director at Texas Children’s. “The curriculum is a rigorous one, and our fellowship program is gaining national recognition.”

Ecuador as 4th consular partner in immunization program
Last summer, Texas Children’s Hospital-International Services and the mobile clinic outreach program partnered to provide medical information to 236 families and 588 vaccinations to more than 170 children. The Consulate General of Ecuador became the fourth consular partner in the annual program that has provided over 1,300 vaccines to more than 500 children in the past three years. Other participating consulates this year included Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico.

Expansion of pediatric AIDS programs set for Lesotho
The Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children’s Hospital is increasing the number of physicians it has assigned to Lesotho from 10 to at least 14 and building at least 10 satellite clinics to provide HIV/AIDS care and treatment services to children and families in each of Lesotho’s 10 districts.

“I am absolutely overwhelmed. You cannot begin to imagine what these services will mean in the lives of ordinary children and in the lives of the nation of Lesotho,” replied Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili. Lesotho has been one of the countries hit hardest by the AIDS epidemic.

Two additional pediatricians began their work in Lesotho in October 2007, and two more will be added once all of the satellite clinics are open and fully operational by June 2009. The value of this new commitment is approximately $2 million over an initial 18-month period.

St. Luke’s, Texas Children’s strengthen partnership through Woodlands land purchase
Texas Children’s Hospital and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System have jointly purchased 22 acres of land in The Woodlands. Adjacent to the existing 40-acre campus of St. Luke’s Community Medical Center (CMC) - The Woodlands, which includes Texas Children’s Health Center® in the St. Luke’s Medical Arts building, the location of the land is important to future growth for both organizations.

“For more than 50 years, Texas Children’s Hospital has been growing with Houston,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s. “When the opportunity arose to acquire the land in The Woodlands, we seized the chance to further strengthen our partnership with St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System and to ensure that we are prepared to meet the future needs of that community.”

St. Luke’s CMC-The Woodlands is a 91-bed hospital with a medical staff of more than 575 credentialed physicians. Texas Children’s manages and staffs its pediatric emergency care, the level II nursery and pediatric inpatient care.

Ronald McDonald House Charities honors Dr. Mark Kline with Award of Excellence
On Friday, October 26, Ronald McDonald House Charities hosted its 23rd Annual Awards of Excellence dinner, honoring three individuals from across the globe who have made outstanding contributions to improve the lives of children. Mark W. Kline, M.D., chief of retrovirology and president and founder of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, was honored as one of the three recipients of awards of excellence, along with Marlo Thomas and Wayne and Dorothy Stingley. David Poplack, M.D., director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center®, nominated Kline for the award. Actor and comedian Bernie Mac hosted the celebration held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.