Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Women's Auxiliary to Texas Children's Hospital records
Date(s)
- 1954-2014 (Creation)
Extent
55.25 cubic feet (80 boxes)
Name of creator
Administrative history
Known for their red vests, the Women’s Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital (WATCH) is a volunteer service organization that provides supplemental services for patients, families, and staff of Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. The organization was established in 1954 when Texas Children’s Hospital opened in the Texas Medical Center. From the beginning, WATCH has provided such services as, manning information kiosks, managing the coffee shop and toy shop, escorting patients and families through the hospital, conducting tours of visitors, and acting as hosts at medical symposia. They also provided clerical work and translation services. The organization began with 300 volunteers in 1954, and it has grown to over a thousand, providing tens of thousands of volunteer hours each year to all Texas Children’s Hospital locations in the Houston area. The Auxiliary publishes a magazine entitled WATCH that showcases volunteers, service programs, developments in the hospital, and fundraising events.
WATCH also has provided significant fundraising for the hospital through the years. The organization is one of the top ten donors to the Texas Children’s Hospital. The annual Silver Tea is one of the many fundraising projects organized by WATCH. Other projects have included vending machines, Christmas cards, toy shop sales, and an annual bazaar.
Junior Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital is a program that offers junior volunteers between the ages of 15-18 the opportunity to interact with patients or perform administrative duties. The Junior Auxiliary or Junior Council was established in the late-1960s.
Texas Children’s Hospital opened on February 2, 1954 within the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX. It is the primary pediatric training site for Baylor College of Medicine, which has one of the largest pediatric residency program in the United States. Members of the Houston Pediatric Society were first to recognize the urgent need for a children’s hospital in the area and began a series of informal planning sessions in August 1947. As a result, the Texas Children’s Foundation was organized and chartered expressly to develop plans for the hospital and secure community support for the project. Members of the Junior League of Houston, who sponsored a prenatal and children’s health clinic in the city since 1927, have been instrumental in the history and development of the hospital from the beginning. After the 1993 expansion, Texas Children's Hospital became the largest pediatric medical facility in the country.
SOURCES:
“Women’s Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital”, 20th Anniversary Texas Children’s Hospital, The Junior League of Houston and The Women’s Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Texas Children’s Hospital, 1974
“Foundation and History of Texas Children’s Hospital”, 20th Anniversary Texas Children’s Hospital, The Junior League of Houston and The Women’s Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Texas Children’s Hospital, 1974
“Six Decades of Making a Difference”, Aspire, Texas Children’s Hospital blog, 2016, http://aspire.texaschildrens.org/donor/2016/1469/ [accessed 2/13/2018]
Handbook of Texas Online, "Texas Children's Hospital," accessed January 29, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/sbt06.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Women's Auxiliary to Texas Children' Hospital (WATCH) records is 55 cubic feet and consists of 17 documents boxes and 63 oversize boxes. The collection documents the history and activities of the volunteer services organization for Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. The collection contains photographs, audiovisual materials, meeting minutes, meeting notes, organizational handbooks, publications, and scrapbooks. The collection includes 83 scrapbooks that date from 1954 to 2014. The collection is 55 cubic feet in size and materials are in good condition.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted. Material is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Permission to publish from this material must be facilitated through the repository, McGovern Historical Center.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
August 8, 1983: Women's Auxiliary to Texas Chidlren's Hospital made the initial donation of publications and 23 scrapbooks. July 6, 2014, 8 boxes of scrapbooks (9 cubic Feet) were added to the collection, donated by Texas Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services. December 14, 2015, 9 boxes of scrapbooks and other materials were added to the collection, donated by Texas Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Accurals are expected for this collection.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
IC 042 Texas Children's Hospital records
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: Women's Auxiliary to Texas Children's Hospital records; IC 041; John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. Please cite the box and folder numbers where appropriate.
- Processing information: The collection was arranged into three record groups, Organizational records, Publications, and Scrapbooks. Original order and storage boxes were maintained for organizational records and publications. On the most part these materials are in chronological order. Many scrapbooks were stored loose on the shelves or in very large banker boxes. All Scrapbooks were ordered chronologically by creator, Women's Auxiliary (WATCH) and Junior Auxiliary (JATCH). Oversized scrapbooks were rehoused into oversize boxes, assigned OV Box numbers, and relocated to oversize storage section. Scrapbooks that fit into document boxes were housed in standard half cubic foot document boxes and stored with the collection. Loose materials from some scrapbooks were placed in acid-free envelopes, labeled with content description, and housed with the corresponding scrapbook. Other loose material with no clear connection to a specific scrapbook was placed among scrapbooks in chronological order.
Alternative identifier(s)
TARO
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Sandra Yates, 2018.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Texas Children's Hospital (Subject)