A Social Experience 2026
The HeART of Community
A celebration of impact, purpose, and shared commitment.
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Date & Time
Thursday, April 23, 2026
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM -
Location
Community Collective
12401 S. Post Oak Rd.
Houston, TX 77045 -
Dress Code
Black-Tie Attire
What to Expect
A Social Experience 2026 is designed to feel like exactly what we believe in: alive, connected, and genuinely shared. The evening will move through music, spoken word, and the celebration of six extraordinary local leaders whose work in youth wellness, maternal health, and community building is changing lives in Houston.
You will not just observe — you will participate. Guests will contribute to a collaborative community art piece, and throughout the night there will be intentional, curated experiences designed to move you out of observer mode and into something real.
Some of those moments are intentionally curated to surprise you. Because the most authentic experiences of community cannot be announced in advance. They have to be felt.
HeART is intentional. It is the heart of community care meeting the art of human expression, and a reminder that both are necessary for healing.
Come to celebrate. Come to connect. Come because community is how we heal.
Proceeds from A Social Experience 2026 support The ALLICE Collective's community-based mental wellness programs — keeping care accessible, culturally grounded, and free from financial barriers for the individuals and families who need them most.
Our Story
The ALLICE Collective was built in honor of Alice Bates — our founder's grandmother — whose belief in the power of community lives on in every space we create. This work exists for Black men, women, youth, and families who deserve mental wellness care that truly sees them, meets them where they are, and removes every barrier standing in the way.
For many in our community, the barriers to mental wellness run deeper than access. They run through history. Through generations of being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and mistreated by systems that were never designed with us in mind. Through the very real difficulty of trusting providers when that trust has been broken — not once, but repeatedly, and at scale.
They run through the quiet, unaddressed weight that makes it hard to show up fully in relationships, in families, in community — because when mental and emotional health goes unsupported, it does not just affect the individual. It ripples outward into everything.
The ALLICE Collective meets those barriers directly. We create pathways to care that are culturally grounded and competent — with providers who understand the nuances of structural racism, intergenerational trauma, and the lived experience of Black men, women, youth, and families. We build spaces where community and healthy relationships are not assumed, but actively supported and taught. Where healing is not just encouraged — it is made possible.
But we also know this: a therapy room is not the only place healing can happen.
It happens when you are in a community that is genuinely safe — where you can come as you are, without performance, without transaction, without the exhausting work of making yourself acceptable. It happens when a young person picks up a paintbrush, or writes a poem, or moves their body to music, and finds a language for something they could not yet put into words. It happens outside, in the warmth of shared meals, in deep conversation, in the simple act of breathing — slowly, deliberately, together.
We believe healing is not a luxury. It does not require a grand gesture or a significant financial investment. Some of the most powerful tools for mental and emotional wellness are low-barrier, everyday, and already within reach. We show our community how to see them, use them, and share them with each other — because that knowledge itself is a form of liberation.
Therapy is a vital and sometimes necessary part of that journey — especially when it is offered with care, cultural competence, and compassion. And alongside it, we build the kind of community that makes the whole journey more possible.
Our work is unapologetically rooted in Black communities — not because we turn anyone away, but because we know that care designed around the lived experiences of those most overlooked creates something stronger, more accessible, and more whole. When Black families heal, communities heal. And when communities heal, everyone benefits. Tonight, your support helps us keep that work going — and ensures that no one in our community has to navigate their healing alone.
Our Impact Since 2023
Hosted over 75 free monthly community group sessions — intimate, welcoming spaces where participants are received with a warm meal and genuine care. Participants are not just attending — they are forming real relationships, outside of the group, that are lasting
Launched Dear Mama: Block Party for Black Maternal Mental Health in 2024 — hosting two annual events in collaboration with maternal mental health providers and advocates, and bringing together over 350 mothers, fathers, family members, and youth through panel discussions, community vendors, a father's lounge, and dedicated spaces for the whole family.
Built the Wisdom & Worth Youth Wellness Initiative — a community-based program for middle schoolers combining personal development, creative expression, and mindful movement, with local artists facilitating workshops and up to six free counseling sessions available to every participant each semester. Since its launch in Fall 2024, Wisdom & Worth has completed four consecutive semesters of programming.
Delivered more than 600 counseling sessions at deliberately low cost — and in partnership with local organizations to extend pro bono services to those who need them most. People are showing up and reporting feeling seen, heard, and understood — because they are working with providers who not only look like them, but who truly understand what mental health and relationship challenges look like in the face of structural racism, micro-aggressions, and generational trauma
Grown our intern training program from one emerging clinician to ten — preparing a new generation of culturally grounded mental health providers for communities that have been historically underserved
The HeART of Community Honorees
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Community Care Award
Joy J Malbrough, PhD, LMSW
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Maternal Well-Being Award
Carleigh Joseph-Olivas, LMSW
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Youth Empowerment Award
Megan Wilburn
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Creative Impact Award
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
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Partnership in Purpose Award
Felicia Williams Young
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Community Leadership Award
Kyle Maronie
Why This Night Matters
This work continues because people choose to care out loud.
Your support helps celebrate the people who make care visible — and it sustains the programs that keep that care within reach: free support groups, youth wellness initiatives, and accessible counseling for families across Houston.
By supporting The HeART of Community, you help ensure that wellness isn’t a privilege; it’s a shared commitment — woven into how we live, lead, and grow together.
The ALLICE Collective Mission
The ALLICE Collective is dedicated to enhancing the mental and emotional well-being of underserved communities by addressing connection, one of the most vital, yet often overlooked aspects of health. Through free support groups, innovative youth programs, and affordable counseling services, we help individuals build the tools they need to navigate challenges and grow stronger together. For individuals facing systemic barriers to care, our programs fill critical gaps, meeting people where they are and offering resources that honor their lived experiences.
Questions?
Contact
Dr. Allison Bates, LCSW-S
Founder & Executive Director
Email: allison@theallice.org
Office: (832) 536-5948