Oli Mohammed is the founder and executive director of The Houston Furniture Bank. They are celebrating 29 years of service and despite the pandemic, they opened a new store in the Woodlands. It is estimated that 300,000 children in Houston are sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed. We feel the main problem is awareness, even amongst our political class. Oli explains how their program Adopt a Family is a way to help the poorest among us to at least sleep in a bed. They are also recycling tens of thousands of mattresses, using the material sales to fund more programs. You can volunteer or donate or just frequent one of their 2 high quality furniture store. They sell new items, too. ww.HoustonFurnitureBank.org

Houston P. A. hosted by Laurent

300,000 Houston kids sleep on the floor & The Furniture Bank is helping big time

John Bartlett is The Children's Museum of Houston's science educator a.k.a. "Lead Geek” and he has a thing for meteorology. We therefore talk about the incredible weather system we live under and we talk about reopening the Children's Museum of Houston so kids can have some fun learning a ton of stuff at one of the safest and coolest places in town. Flow Works is flowing, the big tower can be climbed and all the science and technology stations are ready to wow and teach kids once again. There's also going to be a slew of live activities. The calendar is packed and you can see it here: www.cmhouston.org

Summer Is On at the Children's Museum of Houston!

Doug Suggitt is the executive director of the Periwinkle Foundation which supports children suffering from cancer. They organized medically responsible camps so children fighting cancer can get out, lift their moral and have a bit of a normal life. Periwinkle works with Texas Children's Hospital and they also support siblings and parents who are also going through a traumatic experience. We discuss the tremendous and positive emotional impact normal summer activities have for kids and families fighting cancer. You can find out how you can participate and donate to their mission here: www.periwinklefoundation.org

Periwinkle Foundation: a community of healing for children

Barry Ward is the executive director of Trees For Houston. They've been giving trees away to Houstonians since 1983 – for free! All you have to do is go to their website and they'll help you get the right tree for your property and they'll even help you with planting and care. The idea is simple: native species of trees are resilient, shade-giving guardians. We discuss how they're great for water retention and absorption and how their root systems keep the ground solid and firm, even when it floods. Trees for Houston is about to open a new campus which will allow them to distribute even more trees – and they're already giving away over 20,000 a year. www.treesforhouston.org

Trees for all Houstonians from Trees For Houston

Cissy Segall Davis is the managing director Miller Outdoor Theatre. They're online at www.milleroutdoortheatre.com and you need to see the list of awesome acts they're welcoming back to the stage. After being closed for the pandemic, The Miller is bringing back free shows (all Miller shows are always free) including: The Houston Symphony, Bobby Rush, The Ernest Walker Band, Fly Dance Company and the Houston Shakespeare Festival. All free! You can even get free tickets online a week before the show to sit in the covered area but you can also show up to sit on the lawn for any of these shows. They're been presenting world class entertainers for over 98 years. It's only in Houston that something this awesome – and free – is available to all.

Return to the Miller Outdoor Theater for a summer of free shows

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is in need of blood donation and I explain why it's all right to give after getting the vaccine – it's safe for everyone and you should do it. If you've been sick, I explain why your plasma can be life-saving. www.giveblood.org We have an animal population control problem in Houston and Houston PetSet has established Pet Transports to the Mid-West where animal shelters are empty. Our shelters are overflowing and the city of Houston has to destroy thousands of healthy animals every year. You can help them ship healthy animals to loving families. You're basically helping people adopt a pet from across the country. How great is that! www.houstonpetset.org When was the last time you went outside in our city and you did not hear a leaf blower roaring from 15 blocks away? Cities around the country are restricting on the use of loud lawn equipment like leaf blowers. I'm in favor of such restrictions like forbidding their use after 5PM on weekends.

Giving Blood after the vaccine, Bussing Pets & Noise Pollution

Walter Ulrich is the CEO of Medical Bridges, an organization which distributes medical surplus material to crisis-stricken places around the world – or in the US when a pandemic hits. They're like a strike team sending invaluable help in the form of medical equipment and supplies and sometimes, technicians and doctors. They also accept individual donations. You can donate wheelchairs, beds or dialysis machines. All equipment is checked by specialists and refurbished. They're also careful to ship equipment to places which can use them, looking for the facilities and personnel. www.medicalbridges.org

Medical Bridges: a Strike Team For Good

Jacque Daughtry is the executive director of Literacy Now. She explains that school closures have caused children to fall behind academically, especially very young children. It's like they've had a year-long "summer slide". Literacy Now helps little kids catch up on their reading level. They hire teachers to tutor very small groups so that each child can get personal attention. They also work with parents, recognizing how important it is for them to be involved. Parents are the ones who can surround their children with opportunities to read and learn. www.literacynowhouston.org

