Katy Cares

10/01/2026

Meet Chris Tysan — 2026 Katy Cares Warriors for Charity Award Recipient

At this year's Boots and Bling Gala, we presented only two Warriors for Charity Awards. One went to Katie Miller of Venue 116. The other went to Chris Tysan.

For five consecutive years, since 2022, Chris has helped Katy Cares put together spectacular silent and live auctions. If you have ever bid on a signed jersey, a dream vacation package, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience at our gala, chances are Chris had a hand in it. Together, those auctions have raised thousands of dollars for our programs serving single-parent families.

Chris's company, Tyson Fundraising, partners with more than 400 charities across Texas — Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas–Fort Worth, and beyond — at galas, casino nights, golf tournaments, and benefits. They specialize exclusively in charity fundraising auctions: authentic signed memorabilia from football, basketball, baseball, the PGA, and Texas college programs; signed guitars, albums, and movie posters; more than 50 vacation packages from Las Vegas and Hawaii to Spain and the Bahamas; and experiences like a Napa Valley w**e trip and the Masters. They also provide event consultation, a live auctioneer, payment processing, and bid sheets.

But what sets Chris apart isn't the inventory. It's how he and his team work. They take the time to understand our event, our guests, and our goals, then build an auction lineup that fits. On gala night, they handle the details so we can focus on our guests, and afterward they help us understand the results so next year is even stronger.

Chris, thank you for standing with Katy Cares and with the single-parent families we serve. Five years of faithful partnership has made a real difference, and this award is well deserved.

10/01/2026

With Texas United. Christian Chamber of Commerce – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

09/09/2026

Meet Ashley Osborne — 2026 Katy Cares Volunteer of the Year

At this year's Boots and Bling Gala, we honored Ashley Osborne with our Volunteer of the Year Award. Anyone who has served alongside her knows why.

No task is too big. No event is too demanding. Ashley will be up at 4:00 AM to lead her team of volunteers — indoors or outdoors, winter or summer, rain or heat. She leads by example, she is always reliable, and she gives 110% without ever being asked. For Ashley, excellence and commitment aren't extra effort. They're simply how she shows up.

One of Katy's newer residents, Ashley recommitted her life to Jesus through baptism in 2025. God placed volunteering heavily on her heart, and she was drawn to Katy Cares because of our well-rounded approach — not only material assistance, but personal development, financial and mental health counseling, and mentoring.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" — 1 John 3:17

When she isn't working as a technical accountant, Ashley is traveling, disappearing down a historical rabbit hole, or re-creating a recipe from scratch.

Ashley, thank you. Our single-parent families are served better because you said yes. 🏆

💜

09/09/2026

Meet Katie Miller — 2026 Katy Cares Warriors for Charity Award Recipient

At this year's Boots and Bling Gala, we presented only two Warriors for Charity Awards. One of them went to Katie Miller.

Katie is the Operations Manager at Venue 116 in Brookshire, and anyone who has worked an event with her knows exactly why. She is responsive when it matters, accommodating when plans change, and consistently one of the kindest and most generous professionals we have ever partnered with. She is a credit to Venue 116 and to its owner, Shawn Johnson, who is in a class of her own.

But what sets Katie apart isn't logistics. It's why she does it. She has a real passion for serving her community and a deep belief that meaningful connections are how we make a difference. That conviction shows up in every detail she handles on our behalf.

Outside of work, you'll find Katie traveling, out in the fresh air, hunting down a new coffee shop, or hanging out with her dog.

Katie, thank you for standing with Katy Cares and with the single-parent families we serve. Your support of our mission is commendable, and this award is well deserved. 🏆

