Heart of the House January 2025

A Note from the CEO

Dear Friends, 

Happy New Year! As we look back on 2024, I am deeply grateful for your generous support. Your kindness has made a lasting impact, enabling us to grow and serve even more families. Thanks to your help, we are expanding, and I am thrilled to announce our partnership with A Shelter for Cancer Families. Learn more about the expansion in this newsletter.

The holiday season at the House was truly special, filled with love, joy, and cherished memories. This was made possible by the heartfelt contributions from so many individuals, organizations, and businesses. Whether through donations of gifts and funds, preparing meals, volunteering time, or simply sharing warmth and care, you helped create an unforgettable holiday experience for our families.

I hope you’ll continue to join us in supporting our families after the holiday glow has faded. Our needs are ongoing, as we operate around the clock, every single day of the year. If you’re interested in helping, you can review our current list of most needed items here.

Thank you for being such a vital part of our mission. Together, we are making a difference, one family at a time.

With heartfelt thanks and best wishes for 2025,

Cristina Vetrano

Chief Executive Officer

House Happenings

Home for the Holidays

We are deeply grateful to every individual and organization who participated in our "Home for the Holidays" activities and celebrations this year. We would like to highlight some key supporters:

Decorations - Macy's and ADPi provided our annual holiday decorations and Congregation Beth Israel provided Hannukah decorations. ATT Pioneers made and donated dozens of mini trees for families to enjoy in their rooms. BDO donated craft supplies and wreaths so each family could decorate a holiday wreath for their door.

Santa Shop - Halliburton, CVS/Aetna, McDonald's Houston, Windsor Communities, Valobra Fine Jewelry, DT Midstream, JE Dunn, The Wilshire all provided significant donations to our Santa Shop. Ladies of Grace Presbyterian Church provided stockings stuffed with goodies.

Holiday Tree Contest - AbbVie, JE Dunn, Frost, NRG, YMSL, Southwest Airlines, Guidehouse, PCCA, The Jones Family, Lockton, Houston SaberCats, Pelican Energy Partners each decorated a themed tree to display at Holcombe House. The entry fee was a donation to our Santa Shop.

Festivities - Hess Corporation held its annual giant gingerbread decorating party, followed by a delicious dinner. The Sherriff's Community Engagement Team hosted an Elf on the Shelf Party and the Red Shoe Crew hosted a Polar Express Party. Music and caroling was provided by the Banjo Band, Blakeny Carolers and STU Cello Club. The Faris Foundation provided New Years Party in a Bag to ring in 2025.

We also extend our sincere thanks to all our donors, large and small, for helping us bring joy to so many this holiday season. Every contribution matters, and we are so thankful for your support.

Thank you to everyone who contributed

to a Magical Holiday Season!

Family Stories

Just days before starting high school, 15-year-old Mary Kate was diagnosed with CIC-Rearranged sarcoma, an incredibly rare cancer. Immediately after the diagnosis, her family drove 15 hours nonstop from Illinois to MD Anderson, one of the few hospitals offering treatment for her condition.

At Holcombe House, Mary Kate feared she would have to give up her passion for music and singing due to her intense chemo and radiation regimen. However, on the third floor, she discovered a special space where she could escape her medical struggles and continue practicing her music.

Round Up For RMHC

Round-Up Smashes Records in 2024

On November 15th at 4:26PM, a customer ordered spicy nuggets, fries and a large Coke at the McDonald's restaurant at 310 N. Alexander Drive in Baytown, Texas.

Joel, the cashier, asked the customer if they wanted to "Round Up for RMHC." When the customer answered "yes," to the request, that $0.72 donation pushed the total of Round-Up contributions to over $1,500,000 for the first time ever!

Amazingly, this milestone was reached even before the busy weeks of December, when the Round-Up program usually sees the most activity. Thanks a million-and-a-half to the McDonald's Greater Houston Owner/Operators Association, the store managers, cashiers, customers and behind the scenes team members who helped make this year the most successful on record. Stay tuned to find out where the local Round Up program finished the year in 2024!

(Pictured R-to-L: Matt Kades/Owner-Operator, Joel Salazar/Cashier, Cristina Vetrano/CEO of RMHC-GH)

15th Annual Run for the House

Our 15th annual Trafigura Run for the House was a fantastic, family-friendly event for people of all abilities. Despite chilly temperatures, more than 900 participants registered to join us at Sam Houston Park in Downtown Houston on the morning of December 7.

Our Grand Marshal, Scratch, from the Houston SaberCats Rugby team entertained the crowd and kicked off the race. Competitive runners, walkers, strollers, wheelers and visually impaired participants with running guides took part in the 5k/10k, then enjoyed the after-party in the park.

Thanks in part to a generous match of $150,000 from the Trafigura Foundation, the Run for the House raised $467,000 for RMHC Greater Houston.

2025 Event Schedule

RMHC Cup Golf Tournament

March 3

BlackHorse Golf Club

Presented by Talos Energy

Kids & Clays

April 3

Houston Sports Club

Sponsored by the Houstonian

Boo Ball Gala



October 17

Hilton Americas

Chairmen: Courtney Harmon & Laura Thompson