This section was copied and pasted from the Elijah Rising website:…read more ELIJAH RISING was founded in 2012 as a prayer gathering that focused on ending sex trafficking in Houston. Across Houston women and girls were being sold for sex, but there was little outcry. Elijah Rising began hosting Van Tours and showing the public the injustice happening across our city. In 2013 Elijah Rising negotiated the closure of a brothel (Angela's Day Spa) and converted it into its headquarters. In 2014 Elijah Rising launched the Museum of Modern-Day Slavery. Now the same building that used to be a brothel houses one of the nation's few museums dedicated to exposing the brutal realities of sex trafficking and exploitation. The museum allows the public to explore what it looks like inside a brothel, and it displays a collection of artifacts and information from the fieldwork conducted by Elijah Rising staff and volunteers. Elijah Rising also leads volunteers on Interventions in Houston and the surrounding areas multiple times a month. Through outreach into the brothels, sexually oriented businesses, and streets we provide women with resources to leave the sex industry. As Elijah Rising's mission expanded a new facet was added with the purchase of Kendleton Farms: a residential program dedicated to the restoration of survivors of sex trafficking. Kendleton Farms is a faith-based program that provides housing, trauma-informed counseling, and a caring community of support for survivors of sex trafficking. My review: On Tuesday evening I took a Van Tour provided by Elijah Rising. The tour began at 7pm and was about 2 hours long. This can give or take. We first went inside the establishment (which used to be a brothel) and walked through the museum which brought tears to my eyes. You think you may know what's all involved in human trafficking, but just wait until you walk inside Elijah Rising. You just know the tip if the iceberg, Personal stories are depicted on the walls and artifacts are placed in rooms. Information about the Houston issues are depicted in each room. You learn that woman are trafficked here from all over the world. Many are brought to the US in trucks or vans crossing the border from Mexico (however they may or may not be of Mexican decent). Next Micah began the tour in the prayer room presenting us with a slide show and taking questions. Every question that was asked she was able to answer with full knowledge. We then loaded in the van and drove around areas by Chimney Rock between 59 and Richmond. We saw a hand full of "massage" parlors there. She then took us by the Strip Club TREASURES which is a prime location for prostitution and has been sited many times. We then drove down 610 to Telephone road. Parlors are lined up side of the highway along Telephone road. In one section there were about 4 side by side. Along the way we learned how difficult it is to close these facilities. It takes years of investigations and they have to have women who are openly willing to testify. The traffickers are also never ever on site. How you can help: Donte, adopt a project, host a work day, join the freedom circle, helping on Kendeldon Farms, Raise Awareness, come too an intervention. I would highly suggest starting by going to their wevbsite and taking a van tour. This is a must for anyone who lives in Houston! Go to Elijahrising.org for more information.

I've given and received candies, scrubs and lip balm from the Elijah Rising store. The candies…read morelast a long time abs are very fragrant. The lip balms are super moisturizing. But above all, shopping at Elijah Rising provides funds for the amazing work this organization does to help stop human trafficking and help support the victims after they are freed. Please check out their products and the work that they do.

Excellent Knights of Columbus Council down in the Third Ward area of Houston, just east of I-45…read more As one of the older councils in town, they have expansive membership and some great programs. There's an independent hall associated with the council, complete with a couple of beer/wine bars and a kitchen. The hall can be rented out for events or meetings, and seems like a classic Quincenera spot. They host the Bishop Greco Assembly and the Galveston-Houston Chapter as well as their own meetings, and host meetings for the State Convention when it is in town as well. The parking lot is unpaved, which leads to some uneven spots while driving, and the place has definitely seen some better days, but it's still a great spot.