💜

09/09/2026

KATY CARES BOOTS AND BLING GALA 2026

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

A Single Mom's Katy Cares Journey — In Her Own Words
LeShaun James stood before our Boots and Bling Gala guests on Thursday evening, September 3, and told a room full of donors what their generosity actually becomes.
After years in a tumultuous marriage and an incident of domestic violence that, in her words, recalibrated her entire life, LeShaun found her way to the Fort Bend Women's Center. She wasn't looking for transformation. She was trying to survive.
There, she met Ending Trauma, a Katy Cares therapy group. She had been in therapy before, but this was different. It didn't just ask her to talk about what had happened — it asked her to look at who she was underneath it. Week after week, she began remembering who she was before fear moved into her home. She began finding her voice again.
LeShaun has always been a giver. Healing taught her something she didn't expect: she had to let her own cup be filled too. And once it was, it overflowed. She began writing Spirit-led healing journals and devotionals, and her words began helping other women in the shelter.
Then came the practical rebuilding. When she moved into an empty apartment, Katy Cares donors stepped forward with a bed and furniture. The donated couch looked almost exactly like the one she'd been holding in her Amazon cart for months, unable to afford. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
Today LeShaun is two years into MindTown, our faith-based, trauma-informed personal development program. She calls it reconstruction—not becoming who she was before, but discovering who she is now. And it's shaping how she parents. As she puts it, when a woman begins to heal, her children experience that growth too. The healing becomes generational.
"I am living proof of what can happen when a community decides that a woman's healing is worth investing in."
She spoke with such honesty and courage that the room rose to its feet. LeShaun received a standing ovation — a moment none of us who were there will forget.
Thank you, LeShaun, for your voice. And thank you to every donor, volunteer, and partner who made this possible.
💜

09/08/2026

Dr. Dawid J. Pieterse, President of Katy Cares: In His Own Words
This month, our Board Chair, Dr. Jerry Edmonson, sat down with our President, Dr. Dawid J. Pieterse, to ask a question we don't often put into words: What actually governs how Katy Cares makes decisions?
The answer came back as three convictions.
1. Obey God, despite the consequences.
"We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)
"To obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Samuel 15:22)
"Obedience doesn't wait for certainty — it moves toward the need and trusts God with the rest."
In 2012, My family and I left South Africa for the United States, walking away from family, friends, and decades of built success with no guarantee of what came next. Years later, when a single mother reached out in desperation—not even officially enrolled—I met her in an HEB parking lot, and Katy Cares covered a week's rent. No policy required it.
That same conviction opened our work at the Fort Bend Women's Center Shelter, Abigail's Place, and Rio Bend Center, and it keeps our programming faith-integrated even when leaving that out would make funding easier. My approach: "I don't lead by asking, 'What is sustainable?' I ask, 'What is God asking of us right now?'"
2. Trust God, despite appearances.
"Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6)
"Faith isn't believing God will provide before we act — it's acting because we believe He will."
Expanding our Programs to more non-profits and more single mothers in need has repeatedly meant operating past what our staffing and budget could comfortably sustain. By appearances, unwise. Provision came anyway. The Harry and Pam Chapman Foundation's pledge arrived to fund hours our team was already pouring in, long before the funding existed to sustain them.
"God rarely runs early by our clock. But He has never once been absent or late."
3. Praise God, despite the circumstances.
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines... yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habakkuk 3:17–18)
"You cannot hand someone in crisis a verse about joy while the fig tree in front of them is bare."
So Katy Cares meets circumstances practically first. Through our Ending Trauma and MindTown Programs, mothers learn how trauma shapes the brain, and that the fear and shame they carry are wounds, not weaknesses. Healing starts with truth, not performance.
One mother told us she went from feeling overwhelmed to feeling capable. Her financial challenges hadn't vanished. What changed was her. That is Habakkuk in real life — not God fixed it, but God is present in it, and that is enough to keep walking.
Our vision was never a world where single-parent families face no hardship. It's a world where no family walks through hardship alone.
💜

08/31/2026

⚾ Celebrating 5 Years Strong — Big Time Bats Returns as a Katy Cares Gala Sponsor!

We are so grateful to celebrate Big Time Bats, represented by Nathan G., as they return for their 5th consecutive year as a Katy Cares Gala sponsor! Their generosity — year after year — has directly fueled our auction and contributed significantly to our Gala's net proceeds, translating into real support for single-parent families across Fort Bend County.

So, what is Big Time Bats? Based in Cary, Illinois, Big Time Bats specializes in limited-edition commemorative and autographed baseball collectibles — think Cubs 150th Anniversary bats, Aaron Judge MVP pieces, Hall of Fame editions, and hand-painted, one-of-a-kind display bats. Many of their editions are produced in deliberately small quantities and never reproduced once sold out, and their premium autographed pieces come with third-party authentication from organizations like MLB Authentication and Fanatics/FanSecure — some of their top collector pieces have carried retail values in the thousands of dollars. It's no wonder their donated bats, balls, footballs, and jerseys have become such a highlight of our live and silent auctions year after year.

Five consecutive years of showing up for our families is no small thing, and we don't take it for granted. Nathan and the entire Big Time Bats team — thank you for batting for our team, again and again.

🎉 And as we celebrate our sponsors, we're thrilled to share: this year's Gala is officially SOLD OUT! Thank you to every sponsor, donor, and partner who made that possible.