Don't waste what's tax deductible

TicKids turns the Houston sports tickets you don't use into kids' play

TicKids Golf Tournament
TicKids spend Martin Luther King Day at a Rockets game.
Second-graders at Disney on Ice

It was 1995 when Tom Young attended a Houston Rockets playoff game versus the Seattle Supersonics and found himself more preoccupied by four empty, wasted floor seats than the game in front of him. But where other men might have schemed of sneaking down a few levels during the next quarter, Young had another thought.

"I had been working with Casa de Esperanza and Ronald McDonald House and had six kids from Casa de Esperanza stuck back at my house, and I thought, wouldn't it be great to use those tickets?"

Young, now vice president of Deep Gulf Energy, tells CultureMap that 10 years later, when he took a sabbatical from the oil business, he finally had time to start a charity that would've put those tickets to use.

Many sports venues already give away blocks of unused seats, but their resources to manage the programs are limited, and they serve almost exclusively large charitable organizations. TicKids, the 501(c)(3) born in 2005 from Young's endeavors, focuses on smaller local organizations — around 275 of them — serving kids to put in those empty seats.

Tickets can be donated online or over the phone — as late as two hours in advance of the event.

"Just call me!" executive director and sole full-time employee Denise Hamilton, who is referred to as "the arms and legs" of the organization, urges. "I don't care how I get the tickets, long as I get them."

Tickets are donated by teams, corporations, individuals or, in some cases, purchased by the charity.

"We try to give them the whole experience," Hamilton says, "and collect coupons for hot dogs, popcorn and that kind of stuff."

Other money raised during TicKids' annual golf tournament fundraiser is used to purchase tickets for the younger set, such as last year's outing to see Disney on Ice or the circus. Charities check online to see what tickets are available and organize volunteer chaperones to bring the kids.

The University of Houston football program is one of TicKids biggest donors, giving about 500 end-zone tickets per game. The Houston Astros, Aeros, Dynamo and Rockets also participate, with the Rockets and the Aeros each sending a team to the golf tournament held in September. (If you're wondering, Texans tickets are out of reach for TicKid's budget, but are in high demand for donation.)

In its five years the charity has served more than 50,000 kids aged two to 21, some disabled, and their families by providing tickets to sporting and cultural events.

To make a tax-deductible donation of individual tickets or unused tickets left over from a corporate block, contact Denise Hamilton at 713-741-KIDS or sign up to be an online donor here.

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taking it to the streets

Houston charity's gifts 66 wheelchair-accessible vans to needy families

Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO Laura S. Ward, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott in front of a gifted wheelchair accessible vans.

Photo provided by Houston Children's Charity

A fleet of wheelchair accessible vans were handed out Tuesday at the Post Oak Hotel

More than 60 underprivileged children will now have wheelchair-accessible vans thanks to a nearly $4 million giveaway by the Houston Children's Charity on Tuesday.

“Our mission is to provide life-altering programs and support to underserved children across Houston,” said Laura S. Ward, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO, “We are honored to be able to empower these families facing daunting challenges by providing them the transportation necessary to not only attend medical and physical therapy appointments but go on road trips, the parks, or on other adventures with their entire family.”

The 66 vans (known as Chariots), allow users to easily enter and exit the vehicles, making transportation much easier. Many families struggle to afford such vans, which can cost up to $80,000. Often, families resort to crowdfunding to acquire one. The vans can vastly improve the quality of life for wheelchair users, thanks to increased travel options.

The gift is the largest the Houston Children's Charity has ever coordinated. To date, they have handed out 438 Chariots. The Fant Foundation, a Houston-based organization founded in 1994 to improve living conditions for disadvantaged people, provided 30 of the vehicles.

The Gift of Mobility event featured a who's who of Texas political powerhouses, including Mayor John Whitmire, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, whose husband, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, is a wheelchair user himself.

Houston Children's Charity is one of the city's largest non-profits, serving 3.5 million children since it was founded in 1996. Its programs include A Better Night’s Sleep, which provides new beds and mattresses to children whose families cannot afford them; Back2School, a partnership with the Rod Ryan Show that distributes school supplies; and Family Emergency Fund at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. In 2023, they spent $5.1 million on their various outreach programs and charity work for children in Houston.

Families in need of a van are placed on a waiting list by the Houston Children's Charity until they become available. The next giveaway in 2026 will be funded at HCC’s 28th Annual Gala on October 18. Tickets can be purchased here.

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