What began as a humble $5-per-plate spaghetti dinner to support her children’s private Christian school quietly sparked a lifelong calling for Laura Ward. Thirty-five years and more than $130 million raised later, the President & CEO of Houston Children’s Charity stands among Houston’s most accomplished philanthropic leaders.
Raised in rural Crowley, Louisiana, Ward witnessed firsthand the toll poverty takes on children, an awareness that deepened during her early career as a librarian. Each day, her lunch would mysteriously disappear from her desk. “It was then that I realized we had kids who were so hungry, they would steal to eat,” Ward says. “It was horrific for me, and I knew when I was able, I would work for the children who didn’t have what they needed.”
Since co-founding Houston Children’s Charity in 1996, Ward has conducted home visits across the city to assess need and bring dignity to the unseen. Her sobering encounters—babies sleeping in drawers, toddlers crammed onto single mattresses, grade schoolers curled up in refrigerator boxes—served as catalysts for HCC’s hallmark unique programs, including A Better Night’s Sleep, Chariots for Children, Back2School, HCC Closet, and Christmas Toy Distribution. To date, she’s impacted the lives of more than 3.5 million children across Greater Houston.
“My favorite moment is always distribution day,” Ward says. “To see the kids light up when they receive their own bed or a wheelchair-accessible van—it’s like watching a child walk into a candy store.”
Beyond HCC, Ward has lent her passion and expertise to dozens of local nonprofits, including the Arbor School, Houston Furniture Bank, and Crime Stoppers of Houston, where she led a $10 million capital campaign for the Dave Ward Building. As chair of the Houston Police Foundation’s gala for 16 years, she’s helped raise over $11 million for Houston’s officers.
Her exceptional leadership has earned widespread recognition—from being inducted into the Greater Houston Women’s Hall of Fame to receiving the Houston Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO award, the Legacy Award from Smart Financial Credit Union, and many more. Notable honors include the “Freedom to Fly” Award from Arrow’s Freedom Place, the CCFA “Woman of Distinction” award, a Child Life Room named in her honor at Texas Children’s Hospital, and a spot in City Book’s 2022 Philanthropy Report. In 2023, she was named a Houston Legend by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and featured among Porsche’s “Inspiring Women of Houston.”
Recognizing that “need never takes a vacation,” and with tireless devotion and a mission-first mindset, Laura Ward has become a trusted steward of hope and possibility for the city’s underserved youth. Those lucky enough to have been part of her journey know she’s never stopped serving since that first spaghetti dinner.