The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston’s “Rise and Shine Breakfast” honoring Carolyn Khourie and Matt Khourie got more than 300 early birds up and out the door to River Oaks Country Club to celebrate the recipients and learn more about BGCGH programs. Mr. and Mrs. Khourie, long-time volunteers and supporters of Boys & Clubs of Greater Houston, received the “Carol Freeman Volunteer of the Year Award” for their roles in advancing the mission and expanding the reach of the organization in the Houston area.
In addition to recognizing outstanding volunteer service, the purpose of the Breakfast, sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, is to educate the business and nonprofit communities about the services and programs Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCGH) provides for more than 50,000 at-risk youth after school and in the summer.
The keynote speaker for Rise & Shine was Dr. Mona Dixon, a former National Youth of the Year winner for Boys & Girls Clubs of America who was awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships and honored by President Obama in the Oval Office. This was after she and her family were homeless when she was just 13 years old.
Her most recent adventure consisted of a 13-city tour with Grammy® Award winning artist Lauren Daigle, raising donations for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and local Clubs. She is a public speaker in demand with companies, schools and nonprofits.
WHO: Business leader Matt Khourie became involved with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston at the urging of his close friend, Craig Lieberman, former BGCGH Board Chairman and successful entrepreneur. After Matt toured several Clubs with Mr. Lieberman, he was convinced that he could make an impact on the organization through his business acumen and real estate expertise as a senior executive
of Trammell Crow Company. He joined the BGCGH Board of Directors in 1997, serving for nine years before becoming Chairman in 2006.
Matt knew that the demographic metric capabilities of his company could greatly benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston in site selection, as the nonprofit grew and expanded. With his geographic knowledge of Houston and the construction management expertise of Trammell Crow Company, he was able to both pinpoint the areas of greatest need for clubs while ensuring the new clubs were built in a high quality and cost-effective manner.
During his tenure on the board, with Trammell Crow resources, Matt was able to help assemble the land, facilitate the hiring of architects and general contractors, and provide construction expertise as new clubs came on board. The building and ultimate opening of the Spring Branch Club (part of the Spring Branch Family Development Center) stands out as a major accomplishment during his tenure.
He and former BGCGH President & CEO John Havard researched potential properties in the Spring Branch area, which serves a large Hispanic population. The SBFDC was an “A to Z” project Matt spearheaded – from land purchase, to groundbreaking, to construction, to grand opening. It has been a model of success in Houston, with onsite services provided by Boys & Girls Clubs and other organizations to benefit children, families, seniors and other community members.
Lieberman also recruited Carolyn Khourie, a former Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Texas Woman’s University, to get involved. Since one of the core pillars of Boys & Girls Clubs is “Healthy Lifestyles,” this was a natural fit – her expertise as a nutritionist and dietitian proved to be invaluble. She worked on an ad hoc committee with John Havard to renovate and remodel the kitchen in what is now the John & Cissy Havard Club near the Heights, which she described as a former “food desert.” Today, the Club provides a community food pantry through the Houston Food Bank, manned by teen volunteers.
In 2015, Carolyn joined the program committee and served as the Co-Chair of the Programs and Operations Committee and on the Executive Committee.
Both gardens, a source of pride, opened in early 2021 with Club members learning how to grow fruits, vegetables and plants, tending the gardens, harvesting and using the food for cooking onsite. She notes that automatic irrigation systems keep the gardens alive and healthy, even in the summer. She later served as the Chair of the Programs and Operations Committee on the Executive Committee.
One of Carolyn’s most memorable experiences was meeting Youth of the Year Award recipient Carla Trochez in 2015 during a pre-interview with finalists. In high school, this outstanding young woman taught a Healthy Habits class to kindergarten through third grade at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Carla was salutatorian at Northbrook High School and through Carolyn’s encouragement, went on to get a full ride at TWU to study nutrition and become a registered dietitian. After receiving a scholarship during the “Great Futures Dinner” fund raiser, Carla went on to be named Texas Youth of the Year.
Mentoring is one of the most important aspects of Boys & Girls Clubs, and Carolyn embraced that role with Carla through valuable career counsel and in navigating the college admissions process. Carla was the first in her family to attend college. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Nutrition from Baylor, completed her dietetic internship at Walter Reed, and is now an office in the U.S. Army.
WHEN: Thursday, October 12, 7:30 a.m.
WHERE: River Oaks Country Club
Houston, 77019
GUESTS:
Staff
Kevin Hattery, President & CEO
Shannon Woodruff
Mari Bosker
Dominique Garcia
Zenae Campbell
Michael Ewing
Clifford Grimes
Nick Cantu
Cathy Morin
Jonathan Sturgis
Ted Sukey
Lataikeii Holiday
Carla Jones-Adams
Additional Guests
Wendy and Jeff Hines
Tricia and Greg Pinkalla
Elizabeth and Will Galtney
Craig Lieberman
Maureen Graf
Michael Kuznar
Dr. Erica Hattery
Michael Terracina
Dr. Karen Hill
Terri King
Guy Koenig
Michael Vinson
Carl Wimberely
Angele Cherbonnier
Henry Gonzales
Colleen Murphy Smith
Lisa Wright
Stephanie Chesnick
Greg Keller
Henry Pei
Brittany O’Brien
Ryan Dewitt
Bailey Kinney
Samara Perez
Emery Larkin
Janna Webber
Chase Robinson
John Mooz
Jim Hendricks
Juan Kemp
Courtney Coleman
Meg Holliday
Chris Reina
Thomas Armentor
Will Vrielink
Will Edens
Jackson Taft
Gretchen Himsl
Claire Dutreix
Dahlia Chaudhury
Kelly Walter
Dan Hixson
Sonia Tersigne
John Car
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Grass Photography