Happy Valentine's Week, Friends of HGF! Our baby item welcome basket shelves need some refilling and you can help. We're hosting an Amazon Wish List drive all week long to stock up on blankets, toys, those adorable hooded towels, and other little necessities. You can purchase an item to be shipped directly to our office for as little as .99. If you just can't stand it and want to shop now, we won't stop you! Click on over to here (case-sensitive). Keep up with the drive at facebook.com/HisGraceFoundation.

You're invited to join us on September 14 at Northgate Country Club for the 22nd Annual His Grace Foundation Charity Golf Tournament! Find out more: here

Thank you to the Junior League of Houston for awarding His Grace Foundation a grant in the amount of 00! We are so thankful for your ongoing support.

Our faithful supporters, the Deacons of Deadwood, granted ,000 to His Grace Foundation this December after raising funds for children's organizations in Houston at their October gala. These funds will help us start 2020, the year when we will serve 25 inpatient families at a time rather than 15, with strength and grace.

We are delighted to announce that His Grace Foundation has moved our office into Houston! For the past 22 years, we have based our operations in the Hockley/Tomball area. This began with HGF's inception when Erin Kiltz assembled welcome baskets in her Hockley living room and shared the vision with friends over coffee in her kitchen. We have occupied a few spaces since then—most recently making our home on the property of Jim & Diane Cutaia. In 2019, a record number of new patients will be admitted to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children's Hospital. And so, despite our love for housing our office close to HGF's Hockley roots, we have determined that our office must move closer to Texas Children's Hospital in order to maintain excellence and efficiency in serving the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Father of former patient Kevin Reid, Jim Reid of Lennox Hill Holdings, LTD. has blessed HGF with access to office space in West University. We are now located at 2449 South Blvd, Suite 105—just 15 minutes from the hospital! This location will offer access to a greater number of volunteers who can serve not only at Texas Children’s Hospital but at [...]

Oh, what a night! His Grace Foundation gathered our volunteers together on September 10th to honor their faithful service, reflect on memories past, and dream about what's to come in the years ahead. Thank you to Lory and Clark Whitley for hosting us, Betnie Bakes for donating the gorgeous and delicious cake, Tricia Barksdale Designs for the stunning floral arrangements, Brookwood In Georgetown (BiG) for the hot air balloon ornaments, and A La Carte Events & Catering for the delicious food. Above all, thank you to all of our volunteers—those who could attend and those who couldn't—for your devotion to the patients and families on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children's Hospital. We couldn't do this without you. You can find pictures from this special evening at here. If you are interested in volunteering, we have orientations coming up this month and next! Click here to learn more about our volunteering opportunities and orientation dates: [link]https://hisgracefoundation.org/Volunteers.aspx[/link].

Thank you to OKRA Charity Saloon for selecting His Grace Foundation as one of four charities eligible to receive a portion of OKRA's proceeds. For the month of August, everyone who visits OKRA will receive one ticket per drink purchased. Tickets can be used to vote for HGF to receive funds from OKRA! Help HGF take home the proceeds by gathering up a group of friends for a night of fun at OKRA during the dog days of summer.

Nury and Gloria Benitez first entered the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit not as volunteers, but as siblings to a patient—their brother, Jeremy. “I was a freshman in high school,” Nury recalled. “I remember thinking the BMT floor was a lot colder than the oncology floor. Most kids weren't allowed out of their rooms and everything just seemed more clinical. His Grace helped changed that for us.” Now, Nury and Gloria are part of that change for other families. Over the years, they have assembled and delivered welcome baskets, served meals, and volunteered at the annual HGF golf tournaments. 

“As both a volunteer, and a former patient family member myself, I know how trying these times can be,” Nury said. “I’ve always loved how His Grace has taken my unique perspective into account so that they can better serve these families. I am also bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, and love being able to make families feel more comfortable by speaking their native language.”
 Through conversations in both English and Spanish, unique understanding of the experiences of patient families, and joyful diligence, Nury and Gloria warm up patients and families on some of their coldest days. [...]

When Beth’s friend Erin Kiltz asked if she’d like to be part of a new program serving patients and families on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children’s Hospital, Beth immediately said, “yes.” Now, decades later, Beth is one of the longest-serving volunteers of His Grace Foundation. That program Erin started grew into a nonprofit organization founded by Erin and her husband, John, and Beth has been there from the beginning. With a signature creative flair, Beth assembles eye-catching patient welcome baskets and arranges beautiful bouquets for HGF events. She fulfills weekly shopping lists for patient families, delivers meals, and decorates for fundraisers, volunteer appreciation parties, and puts together themed baskets to be auctioned off at HGF fundraisers. "I will do what anyone needs from me,” Beth said. “What could be more fulfilling than helping families? HGF is a part of my life that makes me feel like I’m contributing in a meaningful way.” You absolutely are, Beth!

Kayla Holley became a His Grace Foundation volunteer in 2013 when her co-worker’s nephew was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia and came to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital. Kayla enjoys volunteering with her co-worker, Bea Naranjo, as well as her co-volunteer, Ana Rizvi. Ana and Kayla often serve meals to the families of the BMTU together—inviting them to join fellow caregivers for dinner around the table or offering to bring dinner to their rooms. “One catered meal means so much to the families,” Kayla said. “It’s a pleasant break from the cafeteria food or fast food that is their typical meal. The gratitude and smiles expressed by the families we feed make me feel like we are making a difference in these families lives even if only for dinnertime.”