Literacy Now: Helping Our Youngest Build Reading Skills

Becky Lao is the Executive Director at Archaeology Now. We discuss the connection between Egyptology and Agatha Christie (whose husband was an archaeologist). They are having a talk with an Egyptologist beamed in from Cairo in May and you can go to their website to watch it from any device for free. They also have tiny lectures on Youtube that make for quick bites of history. They also have real eats with their "Culinary Adventures!" which teach viewers the history behind traditional dishes like tamales while they watch how to prepare them. Go to: www.archaeologynow.org

Culinary History, Egyptology & Agatha Christie with Archaeology Now

Nelly Quijano is a McDonald's Houston owner and operator and one of the founders of the McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship Program. HACER = Hispanic American commitment to education resources. We discuss the clever ideas Nelly and her colleagues used to raise funds (back in the mid-80's) and how the McDonald's corporation came in to match their fundraisers, turning it into a national success that has given away millions of dollars in scholarships. It's a great story of local citizens reaching out to their neighbors and having far more success then they thought was possible. Go to www.serasloquehaces.com.

McDonald's HACER Scholarship Program

Dirk Van Tuerenhout is the curator of Anthropology for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. They opened two new exhibits: Pompeii and Bodyworlds. They're scheduling safe-distanced ticket entries to keep capacity at safe levels. Dirk is a great storyteller and Pompeii is one of the best stories in human history. The city both destroyed and preserved by a volcano eruption is as crazy-interesting as history gets. Go to www.HMNS.org for tickets & info.

Pompeii: the Great Volcano Story

Allison Rosen is a survivor of colorectal cancer and a member of the Colon Cancer Coalition and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. She was diagnosed in her 30s and since recovering, she has been advocating for early detection. She stresses the importance of getting a colonoscopy at 50 but that people who have a history of cancer in their families should have it at 45. There are non-invasive take-at-home tests that are effective as well. By sharing her experience, Allison demonstrates the power of support groups. She now volunteers to help others fight cancer. All of those suffering from the disease - including family members - will find instant support by going to their website. It's an amazing community: www.coloncancercoalition.orgHouston

Colon Cancer Coalition: An Amazing Community

Kevin Hattery is the president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston (aka BGCGH), one of our great non-profits that never let up helping the community. When the pandemic struck, they kicked into high gear so kids in Houston could keep up with their schoolwork and stay in contact with their peers – which was perhaps what was most important. With a remarkably small army of volunteers, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston distributed tens of thousands of meals to thankful families and they continue to help. We also discuss the great help they've been getting from our Houston corporations like Kroger, BP and Comcast. They made big grants to BGCGH and individuals like you and me can also sponsor a kid to attend their entire summer program by donating just $30. Go to www.bgcgh.org for more information on this awesome Org.

Helpful to All: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston

Becky Lao is the executive director of Archaeology Now so I get an opportunity I love: to talk about history, teaching history and experiencing history through their programs. They have a great series of micro-lessons and longer lectures on their YouTube channel. Educators should check out their Time Travelers Educator's Materials packets on subjects like Rome, the Maya and Egypt. There's also the Culinary Adventures which go into the history of everyone's favorite foods like Tamales.www.archaeologynow.org

Archaeology Now

Emilee Whitehurst is the president and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC). Their multi-lingual staff is about to decentralize its operations to bring help closer to those who need it most. Emilee explains how with the help of a huge grant from the City of Houston and matching donations and various reinvestments, HAWC will open locations strategically placed around Houston to help women get out of abusive situations and restart their lives with housing help. The goal is to help them become independent and their programs are very successful . They are overwhelmed by the rise in violence due to the pandemic and now is a good time to give them our support. Small donations matter a great deal!www.hawc.org Domestic Violence Hotline: 713-528-2121Sexual assault Hotline: 713-528-7273

Transformation Coming to the Houston Area Women's Center

Houston P.A. is a weekly program of conversation hosted by Laurent Fouilloud-Buyat (just call him Laurent, pronounced low-ront). Each week, Laurent invites you to meet the people who make Houston unique: the museum curators, scientists, writers, dancers, musicians, civil servants, the neighbor who used to be an alcoholic but is now in recovery, and the one who has donated two gallons of blood in his lifetime ... they're on Houston Public Affairs, the show about the people of Houston.

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Houston P. A. hosted by Laurent

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