40th Anniversary Legacy Awards Luncheon For Community Assistance Center

THE WOODLANDS, TX - The Community Assistance Center hosted their 40th Anniversary Legacy Awards Luncheon Friday, May 14 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott. The Legacy Luncheon honored various people and organizations for their service to the Community Assistance Center as well as their dedication to Montgomery County. Nelda Luce Blair emceed the event and Liz Murry was the keynote speaker. It was a great time of showcasing the great work that Community Assistance Center does in our community. From helping the homeless secure food, shelter and employment, to providing the community with various ways to stem the plight of those unable to help themselves, the exciting 40th Anniversary event was a milestone of an organization that dedicates its mission to giving hope to the hopeless.


Legacy Luncheon 2020-2021 Award Recipients

Legacy Award

• Mike Meador

• Retired Montgomery County Commissioner, Pct. 1

Corporate Partners

• Buckalew Chevrolet

• Woodforest National Bank

Faith Partner

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Community Partner

• Montgomery County Food Bank

Distinguished Service

• Paula Odom

• Beverly and Mac Schard



About Liz Murry

Liz Murry was at the 40th Anniversary event as the keynote speaker to detail her life as a young child, growing up in a family where both parents struggled with drug addiction. From homeless to Harvard…it is an unlikely turn of events. Liz Murray’s life is a triumph over adversity and a stunning example of the importance of dreaming big. Murray was raised in the Bronx by two loving but drug-addicted parents. She grew up in poverty, often without enough food, chronically absent from school and most of all, struggling to connect her education to a viable future.By age 15, Murray’s mom had died and she was homeless—living on the streets, riding the subway all night, and eating from dumpsters. Amidst this pain, Murray always imagined her life could be much better than it was. “I started to grasp the value of the lessons learned while living on the streets. I knew after overcoming those daily obstacles that next to nothing could hold me down.” Determined to take charge of her life, and with the support of an upstairs neighbor and trusted family friend named Arthur, Murray finished high school in just two years and was awarded a full scholarship to Harvard University, all while camping out in New York City parks and subway stations. Murray’s story is exhilarating and inspirational. Her delivery is innocently honest, as she takes audiences on a very personal journey where she achieves the improbable. Her story sounds like a Hollywood movie—and it practically is. Lifetime Television produced a movie about Murray’s life story entitled Homeless to Harvard, which was nominated for three “Emmy Awards”. Murray is the recipient of the White House “Project’s Role Model Award” and Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever “Chutzpah Award”. Her memoir, Breaking Night, is a New York Times bestseller and an international bestseller published in twelve countries, in eight languages. Today, Murray is a passionate advocate for underserved youth. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Arthur Project, a mentoring program that works intensively with at-risk youth through the duration of middle school, Murray is working to end generational poverty through relationship-based learning. She believes that when it comes to a child facing even the most extreme adversity, it is having a relationship with at least one caring, dedicated adult that can make all the difference. Murray graduated from Harvard in 2009 and received her Masters degree in the Psychology of Education at Columbia University. She is passionate about speaking on the importance of personal motivation, transforming problems into opportunities, and what it takes to make a difference in people’s lives.

About Community Assistance Center

Community Assistance Center has proudly served Montgomery County since 1981. They are a non-profit 501(c)(3) social services organization that provides basic needs services and long-term case management to individuals and families throughout Montgomery County who are struggling through times of financial hardships. Community Assistance Center relies on community partnerships and support to improve the lives of our neighbors in need. Life challenges can happen to all of us, such as job loss, separation of households, medical issues and more. For some people, the financial impact of these events can hinder their ability to provide even basic care for themselves and their families. Community Assistance Center provides essential assistance programs, services and resources to help stabilize their situation during these difficult times by initially providing for basic needs and long-term solutions which lead to happier, healthier lives.

How You Can Help

You can learn more about the Community Assistance Center by going to:
https://cac-mctx.org

Click here to donate to Community Assistance Center.

Click here to volunteer with Community Assistance Center.