PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
October, 2000

HOUSTON ADVOCATES FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN ADOPTS NEW NAME OF "CHILDBUILDERS"

HOUSTON—October 24, 2000—The Board of Directors of Houston Advocates for Mental Health in Children (HAMIC), a locally based not-for-profit organization founded in 1974 to address children and family needs in Greater Houston, today announced their decision to change the organization’s name to ChildBuilders.

"Our new name is not only distinctive and memorable, it tells our story accurately and succinctly," explained Susan Spelts, Executive Director of ChildBuilders.

Susan Hessel, Board President said, "Throughout its history ChildBuilders has been dedicated to supporting children who are emotionally healthy and equipping families to nurture and educate tomorrow’s adults. In other words, building healthy children has been our mission for twenty-six years. Today it’s not only our mission, it’s also our name."

"A generation ago, ChildBuilders was instrumental in the establishment of Houston’s first residential facility for emotionally disturbed children," said Ms. Hessel. "Since then we’ve been busy helping to fill gaps in health and educational services for Houston-area young people," she added.

ChildBuilders consists of four programs, each concerned with specific areas of children’s growth and development:

• ChildBuilders’ Parents Under Construction Program
• ChildBuilders’ Community Education Program
• Family Centered Child Care Collaborative, one of the 11 participating agencies
• WHO (We Help Ourselves)

"With this name change, we’ve clarified our focus and renewed our pledge to be a strong voice for children. ChildBuilders looks forward to a future of even greater service than we've given in the past," Ms. Spelts concluded.