Family Services of Greater Houston (Family Services) was established in 1904 when community citizens staged a weeklong carnival and bazaar in downtown Houston to raise funds to start the organization. The event was a resounding success and enough funding poured in to secure an office and hire a competent agent to evaluate needy causes. The new organization was called United Charities, the first of Family Services' many names. United Charities rented office space at the old Binz building, one of Houston's first skyscrapers. The organization's first president, Mrs. E.N. Gray, broadcast a far reaching mandate: helping others help themselves; saving children from degrading pursuits; assisting workers in finding employment; and preventing street begging and vagrancy. Mrs. Gray lobbied for better hospitals and secured donations from Mr. George Hermann for what would become Hermann Hospital. During the early years, Family Services provided employment, health care and welfare services. This is only a brief glimpse into the beginnings of Family Services and for an in-depth historical biography of the organization, please see our Century of Caring page. For the past 101 years, Family Services has adapted its services to meet the changing needs of families in the Houston community and will continue to accommodate children and families as the landscape changes.