Toys For Tots  |   Dress for Success |   Creative Dreams Outreach Center |  
Be A Santa to A Senior 

ABWA Fort Bend Chapter wants to make an impact in their community by putting energy into various community service projects. Currently, the Fort Bend Chapter participates in Be A Santa to A Senior, Fort Bend County Women's Shelter, Toys for Tots, Houston's Dress for Success, and Creative Dreams Outreach Center.

Fort Bend ABWA Assists Be a Santa to a Senior Program and Fort Bend County Women's Center

Volunteers from the Fort Bend American Business Women's Association, Home Instead Senior Care, The Terrace at First Colony and the Jewish Community Center assisted in collecting, wrapping and distributing gifts to underserved seniors in our local community. Ft. Bend ABWA Member Ursula Chester, owner of Home Instead Senior Care, chaired the 2009 Be a Santa to a Senior Program, assisting financially-challenged seniors during the holiday season.

Since 2006, Home Instead Senior Care has partnered with local non-profit and community organizations to identify seniors who might not otherwise receive gifts during the holiday season. The company then works with local businesses and retail stores to help facilitate the purchase and distribution of gifts by placing trees and ornaments within their various locations. Each senior's gift requests are written on a Be a Santa to a Senior tree ornament. Fort Bend CVS Pharmacy Stores partnered by hosting Gift Trees at their businesses.  For more information on the program, visit www.beasantatoasenior.com.

The Fort Bend American Business Women's Association participates in a variety of philanthropic community service projects throughout the year. This holiday season gifts were collected and distributed to the Be a Santa to a Senior Program and the Fort Bend County Women's Center . ABWA Member Bee Franks Walker chaired the committee to collect and donate gifts for women and children residents of the Fort Bend County Women's Center. The Women's Center assists survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children. Information on FBCWC can be found on their website, www.fortbendwomenscenter.org.


Toys For Tots

Project information

There are several reasons why we love the holidays. We get to see our family members that we have not seen in months or even years and that wonderful flavored dish you have to have seconds of. Remember your favorite holiday toy you received as a child? I bet you played with it for hours and even then you could not put it down. Now you watch your children or grandchildren open their first gifts.

I want to tell you about the children that will not have any toys. And most will not this year. This chapter for the past 3 years has donated so generously to this wonderful charity that our Marines bring to us every year. This year I wanted to bring a special surprise to the chapter and bring you several of these Marines to the December meeting so they can thank you in person for your donations. If you could bring a new unwrapped toy for a child, the Marines will happy to donate them to the Toys for Tots.

Fort Bend County Chapter can “Make a difference”.

OVERVIEW: Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, an IRS recognized 501(C)(3) not-for-profit public charity is the fund raising, funding and support organization for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The Foundation was created at the behest of the U.S. Marine Corps and provides support in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve, who directs the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The Foundation has supported Toys for Tots since 1991.

GOVERNANCE: Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is governed by a board of eleven directors, all of whom are successful business leaders from throughout the nation. All directors served as U.S. Marines. The Foundation's professional staff is located in an office suite in the Marine Corps Association building aboard Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia, about 35 miles south of Washington, DC.

PRODUCTIVITY: From 1991 - 2005, the Foundation supplemented local toy collections with 64.5 million toys valued at $344 million. Concurrently, the Foundation provided over $3.9 million worth of promotion and support materials, which enable local Toys for Tots coordinators to conduct more effective local campaigns.

MISSION: The mission of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to raise funds to provide toys to supplement the collections of local Toys for Tots coordinators; defray the costs of conducting annual Toys for Tots campaigns; provide administrative, advisory, financial, logistic and promotional support of local coordinators; provide other support that the Marine Corps, as a federal agency, cannot provide; and conduct public education and information programs, which call the general public to action in support of Toys for Tots.

GOAL: The primary goal of the Foundation is the same as that of the overall Toys for Tots program: i.e. - to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the Foundation are the same as those of the overall Toys for Tots program: i.e. - to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources - our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to improving communities in the future.

ACTIVITIES: The Foundation engages in two categories of activities: Program Services and Support Services.

Committee Information

The committee member for this community service project is Louise Grasse. For more information about this project, please contact the committee chair, Louise Grasse via email at louisegrasse@aol.com.

To find out more about Toys for Tots, please visit their website at http://www.toysfortots.org.

Houston's Dress for Success

Project information

Ft. Bend American Business Women's Association members participated in a city-wide clothing drive, Send One Suit, to support Dress for Success Houston. ABWA Board Member Judy Gulgun chaired the 2009 Ft. Bend Suit Drive. Suzette Peoples co-chaired the drive for our sister chapter, SWAPEN. Our chapter members came together as a team to contribute an assortment of business attire and accessories to support less advantaged women in achieving their goal of obtaining meaningful employment and ultimately fulfill their dream of economic independence.

Special thanks to all of our members for helping change women's lives. We couldn't have done it without you!

Dress for Success is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The donations that Dress for Success receives during S.O.S. Week sustain the organization throughout the year. Dress for Success Houston has grown from serving three non-profit member organizations to serving over 110 non-profit sites in the Houston Metropolitan area. Each client receives one suit when she has a job interview and another suit when she gets the job. The Dress for Success Houston's Professional Women’s Group program then provides ongoing support to help the client build a successful career. Dress for Success Houston, a 501(c) (3) corporation, has suited thousands of women, reflecting the overwhelming need in the Houston community.

Committee Information

The committee member for this community service project is Judy Gulgun. For more information about this project, please contact the committee chair, Judy Gulgun via email at judyg2008@yahoo.com.

Project information

Creative Dreams Outreach Center is a non-profit after-school arts and tutoring program for middle and high school students.  The center offers free art, dance and music lessons, as well as academic tutoring.  Students can attend a specific class by reservation, or they can spend the entire afternoon and evening.  Dinner is served to all students in attendance during the dinner hour.  All classes are taught by qualified adult and high school student volunteers.    

ABWA Fort Bend members volunteer at the Creative Dreams Outreach Center one Monday each month.  Those who wish to volunteer may be asked to tutor students, to teach art, dance or music lessons, or to help serve dinner.  Donations are always welcome and can be dropped off at the center, which is located at 1935 Texas Parkway, in the Hunter's Square Shopping Center in Missouri City.  They are always in need of healthy snacks, art supplies, cleaning supplies and paper products.

Committee Information

The committee member for this project is Julia Dean.