Grantee Highlights

With 14 locations across the city, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston serve as a refuge for at-risk youth. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Morefield Club House in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood. After-school programming takes a holistic approach, incorporating tutoring and homework support, community service programs, and plenty of fun to engage the children’s social skills. Perhaps most importantly, children spend precious time with caring and invested adults who serve as role models. This program changes the trajectory of students’ lives by laying a firm foundation upon which successful futures are built.

For the 3,000+ Jewish students at the University of Texas, Hillel is a place where they can grow in their faith during a formative season of life. Providing a peer group with shared values, Hillel is thriving by any campus’ standards. Students come together to learn, socialize, and actively serve. Causes involving social justice are of central importance, with weekly initiatives that serve Austin’s homeless population, feed the hungry, and promote vulnerable women and children. Hillel also works with other faith communities to further these universal causes and create a positive impact on society.

The Herzstein Charitable Foundation completed a $750,000 total grant towards support of the Specialty Patient Care Center at National Jewish Health, the country’s top respiratory hospital. Patients across the country travel here for treatment, seeking the hospital’s unmatched expertise in the areas of cardiac care and immune and respiratory diseases. This 400,000 square foot build out is part of the strategic vision to integrate the hospital’s research initiatives with the comprehensive clinical care that it has provided for over a century. Once completed, the hospital will be poised to bring the cutting-edge treatments of tomorrow to patients who need answers today.

For over 20 years, SEARCH has effectively addressed the deeply complicated issue of homelessness. SEARCH’s mobile outreach team meets the homeless where they are, providing direct assessment and referral services in the field. A day shelter serves individuals currently utilizing case management, medical and/or employment services. Once involved with SEARCH’s programming, a client is supported by employment counselors to secure a path to self-sufficiency and is helped in locating affordable housing. This model has proven to be successful for our city’s homeless population, and the Herzstein Charitable Foundation is proud to continue its longtime support.

Mr. Herzstein was passionate about supporting those who suffered from hearing loss. The Center for Hearing and Speech remains Houston’s premiere provider of pediatric audiology services, serving over 8,000 children last year. The Herzstein Audiology Fund supports game-changing technological advancements to help the Center keep pace with the increasing demand for services. Utilization of 3D digital scanning tools will allow for earmold orders to be sent virtually, helping children to receive hearing aids significantly quicker. Other improvements in efficiency include the creation of a virtual library for loaner cochlear implant materials, updated technology used for hearing aid fittings, and a new audiometer for the Center’s hearing booth.

Newly located at Ellington Airfield, the Lone Star Flight Museum brings aviation history to life for families and students. History buffs can meander among warbirds and classic planes. Researchers can access over 1,000 aviation artifacts. Perhaps most impressive are the education initiatives. The recent relocation of the Museum saw the launch of an education program for visiting students. This TEKS-aligned program blends teacher-led STEM classes, technology-based instruction, and hands-on learning experiences. Students even walk through a flight plan with an instructor before operating a Mooney M20 simulator, experiencing the excitement of taking to the air. This museum has truly hit its stride as it showcases the magnificence of manned flight.

At the San Jacinto Museum of History, 30,000 schoolchildren each year will learn about one of our nation’s most geopolitically significant battles. Visitors have an up close and personal encounter with history while viewing the film, Texas Forever. This film weaves together over 3,000 images, including 35 original paintings, to capture attention and convey the importance of the battle that led to Texas’ independence from Mexico and eventual annexation to the United States. Digitizing these images will ensure easier access to this information and prolonged use of this valuable educational tool.

VH1 Save the Music Foundation is committed to bringing the well-known benefits of music education to schoolchildren nationwide. Striking a deal with a school district to ensure that a highly qualified music teacher is salaried and supported, VH1 agrees to supply the $35,000 in needed instruments. This partnership has brought music programs back to life in 233 districts, helping to provide a well-rounded public education in budget-squeezed schools. By making music with their friends, students are unknowingly strengthening cognitive abilities that will serve them across academic areas. For parents, this is simply music to their ears.

In 2013, St. Thomas High School seized the incredible opportunity to purchase a neighboring HISD campus. The additional 85,000 square feet of desperately needed space is currently being remodeled and connected to the existing campus. St. Thomas will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 students upon completion, meeting the growing demand for admission. Founded in 1900, the school has a longstanding reputation for helping young men excel in both rigorous academics and athletics, while nurturing the development of strong moral character rooted in a Roman Catholic foundation. This strategic expansion ensures that St. Thomas will continue to have the space and amenities needed to flourish.

The prestigious Tier One Scholarships are awarded to students of an exceptional academic caliber. These scholars will receive full coverage of tuition and fees and two years of housing, along with support to study abroad and conduct research. This $425,000 total grant is being matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor. Given the Foundation’s initial contribution of $75,000, this totals a $1,000,000 investment in the scholarship program. Considering that the overwhelming majority of the school’s graduates will enter the Houston workforce, this gift is both life-changing for students and invaluable to our city.

With a prime location near the Texas Medical Center, this acclaimed Catholic University has a rising reputation for excellence in the ever-growing health fields. The new Center for Science and Health Professionals will provide a state-of-the-art learning complex on par with the academic standards of programs such as nursing, biology, and biochemistry. Fully equipped to educate our future health professionals, University of St. Thomas is responding to its students’ needs while answering the labor market’s demand.