Tommy Frank, President of The CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation Board, is a man who is comfortable in leadership roles. He worked for Conn’s for fifty years, rising through the ranks to become the Chairman and CEO in 1994, all the while expanding Conn’s market and growing its sales volume to levels it had never before reached.

Tommy is currently serving his third term on the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation Board. His commitment to the CHRISTUS mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ is clear through his involvement with the board and his continued participation with the annual gala.

In addition to his impressive professional career, Tommy also is also an accomplished woodworker. He recently offered his carpentry skills to help create a wooden frame to house a Touch2Play – a piece of interactive entertainment for children – in the St. Elizabeth Emergency Department waiting room.

“Tommy is a true leader. In addition to his role as Board President, he offered his carpentry talents to build a storage unit for new pieces of equipment in the emergency department. We truly value him as a board member and as a CHRISTUS supporter,” said Ivy Pate, Foundation President. 

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On July 10, students from Lamar University made a generous donation to the Effie M. Hebert Pediatric Center’s playroom at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth. Their donation was revealed and blessed in a ceremony held for hospital associates, patients, and visitors.

The students are part of a new organization, Lamar University Dance Marathon (LUDM), that raises funds year-round for local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth and Jasper Memorial. The students raised money through peer-to-peer fundraising, giveback nights at local restaurants, and their big event, Dance Marathon. Dance Marathon is a celebration held on campus where students get to meet the families of patients treated at their local hospital, participate in games and dancing, enjoy entertainment, and reveal their annual fundraising total.

This year, they decided to use the nearly $5,000 they raised to purchase new toys and furniture for the hospital’s Pediatric Center playroom. On the day of the ceremony, the students worked all morning to put the new furniture together and organize the toys before debuting the revived playroom to the hospital. During the ceremony, the group’s president, Cade Johnson, said he and a few of the other LUDM members spent a significant amount time in the hospital as children and knew firsthand how it feels for a young child to be bored during a hospital stay.

“We just wanted to create an area where kids would have fun and enjoy being here with their families,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, this will make the hospital a little more inviting for pediatric patients and help them be less nervous when they visit the doctor.”

At the end of the ceremony, Father Emmanuel Chikezie blessed the donation and associates gathered to thank the altruistic students while enjoying refreshments donated by Gigi’s Cupcakes.

“I am immensely grateful to the Lamar University Dance Marathon students. Their donation is going to help our pediatric patients and their families have a more relaxed hospital stay,” said Melissa Conley, Program Manager for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation. “It’s inspiring to see these Lamar University students put their heart and soul into a project that will have such a great impact on our hospital.”

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