Happy Birthday to Kezia Payne DePelchin

Today, July 23, is the birthday of Kezia Payne DePelchin, founder of DePelchin Children’s Center. We would like to take this opportunity to honor Kezia’s memory and celebrate her selfless vision of helping children in need.

Born on this day in 1828, Kezia worked as a teacher in Houston’s first public schools and later became a matron at Bayland Orphans’ Home for Boys. When she was approached with three orphaned children too young to be taken in by Bayland, Kezia poured all of her resources into founding her own orphanage rather than turn her back on those children.

Kezia lost her mother at a very young age. Her father and three siblings were taken from her in the Texas yellow fever outbreak. Despite her own hardships, Kezia was committed to helping others in need. Her friends and family often commented that Kezia took better care of others than herself. She often chose to walk the five miles to work in order to save a nickel she could spend on the children. With an acquired immunity to yellow fever, she also traveled across the United States to nurse victims where no one else was willing.

DePelchin Children’s Center carries on Kezia’s commitment to helping children. Today, we are no longer an orphanage but have adapted to serve the ever growing needs of families in Houston. We have expanded to more than 30 programs to provide mental health, prevention and early intervention, and child welfare services to more than 20,000 children and their families each year. That alone is cause to celebrate. We’re sure Kezia would be proud.