The Knights of Columbus on Telephone it's a joke. My aunt reserve the hall and talk to the manager…read moreand he told her that she could bring beer, alcohol and cokes in. But when we got there today he said no that we had to buy everything there. They will not even let her bring in water bottles. This is the kind of BS that pisses me off, I would never recommend that hall to anybody. If y'all do make sure you record him telling you what y'all can and cannot take. I've looked up his reviews and other people have complained about it too. One lady said that he did the exact same thing when she had a party. Share and let other people know.

Location: Almeda Rd…read more Parking: limited, but also street and across the street. Staff: staff has a lot of volunteers and all are welcoming and helpful. I was invited to come here for one of their legal classes. It was very nice to see how accommodating they are towards their community. This particular class consisted of mainly seniors. They were able to get an understanding of how to protect their assets and/or pass along to their love ones. As you walk in they have lots of brochures and business cards of all kinds of assistance.

The staff is amazing and they love people! They help the community thrive and they do it with pride…read moreand integrity!

The Houston Area Urban League helps over 10,000 people a year in the Greater Houston Area. Last…read moreweek, I attended a Back To School event at their Griggs Street location, where they provided COVID-19 shots, backpacks, and school supplies for the kids and gift cards for those receiving the shots! What a great event!

Beware of what you put into this organization. They steal ideas, credits, rights and intellectual…read moreproperty from local creative entrepreneurs that use their innovative ideas to make a living & they take full credit for it without consent. They will also try and block you when you address the matter & continue to infringe your trademarked names with no respect or regards. It sucks, because once upon a time I really believed in this organization and put forth effort to donate & attend their events. Only to be slapped in the face with my idea & title being used. NO ONE has resolved the matter as if they could careless. So this is a fair warning to all the local Houston entrepreneurs!

Well look at that - two years later and I've now worked with ESCAPE Family Resource Center (EFRC)…read morein a professional setting, as well as graduated from their Building Confident Families program. From a professional perspective: ESCAPE was accommodating and exceptionally great to work with. Each and every person I communicated with was helpful and attentive. From a student's perspective: I took the Building Confident Families course with about 13 parents in a program though my employer. As a student I had already learned much of what the class discussed in an educational setting. I found the EFRC educator's approach to be easy to understand, enlightening, comical and understanding. Many of the parents seemed to enjoy the classes and I felt that the educator made it easy for the parents to open up and discuss their perspective. EFRC offers courses for children, teens, women who have experienced domestic violence, divorcing/divorced parents, and grandparents. Though many people may refer to the classes as "parenting classes" they're really communication, stress management and informative - I think the people who work at EFRC realize that no1 got a parenting instructional book and really try to give age appropriate information to all of their client/students.

This project featured artists from all over the world, with the furthest being from Taiwan, ChingYu…read moreCheng. She used natural wood and local fabrics to give her art an airy, breezy and natural twist. When I walked up to her house, it was windy and you could see the wind blow through her various fabrics, all so colorful, as if I was in a field of flowers. The soft gentle swoosh as each piece of fabric blew with the wind. The smell of cedar, oak from the wood! The houses on this row each told a different story, one about natural 4C hair, the journey to make it manageable while still searching to find the beauty within it, growing up in a shotgun house on Monterey, family pictures, watching old family videos and listening to the record player, the clay from all around Houston, the inability of seeds, fruit trees and Lucious tropical plants to be able to grow within it due to its lack of moisture retention and minerals and being thrown into a fairy tail, one with diverse characters of color as the main characters! This project was incredible with unspeakable artistry by some amazing artists! The winner received a monetary donation of $25,000. Best of luck to them all and thank you for the incredible installation!!

We came here for an event for Safiya Sinclair's novel, How to Say Babylon. There are few allocated…read moreparking spaces, but plenty areas to park on the street. The space is clean and organized, and everyone was extremely helpful. I cannot wait to return to visit the actual houses/exhibit offered. Third Ward is an absolute gem.

Great value. Very clean and supportive staff. I especially like the downtown, Texans and Stella…read moreLink locations.

