HOUSTON(KIAH) Laura Ward is the President and CEO of Houston Children’s charities. The charity was founded by Laura and six other people 25 years ago. They help low-income children throughout the Houston area by offering several different services, including providing school supplies to a bed.
Laura Ward’s story began in Crowley, Louisiana. She was 21, working as a librarian, and noticed someone was taking her lunch every day; that moment was the catalyst for her life’s work. “If a child is stealing your lunch, that child is hungry, and I said, “oh mom, and so tomorrow we’ll pack two lunches at noon, and you make sure you’re still feeding that child,” said Laura Ward, President, and CEO of Children’s charities.
Since the charity began, they partnered with more than 300 local agencies and have impacted more than 3.5 million children.
Laura was inspired by a 16-year-old girl named Michelle who lost her limbs and was provided prosthetics by the organization. “When she got those limbs, and she was doing well. She wrote the poem Roses are violets are blue. I couldn’t be writing this if it weren’t for you.”
Laura says she looks at that note almost every day, and she is reminded of how one action can change a life. “It’s our responsibility to figure out how to help children every single day,” she added.
