DePelchin Children’s Center
SPRING 2017
“These children must be cared for – we cannot desert them or fail them.” – KEZIA DEPELCHIN, 1892
1892
2017
DePelchin Turns 125 on May 2, 2017 In 1892, Kezia Payne DePelchin—a pioneering teacher, nurse and social worker—took a leap of faith and accepted into her care three orphaned infants for whom no other accommodations were available. Kezia cared for the children in two borrowed rooms at the home of a friend, relying on her personal earnings and donations from caring Houstonians. Within a few months on May 2, 1892, Kezia was able to move the children into a small, rented house, which she christened “Faith Home” as she would rely on her faith in God and the good people of Houston to support her cause.
“I suppose I will have to call it my ‘Faith Home.’ I’m entirely dependent on my faith in God and the good people of Houston to support it.” – KEZIA DEPELCHIN, 1892 This frame house on Washington Avenue served as the Faith Home from 1892-1899.
Kezia died within a year of opening her orphanage, but the Houston community embraced Kezia’s vision, adopted the home and helped it to grow. The young boys whom Kezia cared for at the house on Washington Avenue were the first of thousands to benefit from Faith Home, now DePelchin Children’s Center. Over the years, many have attempted to chronicle the dates and events that shaped Houston’s oldest family service agency, but the complete history of DePelchin Children’s Center is not easily put into words and can never be fully documented. It lives mainly in the memories and hearts of the children and families, who, during their darkest—and happiest—hours, have passed through its doors. Early fundraisers enjoy an afternoon with children at the DePelchin Faith Home.
inside 2 From the President 2 Share Your DePelchin Sotry 3 Donate in Honor of 125 Years 4 125th Birthday Celebration
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DePelchin Faith Home
to DePelchin Children’s Center
6-7 A Look Back at 125 Years
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From the President ePelchin Children’s Center will turn 125 years old on May 2, 2017. As Houston’s oldest family D services agency, DePelchin is deeply rooted in our city’s history and culture, connecting generationto-generation and family-to-family through its foster care and adoption services. Last year, DePelchin took a step back to refocus on its original roots, the original mission of the organization that was started 125 years ago. It is in this original mission – to take care of Houston’s abused, abandoned and neglected children – that Houstonians have supported and connected with the organization, enabling it to grow into one of the leading foster care and adoption agencies in Texas. Today, DePelchin’s approach to caring for children integrates prevention, foster care, adoption and post-adoption programs to improve the mental health and physical well-being of children who are at risk of entering or are in the State’s child welfare system. With locations in Austin, San Antonio, Lubbock and Brownwood and throughout the Greater Houston area, DePelchin is making a meaningful difference in the child welfare system – and more importantly, in the lives of the most vulnerable children and families in Texas. Our founder’s belief in “the good people of Houston” is why we have achieved this significant milestone, and we hope you will join us, our faithful supporters, at our birthday celebration on May 2, 2017, 125 years to the day that DePelchin opened its doors. Inside this issue you will find information on purchasing tables and tickets to our Family Ever After event, chaired by Laura Bellows and honoring past DePelchin Board chairmen. We also invite you to join us at our Family Day event on October 15, a fall festival for the entire family at DePelchin’s Houston Memorial campus. I hope you enjoy flipping through our 125th anniversary issue and the beautiful historical photos that best tell our story. Although we have evolved from the small frame house orphanage on Washington Avenue, we have not wavered from our mission and vision of a world in which every child is safe and healthy. Thank you, Houston, for 125 years of support!
Sincerely,
Jenifer Jarriel, MBA President and CEO
Share Your DePelchin Story As DePelchin celebrate its 125th anniversary, we know a large portion of our history lies in the hearts and minds of individuals in our community. If you have a story about how DePelchin impacted you personally or have a memory of your family’s involvement with DePelchin, we want to hear from you! Please email us at 125@depelchin.org.
DEPELCHIN CHILDREN’S CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers of the Board
John C. Bass, Chairman Pam Brasseux, Chairman-elect Sue Nan Cutsinger, Secretary Charles D. Powell, Past Chairman
Board Members
Rhonda C. Arnold, J.D. Susan R. Barnes Laura Bellows Sean G. Boutros, M.D. Steve Cherek Nancy I. Cook, Ph.D.