YWCA assists the community with meals for seniors, youth classes and Spring Break camps, courses…read morefor lawyers/ social workers on human trafficking, and so much more. They even have a residential program for young women who have aged out of foster care or who are homeless, but want to attend higher education. Looking forward to giving back and the Outstanding Women's luncheon in May!

In addition to the freestanding Ronald McDonald House on Holcombe, RMH operates a smaller facility…read morew/in Texas Children's Hospital. This includes a 20 room "House" on the 4th floor of the Abercrombie Building that serves families with children staying in the Level 4 NICU; PICU; & CVICU, & 3 "Family Rooms" that offer most of the facilities of a House, except private rooms. Two of these Family Rooms are dedicated to families of Hematology/Oncology patients, one is for those w preemies born & hospitalized at the Pavilion, and one is for families of patients of the Heart Center who are undergoing cardiovascular surgery or cardiac catheterization, or who are patients in the CVICU. We stayed in the 1,000 sq ft Family Room at the Heart Center, while our daughter was undergoing open heart surgery to repair her tetralogy of Fallot. And we used it as a base while she was convalescing in the CVICU during her first 5 days post-op. It's actually a suite of rooms, & boasts the following: -2 waiting areas w spectacular views to the NW & NE, comfy couches & armchairs, & desks -pillows & blankets (both for naps & overnight stays) -free WiFi -restrooms -showers -kitchenette (w a fridge, 2 microwaves, a dishwasher, drip coffee maker, toaster, ice machine, free snacks & coffee, & dinnerware). Pizza is served on Thursdays & volunteers sometimes bring food. -big-screen TV, DVD player, & VCR -library of books, DVDs, VHS tapes, & board games -play area w toddler toys -conference rooms (where parents liaise w their child's Dr. or nurse) -lactation room w a Medela Symphony pump (just sign in w the receptionist) -lockers Having a haven on the floor just below the Cardiovascular ORs & the CVICU during our daughter's time there was invaluable for us. On the day of her surgery, we were given a pager used by 1 of the cardiac nurses to notify us when she was ready to meet w us, in order to update us on our daughter's condition & what procedures had been performed. This, we were told would work anywhere in the hospital. But where does one go when her kid is being cracked open, her blood chilled-down, and her heart stopped; drained of blood; carved up; & resown? I couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't do or think anything. Going downstairs to grab a burger seemed too complicated. And what if we had gone downstairs to get something to eat, but couldn't get back to the conference room in time to meet w the nurse? I don't think I'd have risked it. And this was something we hadn't even thought to plan for. W/o that kitchenette, I don't think we'd have eaten that day, & as I was pumping milk for my twin daughters, I really did need to eat. During our daughter's recovery in the CVICU, it was again truly necessary for us to have a home-away-from-home near to our baby. As our prematurely-born twin daughters were then just 3 weeks old, I didn't want to leave my healthy daughter with a babysitter. She needed constant care, & my husband & I weren't ready to be separated from her, as we were, her sister. We needed to bring her w us to Texas Children's. But the CVICU is tiny & overly crowded. There's little space even for a diaper bag, let alone a stroller. The RMH Family Room afforded us a safe place to leave both of these. And b/c our healthy daughter was only allowed to be in the CVICU for an hour per day, the Family Room was also a place where one parent could care for her, while the other spent time w her sister. And it didn't hurt that we could grab a few Pop-Tarts & some water when we were on our way out the door, feeling tired & dehydrated, our blood sugar invariably low, our spirits invariably depressed. The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Texas Children's Heart Center is a real refuge for caregivers during the most harrowing times of their lives, & is a cause truly worth supporting. If you'd like to help, you can officially "volunteer" (http://www.rmhhouston.org/Volunteer) or stop by the room (on the 17th floor of the West Tower at TCH) anytime w food or gently used board games, toys, books, DVDs, or VHS tapes, & sign in at reception. Thanks in advance for your support. My family & I will be back soon. Hope to see you there.