When Deb De Bram graduated from college more than 35 years ago, she had two jobs. One of them paid the bills, and the other “paid it forward.” Deb began a career in the oil and gas industry while volunteering for the United Way.

“When I worked for Exxon Mobil in the early 2000s, one of my volunteer assignments was to review agency projects for the United Way’s Day of Caring,” Deb recalls. “That’s when I got to know Legacy as an affiliate of the United Way of Greater Houston. Their mission was very similar to a group I was involved with in New Orleans, the NO/AIDS Task Force.”

Deb’s interest in Legacy deepened as she learned more about our organization outside her United Way connection. “Many of my close friends have used Legacy for counseling, medications, and doctors’ appointments. I saw the wonderful care they were getting from Legacy’s team, so I wanted to support that.”

And, as Legacy grew its services, so did Deb’s respect for the organization. “In the 20 years I’ve known Legacy, I’ve appreciated the strategic expansion. It’s not just opening a clinic here or there. It’s also adding services like Vision or Dental Health. And they’re reaching into underserved neighborhoods and rural areas that really need the health care services.”

Deb retired from her job on Valentine’s Day, 2020. Since then, she and her wife, Katherine Peale, have enjoyed traveling the world. But their commitment to Legacy and desire to make a difference hasn’t changed. “Katherine and I both have an immense amount of gratitude in the life that we have today, in the life that we lead and how we lead it,” says Deb. “We hope to pass that on to others by living as positively as possible, encouraging people to participate in life as much as possible.”

That’s one of the reasons Deb and Katherine are members of Legacy’s Circle of Caring. “It’s important for us to have a vision, to look ahead and not focus only on the present,” she explains. “For example, financial plans we had drawn up years ago will come to fruition in years to come. We encourage everyone to consider the people who will benefit from Legacy’s services and create their own vision for the future.”