Kimberly C. David Susan Distefano Anne S. Duncan Stephen Dyer Henry S. Florsheim Kay Forbes Terry Gebert Gerald Gehm Debbi M. Johnstone William H. Knull, III Robbie Lowrey Connelly McGreevy Hannah McNair John Moody
Stewart Pisecco, Ph.D. Carolyn Pope John B. Reed, Jr. Lisa Stone Tim Surratt William E. Turcotte W. Temple Webber III Janeana White-Lewis, M.D. Geraldina Interiano Wise
FOUNDATION AND TRUST FOR DEPELCHIN CHILDREN’S CENTER BOARD Charles Szalkowski, Chairman Russell Hawkins Jim Henderson Jamie House Carla Knobloch Rahul Mehta John Stokes Harper B. Trammell
DEPELCHIN PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES BOARD Lindy Upton McGee, M.D., Chairman Matthew Brams, M.D. James S. Ezelle, Jr., M.D. Sanjay J. Mathew, M.D.
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Thank you, Houston, for your support the past 125 years. Help us fulfill our mission for another 125 years to come. Kezia DePelchin relied on her faith in humanity when she took in three orphaned infants who needed a loving home. She christened it “Faith Home” as she would rely on her faith in God and the good people of Houston to support her cause. As DePelchin evolved from a small
frame house on Washington Avenue serving a handful of children in 1892 to a statewide organization serving thousands of children and families today, it was members of our community who came together, pooled their resources and made it possible to fulfill Kezia’s mission.
In 1913 as DePelchin began to outgrow its second facility, the ladies of the Board held numerous card parties and “silver and pink teas” to support the construction of a larger building, successfully raising $55,000 to build the 2710 Albany Street facility. Individuals also provided funding to cover the daily costs of caring for children at DePelchin. From DePelchin’s earliest years, the organization relied on both monetary donations and in-kind donations. In 1922, the cost to care for a child living at DePelchin Faith Home was $26 per month. A Treasurer’s Report from that year also shows that two of the largest expenses were buttermilk and shoes. Today children no longer live at DePelchin, but they are cared for in the homes of loving foster and adoptive families. The largest expenses are no longer buttermilk and shoes, but they are finding, training and supporting families to care for abused and neglected children who come to us at their darkest hours.
Treasury Report from 1922
Today the cost to care for a child is on average $3,950 more per month than what is provided by the state. With more children coming into care every day, DePelchin must therefore continue to rely on you, our faithful supporters, to help cover that cost. As our founder said in 1892, “these children must be cared for – we cannot desert them or fail them.”
Be a part of history and consider making a gift in honor of DePelchin’s 125th anniversary. We are asking for your support this Spring to help us fulfill our mission for another 125 years. This milestone year, we hope you will consider a special gift of:
$12.50
$125.00
$1,250.00
Other
Make your gift online at www.depelchin.org/annualfund or send in using the enclosed envelope.
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DePelchin Children’s Center invites you to celebrate
We invite you to become a part of our city’s history as we celebrate our 125th anniversary and DePelchin’s continuing commitment to Family Ever After. Past DePelchin Board chairmen will be the honorees at this singular birthday celebration which will reflect upon DePelchin’s mission, its significant role in our city and state and the importance of families helping families.
