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    Really Big Spirit of Giving

    Santa comes early to Texas Children's Hospital with largest corporate gift to big campaign

    Shelby Hodge
    Dec 18, 2015 | 2:00 pm

    Santa Claus came early to Texas Children's Hospital in the form of Direct Energy, which Friday announced a $5 million commitment to the hospital's Promise Campaign — making it the largest corporate gift ever made to a Texas Children's campaign effort.

    The Promise Campaign, a $475 million fundraising effort, was launched in 2014 to aid the hospital in meeting the increasing need for specialized pediatric care.

    In remarks to a gathering at Texas Children's of nearly 200 employees from both the hospital and the energy company, Texas Children's CEO Mark Wallace noted that the funds would aid in the expansion of the hospital's Heart Center. Last year, Texas Children's surgeons performed 900 congenital heart surgeries and 32 heart transplants, more than any other pediatric hospital in the country.

    Wallace was joined in the program by Michael Linn, Texas Children's trustee; Carol Linn of the Promise Campaign; and Badar Khan, Direct Energy president and CEO.

    “Direct Energy’s generous support will help ensure Texas Children’s is able to continue to provide highly specialized care to each and every child who comes to us for help," Wallace said. "And particularly to those who are the most critically ill and have the most complex needs.”

    Khan noted, “We know our partnership with Texas Children’s will make a difference in the health and well-being of countless children and families.”

    Texas Children's Hospital's Promise Campaign gets a major boost from Direct Energy.

    Texas Children's Hospital building street scene
    Courtesy photo
    Texas Children's Hospital's Promise Campaign gets a major boost from Direct Energy.
    fundraisers
    news/city-life

    Unhappy holidays

    Porch pirates swipe nearly $2B in packages from Texas homes this year

    John Egan
    Dec 17, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages
    Getty Images
    The Grinch isn't the only one stealing Christmas these days.

    ’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

    An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

    Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

    • 30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
    • An average household loss of $169 per year.
    • An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

    “Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

    Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

    The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

    Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

    The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

    The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

    Tips to avoid being a victim
    So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

    1. Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
    2. Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
    3. Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
    4. Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
    5. Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
    6. Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
    7. Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
    8. Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.
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