Fall Philanthropy Report: Be An Angel Improves Quality of Life for Children with Special Needs
Oct. 8, 2024
What year was your organization launched? 1986 by a small group of committee community members that believed special needs children were not receiving basic life services.
What is your mission? It is our mission to improve the quality of life for children withs special needs by providing adaptive equipment, hearing devices, select services, and support programs.
Why did you launch the organization? We believe that children are the heart and soul of humanity, that they represent all that is good within us, and that we can help children with special needs experience life at their fullest potential.
What are you most proud of? We have immediate results for the children needing most any kind of medical adaptive equipment. No long waiting periods. Children and their families who have been waiting between 10-12 years for respite services alone from governmental services receive respite care within 30 days or less. All with a very small administrative staff and hundreds of volunteers. Additionally, we have opened offices in DFW and San Antonio.
What’s been your impact in the community? Be An Angel has provided adaptive equipment, respite care and other select services to over 9900 special needs children from birth to age 22 in just this past year alone. These children generally come from limited to low-income families.
Tell us about your big event. We are proud of the many events hosted by Be An Angel each year. Every February we host Purse Bingo with over 600 participants winning luxury end purses and prizes. Dan Pastorini hosts his Celebrity Golf Tournament which has raised more than 2 million dollars in the past years he has supported these children. Additionally, our Spring Gala, with “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” theme raises well over $700,000 per year.
How many employees and volunteers work with your organization? We currently have 5 employees in Houston, and two in DFW and San Antonio. We are thankful for over 600 volunteers assisting us each year.
What are your major challenges? Sharing our story making families know we are here to help them.
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Kendall and Susan Plank, Noel Wise, Anna Osborn, Michelle Koskie
MORE THAN 140 lovely ladies showed up at Tootsies to shop, sip and celebrate Dec My Room, the local nonprofit responsible for personalizing and decorating hospital rooms for pediatric and young-adult patients.
Dec My Room founders, mother-daughter duo Susan and Kendall Plank, and event chairs Jennifer Cope and Marie Flanigan mingled with the "galentines" two days before V-Day. After early-morning browsing of pop-ups and trunk shows at Tootsies, the well-heeled crowd strutted over to PostScript HTX, awash in pink, as always.
Here, the ladies sat down for a beautiful luncheon. At each seat, guests found a butterfly, which was raised during the "paddles-up" portion of the day. Together with an exciting raffle, the event raised nearly $120,000 for Dec My Room.
Ally Shell and Nora Jarrard
Carson Sherman, Rebecca Thomas, Lauren Gray
Tori Kuykendall, Stacey Lindseth
Charlotte Martingano, Anna Osborne
Michelle Froehlich, Diane Nolen, Denise Tinkham, Fenche Shen
Cherie Lindley, Abby Vanegas
Melissa Sugulas, Estella Cockrell, Rebecca Thomas, Melissa Juneau , Traci Young
Donae Chramosta and Donna Lewis
Marie Flanigan and Jennifer Cope
Elizabeth Abraham , Sydney Goss, Laura Thompson
Kelli Tumey, Noel Wise
Elysa Nelson, Claire Jackson, Sylvie Kampshoff
Christina Green, Whitney Kuhn Lawson
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After Multiple James Beard Nods, Cambodian-Inspired EaDo Bakery Plans Expansion to The Quad
Feb. 18, 2025
Salted Coconut Latik Ice Cream Sandwich at Lil' Koffeteria
THERE'S SOME INTERESTING news coming out of The Quad at Britmoore, the adaptive, mixed-use development fashioned of repurposed industrial warehouses in Spring Branch near Memorial.
The Houston-based developers, Pagewood and Wile Interests, have announced that Lil’ Koffeteria will be among the eateries.
“We’re thrilled to add locally owned Lil’ Koffeteria to our office community who will serve fresh and local eats and build upon the energy we’ve created at our campus,” said Randolph Wile, President of Wile Interests.
For its part, Lil’ Koffeteria is a bit of a phenom. With its original location east of Downtown, its risen to considerable acclaim for its Cambodian-inspired café and bakery goods. “Led by chef-owner Vanarin Kuch, who recently landed a second James Beard award nomination in the Outstanding Bakery category, Lil’ Koffeteria will serve a variety of their award-winning pastries, kolaches and tacos,” said a rep for The Quad.
In addition to the Beard accolades, The New York Times recently cited Lil’ Koffeteria as of the 22 best bakeries in the country now.
The new outpost is expected to open in the spring.
Vanarin Kuch (photo by Niel Burger)
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