Thank you to our sponsors
ICING ON THE CAKE Anonymous – In Honor of Anne and Charles Duncan Hildebrand Fund Melissa and Steve Kean The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES Anne S. and Charles W. Duncan, Jr.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 6:30 pm at the Marriott Marquis Business Attire
highlighting
THE FAMILIES OF YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW LAURA BELLOWS Gala Chairman
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Pam Brasseux Emily Crosswell Pam Lovett Flo McGee
UNDERWRITING CO-CHAIRS
Laurie Dorfman Anne Duncan Susan L. Padon
UNDERWRITING COMMITTEE
Sue Nan Cutsinger Ginni Mithoff Lisa Stone John C. Bass, Chairman of the Board Jenifer Jarriel, MBA, President and CEO
PRESENTS AND SURPRISES Sue Nan and Rod Cutsinger Diana and Russell Hawkins Hines/EY Light Charitable Trust/Susan Light Padon Louis Magne Ginni and Richard Mithoff CONFETTI AND STREAMERS The Bossin Family Bud Light/Silver Eagle Distributors Community Bank of Texas Fayez Sarofim & Co. Flo McGee Texas Children’s Hospital W.S. Bellows Construction Corporation PARTY GAMES AND PRIZES John and Ellen Bass and Family Pam and Murray Brasseux Mary and Stephen Dyer/Baker Botts L.L.P. Dr. and Mrs. Scott Jarriel William Turcotte/Debbi Johnstone/ Chuck Powell/Norton Rose Fulbright William H. Knull III KPMG LLP Mehta Family Foundation Carol and Robert W. Paddock Fund Jeri and Marc Shapiro Mr. and Mrs. Temple W. Webber III Wortham Insurance Edith and Robert Zinn
CUPCAKES AND CANDY Dorothy and Mickey Ables Chinhui and Eddie Allen Rhonda and Bruce Arnold/ Susan and James Barnes/ Nancy Cook/Deidre and John Reed Rachel and Sean Boutros Cecily and Rick Burleson Cathy and Paul Chapman Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital Barbara Chiles/Ann Eutsler Comerica Bank Emily and Holcombe Crosswell Susie and Ignatius Distefano/ Mary Leslie and Craig Plumhof Laurie and Scott Dorfman/ Geraldina and Scott Wise Jenny and Jim Elkins Family Fund Natalie and Don Faust Gensler/Jerry and Rene Gehm Mary and Jim Henderson/ Jane and Charles Szalkowski Higginbotham JP Morgan Chase The Kayser Foundation/ The Jeff B. and Katherine B. Love Foundation Carla Knobloch Robbie and Jim Lowrey /Nancy and Don Woo Kimberly and Scott Martin Mutual of America Oliver Foundation Lynn and Bill Rafferty Jayne Finkowski- Rivera and Carlos J. Rivera Leslie and Shannon Sasser Mary Eliza and Park Shaper Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors, L.P. John Stokes Lisa and David Stone/Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. Texas Medical Center Bill and Courtney Toomey/BB&T Kelley and Harper Trammell H. Richard Walton Zorich Family Foundation
IN KIND CPY Printing Ward and Ames Special Events
For table and ticket information, please visit www.depelchin.org/familyeverafter or contact Emily Bolin at 713-802-7645 or ebolin@depelchin.org.
Save the Date | October 15, 2017
FAMILY DAY AT DEPELCHIN Come celebrate 125 years of family roots with DePelchin’s past and present families, staff and community supporters. Live music, games and fall festival activities will be held at DePelchin’s Houston Memorial campus – fun for the entire family! This is a free event by invitation only, so please email us at 125@depelchin.org or visit www.depelchin.org/familyday to get on the invitation list.
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From DePelchin Faith Home to DePelchin Children’s Center
Washington Avenue: 1892-1899
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This small frame house on Washington Avenue served as the Faith Home for its critical first eight years.
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Chenevert and Pierce: 1900-1913.
2710 Albany Street.
By the turn of the century, awareness of DePelchin Faith Home had increased significantly. The need to accommodate more children led the Board to approve construction of a new facility at the corner of Chenevert and Pierce streets. By 1909, DePelchin was already outgrowing this location
Opened: April 19, 1913. In 1913, the Levy family donated five lots on Albany and Dennis streets for construction of a larger facility that was dedicated April 19, 1913. Cost: $55,000.
Cost: $11,000.
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100 Sandman Street. 1983: Name change from DePelchin Faith Home to DePelchin Children’s Center. The name change reflected DePelchin’s identity as a multi-disciplinary agency with many new programs, including post adoption counseling, maternity care, day treatment and home-based therapy.
