Inspiring. Empowering. Connecting.
Community advocacy, service, and meaningful collaboration have long been at the heart of The Empowered Network and the work of its founder, Dr. Tom Kelchner. Throughout the years, Dr. Kelchner and his associates have served on nonprofit boards, advisory councils, charitable committees, and volunteered with community organizations—bringing their time, expertise, leadership, and passion to causes that make a lasting difference.
We believe strong communities are built when people and organizations come together with a shared commitment to serve, empower, and create positive change. We are proud to support and stand alongside remarkable nonprofit organizations whose work is transforming lives, strengthening communities, and addressing important needs both locally and around the world.
We invite you to explore the organizations we are honored to serve, support, and collaborate with, and to discover the extraordinary work they are doing every day.
The Myocarditis Foundation is dedicated to saving lives by advancing research, increasing awareness, and improving understanding of myocarditis and related inflammatory heart conditions. The Foundation supports groundbreaking scientific research and emerging physician-scientists while providing critical education and resources for patients, families, healthcare professionals, and researchers. Through advocacy, education, family support, and investment in the search for better diagnostics and treatments, the organization is working toward a future where myocarditis is recognized earlier, treated more effectively, and no longer claims lives without warning.
The K9 Companion Project is built on a powerful idea: when you rescue the right dog and connect them with the right person, two lives can change together. K9CP rescues abandoned and at-risk dogs with the potential to serve and partners them with veterans, trauma survivors, and others navigating life’s challenges through an immersive co-training model where human and canine learn, grow, and build trust side by side. More than simply training service dogs, the organization focuses on the entire journey; creating partnerships that foster confidence, independence, connection, purpose, and lasting healing. With its guiding promise, “Two Lives. One Journey.”, The K9 Companion Project is working to give deserving dogs a second chance while helping people rediscover theirs.
The Rotary Club of Greater Houston Veterans brings veterans, patriots, professionals, and community leaders together around a shared commitment to service. With a special focus on the veteran community, the club supports projects that honor those who served, strengthen Greater Houston, and create meaningful opportunities for volunteers to make a difference. Its service efforts include programs such as Flags for Fallen Vets, the Field of Honor, veteran advocacy initiatives, and other community-based projects throughout the year.
One of the club’s signature efforts is Operation Turkey, a massive Thanksgiving service project that brings volunteers together to prepare, package, and deliver holiday meals to individuals and families in need across the Houston area. The club reports that the initiative has grown to serve more than 9,000 families, making it one of its largest annual community-service efforts and a powerful example of Rotary’s tradition of Service Above Self.
Veterans serving veterans. Patriots serving their community. Neighbors making sure no one is forgotten.
Save the Cord Foundation is dedicated to advancing awareness and education about the life-saving potential of umbilical cord blood. Through unbiased, science-based information, the Foundation helps parents, healthcare professionals, educators, and communities better understand cord blood donation, private banking options, current medical uses, and emerging research.
Cord blood is rich in stem cells and is currently used in the treatment of more than 80 serious diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease, and other blood and immune disorders. More than 60,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide, while researchers continue to study its potential role in regenerative medicine.
Through educational programs such as Share the Science, World Cord Blood Day, and Next Generation: Cord Blood, Save the Cord Foundation works to ensure that families and future generations have access to credible information about a medical resource that might otherwise be discarded after birth.
Education can change a decision. A decision can preserve a resource. And sometimes, that resource can help save a life.
The Empowered Network Foundation's (ENF) Grain of Sand Project is dedicated to protecting, supporting, and creating brighter futures for vulnerable children, families, and communities, with a particular commitment to children who have experienced exploitation, human trafficking, abuse, and trauma.
Through mental health and trauma-informed services, education, nutrition, healthcare, community development, and other critical resources, the Foundation works to help children find safety, stability, healing, and opportunities to thrive.
Grain of Sand also works alongside families and communities to address immediate needs while developing sustainable solutions that strengthen the environments in which children live and grow.
Guided by the belief that even the smallest act can create meaningful change, the Foundation is helping transform lives—one child, one family, and one community at a time.
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One of the things our ENF's Grain of Sand Project does is support programs that protect and help vulnerable children. We have chosen Fundación Internacional Granito de Arena in Mexico as a charitable partner because they are doing that work on the ground.
Hands of Healing is an organization that creates thriving families through adoption and fostering. Since 2008, Hands of Healing has provided high-risk adolescents with educational support, structured supervision, and guidance to empower youth to make positive changes. Dr. Kelchner currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Hands of Healing and encourages you to learn more about the organization and the excellent work in building families and instilling hope.
The Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) is a nonprofit scientific and service organization based in Mysore, India, working to improve health through research, education, advocacy, capacity building, and direct community care. Founded in 2007, PHRII brings preventive health services, screenings, counseling, and education to underserved urban, rural, and tribal communities while also training the next generation of public-health professionals.
Through research grounded in real community needs and a commitment to equitable access to care, PHRII demonstrates how knowledge can be transformed into meaningful action—strengthening individuals, families, and entire communities.
Research that informs. Education that empowers. Care that reaches people where they are.
The Baytown Rotary Club brings together community-minded leaders dedicated to Service Above Self, creating meaningful change through local outreach, youth development, charitable initiatives, and global humanitarian efforts. Through fellowship, leadership, and hands-on service, its members work together to strengthen Baytown and improve lives both at home and beyond.Tom is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Baytown having served in various Board positions; and is a Paul Harris Fellow. He served as a District 5890 Assistant Governor for three years. Tom was named Baytown Rotarian of the Year twice and received the David Kadjar Service Above Self Award in 2023. He led District 5890 as District Governor in 2025 – 2026.
Rotary District 5890 connects and supports local Rotary clubs across the Greater Houston area, empowering volunteers to improve their communities through service projects, leadership development, and humanitarian initiatives. The district also fosters collaboration on local and international efforts focused on education, health, economic development, disaster relief, youth leadership, and promoting peace through Rotary's global network.
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