Houston will always be known first as the Lone Star State's biggest energy city. But at our core, we're a medical community. This is, after all, the city of DeBakey, Cooley, and Duke. In recent months, we at CultureMap have been taking a look at charities making an impact in the community, and the list of health and wellness-related organizations in Houston, not surprisingly, is the longest one yet.
CultureMap's new Houston Charity Guide, presented in partnership with Frost's Opt for Optimism campaign, is a one-stop resource for locals looking for ways to give back — including to the health of people in the community.
Here’s a look at some Houston nonprofits making an impact on health, healing, and wellness, from addiction recovery to curing childhood diseases and helping people age gracefully. Know of a group that should be added? Let us know.
ALS Association Texas Chapter
The association and the Texas chapter operate under a shared mission: To discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for,and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. As they pursue treatments and a cure for this disease, your donations enable them to improve the lives of Texans living with ALS.
CanCare
This organization improves the quality of life for cancer patients and their caregivers — its primary goal is to ensure that no one battles cancer alone. It offers sensitive, compassionate support, free of charge through trained support volunteers who themselves are cancer survivors or caregivers.
Friday Harbour
Friday Harbour is dedicated to healing cancer one night at a time by providing housing to patients and families at cancer centers located in the Texas Medical Center. To date, it has provided over 1,200 nights of free housing, impacting over 350 families from around the world.
Nora's Home
The first transplant hospitality home in the Gulf Coast region welcomes patients and their families at any stage of the transplant journey. It aims to ease burdens many patients face by helping reduce the immense expense and stress incurred while undergoing transplant care by providing affordable lodging in a loving, home-like environment.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
The mission of this organization is to ensure the right and ability of all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health by providing health services, education and advocacy. It hosts a number of special events throughout the year to celebrate and honor the supporters and the patients they serve.
Ronald McDonald House Houston
This spot offers a home away from home, providing care, compassion and hope to families with seriously ill children being treated in Texas Medical Center member institutions. Over 600 volunteers serve the eight locations throughout the Texas Medical Center, providing love and support to thousands of families each year.
Southern Smoke
This nonprofit organization is designed to provide support and assistance for people in the Houston food and beverage community and their suppliers. Last year, Southern Smoke shifted its focus to provide assistance to people in the food and beverage industry affected by Hurricane Harvey, and donated $501,000 to 139 people in need.
The Rose
The mission of this group is to save lives through quality breast health services, advocacy and access to care for all. It takes care of women who are both insured and uninsured, helping them to receive quality breast health care regardless of their ability to pay.
Urban Harvest
A nonprofit organization with three hardworking programs at its core — community gardens, farmers markets and gardening and youth education — Harvest inspires and empowers people of diverse backgrounds to grow and share healthy foods, in the process enriching the city we all call home.
Young Texans Against Cancer (YTAC)
This is an independent, nonprofit organization comprised of young men and women who have been affected by cancer and are seeking to become more actively involved in the cancer community. It's focused on raising funds, using its member base to increase awareness of volunteers and helping to educate its community on cancer research.
