You have cancer. When Lionel Sleeper, 44 years of age and a resident of Austin, first heard these words he, quite naturally, was taken aback. But Lionel didn’t waste time, for there was none to be wasted. He contact M.D. Anderson, the world-renowned cancer treatment center location in Houston to schedule the surgery he needed to remove the cancerous growth.

When a friend of his fiance’s heard the news, she told him about a service being provided by a new organization in Katy. Lionel immediately contacted the group, Cinco Charities, and completed the application required to take advantage of their service. Cinco Charities provides temporary housing, free of charge, for individuals (together with their families) who are hospitalized or receiving treatment for a serious medical condition in area hospitals.

Lionel was provided accomodations for a four night stay at the Marriott TownPlace Suites in Katy, with whom the charity has made arrangements for housing their guests. The facility provided a fully equipped suite with amenities necessary to insure Lionel and his family a comfortable stay during this time in their lives. Lionel is doing well today, and expressed his deep appreciation for the accomodations provided.

I’m very thankful. The front desk of the hotel was responsive to our needs, and the fully equipped kitchen meant that I wasn’t left alone while someone went to get take-out food for our meals.

Building a Community of Care and Support. That’s the mission statement of Cinco Charities, formed in 2005 by a group of real estate professionals working with Keller Williams Realty Katy @ Cinco Ranch. With the recent completion of M.D. Anderson’s Radiation Treatment Center adjacent to Christus St. Catherine Hospital and the forthcoming construction of new area facilities by Texas Children’s Hospital, Methodist Hospital, and St. Luke’s Hospital, Katy will become the temporary home for numerous families in need of such care.

It is the goal of Cinco Charities to reach out to those families and give back a measure of the “Katy Spirit”. The charity’s ultimate goal is to operate their own facility to accomodate multiple families at any one given time. Although still in the planning and fundraising stages, Cinco Charities is anxious to begin meeting their vision and mission.  This is being accomplished through this pilot project with Marriott, explains Board Chair Chris Hiller. We are now prepared to provide qualified guests with temporary housing in a local facility, free of charge.

The charity will be hosting it’s second guest, beginning April 21st, while she is receiving daily radiation treatments at M.D. Anderson’s Radiation Treatment Center in Katy. The pilot program makes available to qualified families housing for a (maximum) stay of ten nights per month, subject to facility availability. The program is open to both patients and their families. To qualify for the program, an individual or a family member should be receiving treatment for a serious, life threatening medical condition in a local medical facility. Financial considerations are not a part of the approval process.