Charity Challenge Winner

Organization with a special mission wins 2016 CultureMap Charity Challenge

The votes have been calculated and the results of the third CultureMap Charity Challenge — a two-week online contest in which readers were asked to recognize the good work of a dozen local non-profit organizations — are in.

Garnering 30 percent of the more than 17,000 total votes, Freedom Place is the 2016 grand prize recipient and will receive an exclusive promotion and advertising package from CultureMap valued at $10,000.

Freedom Place is a Christian-oriented care and recovery center for underage female victims of domestic child sex trafficking. It's the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

The organization's mission is to offer a successful path to freedom for American children who have suffered as victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

“The benefit of the CultureMap Charity Challenge has been huge. It’s helped unite and unify us for a movement we believe is great,” Debi Tengler, national development director of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, told CultureMap. “It’s been exciting to see our national organization, donors and the community step up and root for us.”

K9s4COPS came in a close second with 28 percent of the votes. Founded in 2010 by Kristi Schiller, K9s4COPS is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to ensure that every law enforcement agency be provided a well-trained K9 to accompany officers on duty, ready for action.

The other worthy local the charities that took in this year's challenge are:

You can read about each charity in the CultureMap Charity Challenge special series.

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

Houston, Freedom Place, January 2016, girl with horse

Courtesy photo

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

charity-challenge awards

Improving Lives

Charity Challenge spotlight: New nonprofit improves the lives of children with food allergies

texaschildrensblog.org

The Food Allergy Program at Texas Children's Hospital helps diagnose children with food allergies, as well as aids them in coping with symptoms.

Houston's a city of great giving and the CultureMap Charity Challenge aims to highlight that. CultureMap selected 12 deserving nonprofits to compete for a grand prize as they all raise awareness for worthy causes. Today: Texas Children's Hospital Food Allergy Program.

The mission of the new Texas Children's Hospital Food Allergy Program is to support the lifesaving research and services provided by the hospital's Food Allergy Clinic, which features specialists who diagnose children with potentially life-threatening food allergies, and to increase awareness of those allergies among the general public.

While many children outgrow allergies to milk, eggs or wheat, the majority do not outgrow allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

Every six minutes a severe food allergy reaction — also known as anaphylactic shock — sends someone to an emergency room. One in every 13 American children has a food allergy, and 40 percent of those children are considered high risk for a severe food allergy reaction. For children, 25 percent of first-time anaphylactic shocks happen at school and data shows that fatal episodes are often due to delayed administration of an injectable epinephrine or EpiPen.

As part of their efforts to reach more children with their program, Texas Children's Hospital has partnered with HISD to educate students and staff on how to make schools safer for children with severe food allergies.

Vote now for the Texas Children's Hospital Food Allergy Program — or one of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge.

fundraisers

Charity Challenge Winner

Organization with a special mission wins 2016 CultureMap Charity Challenge

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

Improving Lives

Charity Challenge spotlight: New nonprofit improves the lives of children with food allergies

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