Opened: September 13, 1938. 12 acres of wooded land was adjacent to Shepherd Drive and was acquired in 1927. Ben Taub, the first male president of DePelchin’s Board of Directors, secured one of the first PWA grants ever appropriated ($72,765) for the construction of the new facility, which included cottages to house children, a small hospital and a service building. Cost: $205,000
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LUBBOCK
BROWNWOOD
AUSTIN
SAN ANTONIO
2002: Kinder Program Services Building opens. The beautiful new building, named for Board member and major contributor Nancy Kinder and her husband, Rich, replaced the original cottages and serves as the main location for DePelchin’s services today. Cost: $15 million
2012: DePelchin merges with Caring Family Network and expands beyond its Houston footprint with locations in Austin, Brownwood, Lubbock and San Antonio.
HOUSTON
DEPELCHIN
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A child leaves DePelchin Faith Home in the 1950’s with his new forever family >> Two siblings officially become part of their forever family at an Austin courthouse
Caregiver with two babies at DePelchin Faith Home in the 1940’s >> Current DePelchin foster and adoptive mom Christi Fisher with her children
Connie Wallace, a resident of DePelchin Faith Home with her brother in the 1930s >> Connie Wallace, a resident of Katy, Texas, visits Jenifer Jarriel, CEO, at DePelchin Children’s Center
Foster care team in the 1980s >> Current DePelchin foster care team
Ground breaking at the Cullen Bayou place location with DePelchin Board Memb DePelchin President and CEO, Jenifer Jarriel, Board Cha The Hammil Foundation at the 2013 DePelch
In 1938, the boys of Faith Home organized a football te Kids enjoy doing football drills with Gridiron Legends play
The late H. Malcolm Lovett got involved at of the Board of Directors >> H. Malco honored, along with
THEN & NOW
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bers, including longtime Board Member Anne Duncan >> air Pam Lovett and members of hin lobby reopening
Children pose in front of DePelchin’s location on Albany Street in the 1920’s >> Children gather at DePelchin’s current location after a fun morning of field day activities
eam, “The Faith Home Thunderbolts” >> yers at the annual Texas Bowl field day event
Children enjoy horses recreationally at DePelchin Faith Home in the 1940’s >> SIRE Program in action with children from the DePelchin Residential Treatment Center
t DePelchin in 1929, ultimately becoming one of seven ‘life members’ olm Lovett, Jr., at DePelchin’s 2015 Families for Kids luncheon was the entire Lovett family, a legacy of leadership.
President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush were honored as the first recipients of the Kezia DePelchin award in 1998 >> Pat and Tom Powers were honored as the 2016 recipients of the Kezia DePelchin award
In the 1950’s, children at the Negro Child Center, supported by the DePelchin Faith Home, looked forward to their annual Christmas party >> Today, generous individuals and companies sponsor children through online wish lists and deliver presents to DePelchin throughout the holiday season.
Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Houston, TX Permit No. 3601
DePelchin Children’s Center
4950 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77007
SAVE THE DATE 125TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Join DePelchin Children’s Center on May 2, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis, for our 125th Birthday Celebration, chaired by Laura Bellows. We invite you to become a part of our city’s history as we celebrate this unique achievement and DePelchin’s commitment to Family Ever After! For table and ticket information, please visit www.depelchin.org/familyeverafter or contact Emily Bolin at 713-802-7645 or ebolin@depelchin.org.
OUR VISION
We envision a world in which every child is safe and healthy.
OUR MISSION
We strengthen the lives of children by enhancing their mental health and physical well-being. DePelchin Children’s Center believes that every child deserves to be safe and healthy. An accredited foster care and adoption agency, DePelchin serves the most vulnerable children and families in Texas and works to break the cycles of abuse and neglect. Our approach to caring for children integrates prevention, foster care, adoption and post-adoption programs to improve the mental health and physical well-being of children who are at risk of entering or are in the State’s child welfare system. Founded in 1892, DePelchin is a nonprofit organization with locations throughout Houston and across Texas and gratefully receives support from individuals, foundations, corporations, government grants and the United Way. Today is published by DePelchin Children’s Center. Copyright 2017 DePelchin Children’s Center. All rights reserved. Mary Kristen Valentine – Director, Marketing and Public Relations Analisa Warren – Writer, Photography
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