Leaders and team members at H.B. Neild Construction routinely give back to the community, especially children.
Founder H.B. Neild was part of a group of Shriners who helped raise and donate $10 million in 1962 to create facilities for the care and rehabilitation of burned children and related research.
Senior Project Manager Ty Neild, part of the fourth generation of family leadership, said that community responsibility to help provide for those in need is instilled in all Neilds when they learn to walk and talk.
“We’ve been really blessed to have the opportunity and ability to help some of our community’s less fortunate,” Ty shared. “It’s very important we find ways to give back to our community, specifically to children in our community. They are, quite frankly, one of the reasons H.B. Neild started doing all his work with the Shriners to create a burn center for children. It has morphed into today’s efforts for the Garth House.”
Serving Southeast Texas, Garth House provides a safe, home-like environment for children to share their stories about suspected abuse. Investigative agencies can then view those taped, forensic interviews with a trained professional, sparing the children from having to constantly relive the trauma with each subsequent law enforcement officer.
Garth House Executive Director Marion Tanner said no one is denied service based on income, adding children from ages 2 to 17 are served year-round following reports of child abuse that may turn into a criminal case.
Garth House partners with 65 agencies including Child Protective Services, district attorney’s offices and police.
“At this time of the year, not only is it Christmas, our parents become very stressed with money situations and the children being home from school for two weeks,” Tanner said. “You’ve got the extra food expense. It has become a really hard time for some of our families.”
Garth House provides Christmas gifts for children to reduce some of the burden for their less fortunate clientele.
“Some of these kids wouldn’t even probably have a Christmas if it wasn’t for groups in the community doing collections and helping us disperse them to our clients,” Tanner said. “You know our teenagers are sometimes forgotten. People like to buy dolls, footballs and fun stuff for younger kids, so teenage gifts are important.”
H.B. Neild Construction is hosting its traditional Christmas Stuffed Animal Toy Drive, benefiting the Garth House. Company team members and community supporters are asked to drop off a Christmas toy at the main office (8595 Industrial Parkway in Beaumont) through Dec. 18.
For more information about the toy drive, call Ty Neild at 409-842-2272
Garth House serves the counties of Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newtown, Orange and Tyler.
For more information about Garth House, call 409-838-9084 or visit garthhouse.org.
The Texas Child Abuse Hotline is 800-252-5400.