Our History
1990's
2000's
2010's
2020's
Trees of Hope was founded by Carloss Morris, a long-time friend and donor of Star of Hope in 1990. He established Trees of Hope as a non-profit with the specific purpose of conducting fundraising activities for the exclusive benefit of Star of Hope, Houston's largest agency for the homeless.
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During the first year of Trees of Hope, The Festival of Trees was held in the lobby of the downtown Enterprise Plaza. The focal point was the decorated Christmas trees which created a Christmas wonderland. The honorary chair was First Lady Barbara Bush and a little more than $45,000 was donated to Star of Hope.
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From 1991-1995 The Festival of Trees event was moved to the Westin Galleria where individual tickets were sold for $3; people of all ages came to enjoy the week-long Festival of Trees. In addition to trees, the festival boasted a gingerbread village and entertainment by local children's choirs. Houston socialite and philanthropist, Lynn Wyatt, became the honorary chair, a position she holds to this day.
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1996 was the first year in which a gala was held as the sole fundraiser.  The event was chaired by Lynn Wyatt and held at the River Oaks Country Club. $100,000 was donated to Star of Hope.
Over the years, the Gala has been dazzled by entertainers such as Liza Minnelli (1998/2006) and Rosemary Clooney (2001).
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The event has been chaired by Houston luminaries such as President George & Barbara Bush (2004), Janice & Bob McNair (2004) and Leticia & Mike Loya (2007).
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In 2008, Trees of Hope began to expand into year-round programming. The first need they identified: Back to School Shoes. Since 2008, every August and January, Trees of Hope provides every child living at Star of Hope with a brand-new pair of socks and shoes.
In 2009, Trees of Hope identified the need to show appreciation to all the mothers living at Star of Hope working to provide their families with a brighter future. Since 2009, the Trees of Hope Moms Matter Campaign has provided every mother at Star of Hope with a memorable Mother's Day. Mothers are treated to brunch as well as provided with a gift bag of specially curated items.
In 2018, Trees of Hope joined Life Member, Donna Grehn who had been volunteering in the Star of Hope Toy Store since 2009, by assisting in providing toys and volunteers for the Toy Store.
Every child that enters Star of Hope as a resident is able to select two new toys to help them feel at home in a new place. In addition, the children select a special toy to recognize their birthday.
In order to foster the next generations love of giving back, Trees of Hope Jr. was founded in 2021.
TOH Jr. members are involved in a wide range of activities: they host individual fundraisers, shop for shoes given to the children at Star of Hope twice a year and create a tree that is auctioned off at the annual Gala.
In 2022, the TOH Jr. Valentine's Day Program began. Since then, each Trees of Hope Jr. member is assigned the task of creating Valentine's Day gift bags for 3 - 4 children residing at Star of Hope. Members come together and create close to 150 bags for distribution at the Women and Family Development Center on Valentine's Day to share the love.
In 2022, the Star of Hope Toy Store was renamed to the Donna Grehn Trees of Hope Toy Store. To this day, Donna and Trees of Hope volunteers continue to provide toys for the store while volunteering on a weekly basis at the store.
