Houston Children’s Charity and U.S. Marines Toys for Tots distributed 80,000 donated toys to Houston families on Wednesday.

KPRC 2 News Director Dave Strickland was among those honored by at Houston Children's Charity's 25th Anniversary Luncheon.

She grew up in a large family in Louisiana, and was raised to always look for ways to help others. "Being the second of nine (children), I knew how to take care of children by the time I was 10,” Laura said. Now a longtime Houstonian, Laura harnessed her passion for helping others and helped found Houston Children's Charity in 1996. "We try to address the worthwhile needs and the urgent needs of children that go unaddressed every day,” she explained. Houston Children’s Charity has begun a number of initiatives to help local children, including its “Chariots for Children” program, which has provided wheelchair-accessible vehicles to dozens of local families.