December has been an eventful month filled with celebrations and exciting milestones! As we say goodbye to 2023, we want to take a moment to highlight the remarkable happenings that have taken place in the District community this month.
The Energy Corridor District kicked off the festive season and made memories at our Third Annual Tree Lighting presented by ConocoPhillips where we awarded a total of $30,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations as part of our 12 Days of Christmas initiative. The District also hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for Energy Hill at Terry Hershey Park and sponsored the Second Annual ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas 5K/10K'!
This month, we’ve combined our District Happenings and District Discovery newsletters to recap these notable December events and extend our warmest holiday wishes to each and every one of you. Thank you for being an integral part of The Energy Corridor District's community.
The Energy Corridor District’s 3rd Annual Tree Lighting Celebration
The Third Annual Tree Lighting was one for the history books! The incredible celebration had approximately 3,000 community members in attendance—making it the largest tree lighting the District has had yet. The event featured the lighting of our 50-foot tree, a holiday drone show, Candy Cane Lane Nutcracker Market sponsored by Fluor, a CITGO sponsored giveaway, pictures with Santa, and live performances on the bp stage by Wendy Taylor, The Westside High School Choir, and The Emotions.
This year’s event was a testament to how connected the District and its community members really are. Despite the date change due to inclement weather conditions, our incredible community and sponsors showed up and made the tree lighting a huge success!
We would like to extend one last huge thank you to our sponsors: ConocoPhillips, without whom the tree lighting itself would not have been possible; Fluor, whose sponsorship supported more than 25 local vendors in our Candy Cane Lane Nutcracker Market; CITGO, who sponsored the holiday giveaway; and bp, whose sponsorship gave us the stage we used for live performances and some of the night’s most magical moments.
Thank you again to everyone who made it out to our Third Annual Tree Lighting, we hope you had just as much fun as the District and our sponsors did! Our months of hard work and preparation were made more than worth it each time we saw smiles on our community members’ faces, and we are beyond excited to see just how this event will continue to grow in the coming years.
Ribbon Cutting: Energy Hill at Terry Hershey Park
On Tuesday, December 12, The Energy Corridor District—in partnership with Commissioner Lesley Briones, Harris County Precinct 4 and Shell USA—hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to announce the opening of Energy Hill at Terry Hershey Park.
Several members of the District community gathered to celebrate the District’s newest testament to its commitment to sustainable living. Energy Hill features the District’s inaugural 40-foot public art mural and street furniture made of upcycled, decommissioned wind turbine blades, which were generously donated by Shell USA.
This public-private partnership convened by The Energy Corridor District, and the significant support provided by the Harris County Precinct 4 Parks team to develop the site, helps tell the story of energy while creating a public space benefiting the local community.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony included the presentation of a plaque that will be displayed at Energy Hill for passersby and community members to learn more about the partnership between The Energy Corridor District, Harris County Precinct 4 and Shell USA and the meaning behind the site.
We invite you to visit Energy Hill often and consider having a picnic in the park. Tag us on social media @energycorridordistrict when you visit #EnergyHill and show us your energy!
Announcing the District’s 12 Days of Christmas Grant Winners
Each year, The Energy Corridor District awards grant funding to nonprofit organizations as part of its 12 Days of Christmas initiative. Through this initiative, the District has donated a total of $80,000 over the last four years and numerous organizations have received support to transform lives and communities.
At this year's Tree Lighting, we were able to award $30,000 of grant funding to six nonprofit organizations whose services impact the Energy Corridor and surrounding areas. We’re excited to finally announce this year’s recipients!
CompassRN is a nurse-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization connecting youth to health education and the field of nursing. It targets underserved and underrepresented middle and high school students by creating awareness of nursing career opportunities, facilitating access to the nursing community and providing long-term mentorship from high school to nursing licensure. The grant funds from the District will cover the costs of camp programming for the Compass to Wellness Camp at Houston Methodist West Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital West for 2024.
The Center for Pursuitoperates a Social Motions Skills program that provides after-school social skills programming to thirty-two youth with autism, ADHD, social anxiety or similar disorders (ages six through eighteen). The organization will use this grant to support general operating costs as The Center for Pursuit aims to make Social Motion Skills classes more affordable for families in need.
Lily’s Toy Boxhas been bringing new toys and gifts to children facing challenging circumstances since 2017. To date, Lily’s Toy Box has generously distributed over 70,000 toys to those in need, and this grant from The Energy Corridor District will be used to extend its mission of spreading joy to children facing adversity within the Nabor House Community.
Senior Rides & Moreis a Houston faith-based nonprofit whose mission is to promote senior independent living, health and safety by providing free transportation and other services to the frail and elderly in our communities. Senior Rides & More will use the 12 Days of Christmas grant funds to help provide transportation services and grocery relief to those in need.
Outreach Center of West Houstonconnects people with the resources they need to improve their lives, create stronger communities and build better futures. A total of nine non-profits utilize space at their facility to hold meetings and run their programs. This grant will help the center continue to operate and maintain the facility while keeping the cost to the organization's partners affordable.
Literacy Nowwas founded in 2006 with a vision to help children rise above their circumstances through tutoring, mentoring and other services. Their mission is to empower children and families through literacy and life skills with a vision to have all children reading at grade level. The Energy Corridor District’s donation will be used to support Literacy Now’s Reading Intervention program at Daily Elementary.
We are so excited to see the opportunities these grants will provide for these organizations come to fruition in 2024.
The Energy Corridor District Sponsors the 'A Charlie Brown Christmas 5K/10K'
The 'A Charlie Brown Christmas 5K/10K' in The Energy Corridor District was a heartwarming success! The Energy Corridor District is proud to have sponsored this amazing holiday event. District staff attended to hand out merchandise and support all of the runners, joggers and walkers.
Approximately 2000 participants laced up their running shoes and embraced the holiday spirit as they ran and walked. The air was filled with joy and camaraderie as our community gathered to celebrate the season with a dash of fitness. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the attendees for their enthusiastic participation and support. Your presence added a special touch to the event, making it a memorable occasion for everyone involved.
It’s never too early to put next year’s 5K/10K on your calendars! You’ll be able to participate in next year’s event and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas next December 7, 2024. Stay tuned for early-bird registration info.
District 7 Bar & Bistro
District 7 Grill, which catered the District’s ribbon-cutting of Energy Hill at Terry Hershey Park, is now offering Holiday catering! Order your favorite dishes, sides, desserts and more by Tuesday, December 19, 2023, and pick up your order on Saturday, December 23, 2023. Holiday catering is available at every location, including the Memorial location in the District.
Flip ‘N Patties, one of the incredible restaurants featured at our third annual Tree Lighting, is offering catering for the holidays! From custom orders to trays of some of their most popular Filipino cuisine, you can choose to spice up your holiday with their amazing food.
Spaghetti Thursdays at St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church
On Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, you can get some of the best spaghetti in town! For just $12, you can order a Hearty Spaghetti Lunch, which includes spaghetti, Greek salad, bread and iced tea. Other options include a large Greek salad for only $7 and delicious dessert for $2.
Both to-go and dining in the church hall is available.
Don’t miss out on the next Spaghetti Thursday at 1100 Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077!
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