Go Team Berry!

Friends and strangers run for the Berry kids at the Chevron Houston Marathon

Team Berry will wear promotional t-shirts with the trademark "Show Your Heart"logo.
Photo via Team Berry for the Houston Marathon/Facebook
Runners registered for the 5K, half marathon and full marathon can sign up forTeam Berry.
Aaron, Willa and Peter Berry are under the care of their aunt and uncle.
Photo via Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust/Facebook

Over the past six months, the Berry children have been looked after by their home community and their favorite celebrities. This weekend, they will be honored on their parents' old stomping grounds: The Chevron Houston Marathon.

"Robin and Josh [Berry] both ran the half-marathon last year," explained Gavriella Roisman, co-captain of Team Berry, a group running in honor of the Berry family. "After the race, people took photos of them holding hands together with their medals."

Just months later, over the July Fourth weekend, the family was involved in a car accident in West Texas that claimed the lives of both parents. Their children, Peter, Aaron and Willa, were left orphaned and injured.

Joggers, walkers, seasoned runners, longtime friends, young classmates, community members and complete strangers will run in support of the Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust.

"The accident happened around the time that the lottery for the Houston Marathon was taking place," said Roisman.

Roisman's daughter attends Beth Yeshurun Day School with the Berry children and, together with co-captains Mark Strug and Marc Feldman, helped to organize a team. Friends of the family knew that the kids were going to have ongoing personal needs and medical issues into the future (both Peter and Aaron suffered spinal cord injuries), and they wanted to help out in any and every way they could.

Team Berry came about as a fund- and awareness-raising opportunity — and, though the Houston Marathon had already chosen the Run for a Reason charity program recipients, organizers have supported the team in its efforts.

The mixed team of 5K, half marathon and marathon runners currently consists of more than 150 registrants: Joggers, walkers, seasoned runners, longtime friends, young classmates, community members and complete strangers will run in support of the Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust.

For an $18 team registration fee (which goes directly to the trust), participants will receive a promotional T-shirt and the satisfaction of supporting an amazing family.

The team has raised more than $4,000 to-date, but Roisman expects to see more donations through the end of the week and post-race. Feldman, a partner in the Village Family Practice, has encouraged employee participation in the race and promised to match their funds, as have other team members.

Click here to donate to Team Berry, or here to contribute to fundraising for one of the other Run for a Reason recipients.

unspecified

are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities

Photo by Damaris Martin on Unsplash

Even with a poor ranking, you still shouldn't ask us to "smile more."

A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.

Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:

No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 148 – Income and employment
No. 158 – Community and environment

Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new restaurants, inviting Houston-born stars to perform at the rodeo, or having a strong job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.

Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 70 – Irving
No. 92 – Garland
No. 106 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Dallas
No. 113 – Fort Worth
No. 119 – Arlington
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

reports san antonio wallethub