Juan Garcia is the chairman of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's Go Tejano Committee. With him is Adrian Izaguirre, their promotions coordinator. They are both volunteers because the Houston Rodeo is a non-profit organization whose mission is education and it is entirely run by voelunteers. The Rodeo has given out over 400 Million Dollars in scholarships to Texas students and the Go Tejano Committee donates 20 $20,000 scholarships every year. They are also behind the Go Tejano day which is almost always the most attended day of the Rodeo. This year, they're presenting Los Tigres del Norte. We talk about the Go Tejano's Tamale sale, their Mariachi competition and their other programs which are all designed to help families send children to school.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs February 25 through March 17. Get tickets here: www.rodeohouston.com

Barry Ward is the executive director of Trees For Houston. The Org plants over 20,000 trees a year in the Houston area! It’s not just about making Houston a cleaner and more beautiful city, it's also to create reduce ambient temperatures and increase water absorption everywhere it makes sense, aka flood mitigation. They work with architects, the City of Houston and anyone wanting to improve their living spaces. One of the secrets to their success is that they offer their services at cut-rate prices, saving thousands of dollars in the process, thanks to the work of volunteers. They also offer heaps of advice on their website so check it out: www.treesforhouston.org

Dr. Aisha Siddiqui is the founder of CHAT: CHAT Culture of Health - Advancing Together. CHAT specifically targets the Social Determinants of Health: Education, Economic Stability, Community, Healthcare, and Environment. Her organization helps children and teenaged immigrants integrate into American society. They call themselves "Newcomers" and because of language barriers, cultural barriers and poverty, getting along can be difficult. CHAT partnered with the Mayor's office to have 12 new murals painted to highlight the awesome diversity of cultures in the Gulfton area. It's called The Gulfton Story Trail, you can see them all by taking a bus and its success on social media shows it will accomplish what it sought out to do: bring some business into the area and give its community art to be proud of. CHAT is active in Sharpstown HS, Westside High School and Sutton Elementary School help during new student orientation.
Go see The Gulfton Story Trail and check out the website: www.chattx.org

Elizabeth Appleby is the curator of the San Jacinto Museum of History and with her is Amanda Accardo the external relations manager for Shell Deer Park. Shell and the San Jacinto Museum have opened a new exhibit: Big Energy: A Texas Tale of People Powering Progress. It chronicles 9 decades of Deer Park development along the Houston Ship Channel and so much of that came from the people working for Shell that the community and the company's histories are inseparable. The exhibit demonstrates how industries help communities flourish and we also take the time to talk about the Battleship Texas which you can also visit (and you should). Got to www.sanjacinto-museum.org for information and plan an awesome day trip!

Oli Mohammed is the executive director of The Houston Furniture Bank. They are celebrating 25 years of loyal service in the Houston area by starting new programs and helping people continue their recovery from Harvey's flood. They have been a major partner for the City of Houston and have already provided replacement furniture to over 2000 families and counting. They are also forging partnerships with the hotel industry so that when hotels renovate, their used furniture can be collected and donated to deserving families. They will also help you donate your furniture by coming to your home for a convenient pick-up. To find out more and to volunteer, go to: www.HoustonFurnitureBank.org

Steve Lufburrow is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Houston and with him is his son,
Will Lufburrow their director of fund development. They are one of Houston's largest employers and keep winning awards from the Better Business Bureau for how well they manage their donations. When you give $1 to Goodwill, 95% of it goes directly to helping people find employment. They run many programs, including one especially tailored to our armed forces. Lead by a U.S. Marine, Goodwill helps our troops find jobs upon their return from deployment. Steve talks about how ex-military personnel make (unsurprisingly) great employees and Will shares the unique satisfaction of working in the non-profit world and why younger generations choose to do it as career more and more. Go to www.Goodwillhouston.org to take a look at all the great work they're doing.

Brian Carr is the chief advancement officer for Northwest Assistance Ministries. They are doing a big toy drive for the holidays and the toy distribution will come along a full holiday meal for the families. They are also welcoming the Christus Health Foundation's Health Screening Mobile Unit. Free comprehensive health screenings are available and ladies get to schedule a full appointment (men can just walk in as their exam is far simpler and less time consuming).
Go to their website for more info and to find out how you can support their Meals on Wheels program for the elderly, FREE Financial Literacy Classes, FREE GED Classes, FREE English as a Second Language classes, FREE 50+ AARP Safe Driving Classes and much, much more, thanks to Houston's tremendous generosity. www.NAMonline.org

Dirk Van Tuerenhout is the curator of Anthropology for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. They just opened the Fossil Preparation Laboratory which allows visitors to watch paleontologists at work. They cut a hole in a wall, put up a window and a communication device and now, people can see what happens backstage. It's another opportunity to awake a vocation in children. We also talk about a myriad of historical subjects because Dirk is as knowledgeable and passionate as he is fun to talk to.
Check out one of the world's best museums: www.HMNS.org

Barbie Brashear is the director of The Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC - aka The Council) and with her is Maisha Colter, the director of legal advocacy programs for Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA).
They are online: www.HCDVCC.org and www.AVDA-TX.org and these phone numbers are important to have: Call AVDA and get help now 713-224-9911 or the 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
These are anonymous phone calls offering instant help to victims of domestic violence. We discuss the many ways the Orgs work together to not only raise awareness but to help victims escape abusive relationships, recover from the abuse and become independent. Their programs are proven to work and we also discuss when it is appropriate for witnesses to call the police, such as when a neighbors is witnessing domestic violence. Awareness also includes keeping an eye out for each other.

Keith Ostfeld aka Mr. O, is the director of educational technology and exhibit development for the Children's Museum of Houston. It's probably the best place to take your kids for Halloween since it's an awesome Haunted Museum and while they'll have fun, they'll also learn. Keith tells us about their new app that works throughout the museum, how they're working on the next big thing: teaching kids about building big, public places. As for the Halloween festivities, they include: the Mobile Monster Hunt, a Slime-Off on Oct 27th, a Thriller Dance Party on the 31st. The museum will open late until 8PM on that day. Go to their website for more info: www.cmhouston.org