Presentation Speech made by Nancy Rabb:
"I am pleased and excited to be standing here tonight with the opportunity to talk to you about the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation - a foundation that was formed to inspire philanthropy in our community and create an easy and effective way for charitable giving. The foundation is a public charity serving the people of Round Rock who share a common goal...maintaining and improving the quality of life here in our own community of Round Rock. The result is a lasting legacy that addresses the needs of today and the challenges of tomorrow.
So much of what makes Round Rock such a great place to live and raise our families comes from individuals who chose philanthropy as a way to make good things happen for the community as a whole. I have the distinct honor tonight of awarding the first ever Greater Round Rock Community Foundation Philanthropy Award to a family whose impact on our community has been extraordinarily significant. Through their many gifts, they have left a legacy that will continue to give for many more generations to come. Let me tell you their story...
In the 1940's, the options for orphaned children or children living in troubled homes were limited. Many of them in this area lived in the nearby Lutheran Children's Home. A little boy by the name of Louis Henna, Jr. began inviting some of the children over to his home to play in his yard. The seeds were planted then for what was to come because when the Lutheran Home could no longer provide shelter for children, Billie Sue Henna, who by then was clearly attached to the children, told her husband that they would need to "build a children's home to keep her from adopting all of them."
The dream the Henna Family shared was not a home where children led institutionalized lives, but where children could lead more normal lives growing up in cottages with house parents and attending public schools. Louis and Billie Sue Henna traveled the country visiting homes. Realizing that their dream would require ongoing resources, the Hennas approached the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
On September 5, 1950, Louis and Billie Sue Henna's original gift of 112 acres of land and 5 buildings was deeded to the Baptist General Convention of Texas and what we now know as the Texas Baptist Children's Home became a reality and home to 60 children.
With the Henna Family's loving support, the Texas Baptist Children's Home thrived. In 1955, Mr. & Mrs. Henna purchased an additional 2 and 1/2 acres of land on North Mays across from the campus and built an elementary school to offset the property taxes due to the admission of the TBCH students. The land and buildings were then donated by the Hennas to TBCH and provided at no cost to the Round Rock ISD for 20 years as a school and 10 years as a tax office. The building has since provided space for beginning services of the YMCA, offices for the Literacy Council, United Way and the Child & Family Services Agency. It now houses the STARRY program. In 1989, Miracle Farm, a 325-acre ranch program was added for teenage boys.
Today, the Texas Baptist Children's Home has grown to 40 buildings and the land originally valued at $200,000 is now worth $25 million. In the 55 years since it was begun, more than 20,000 children and their families have been served in residential and non-residential programs. This legacy will continue to reach thousands of children and families in crisis for many, many years to come.
It is an honor to present the very first Greater Round Rock Community Foundation Philanthropy Award to the Henna Family."