It began with a promise to children.

In 1978, I joined the Board of Children’s Medical Center of Dallas – now Children’s Health – and began what would become a lifelong commitment to the people who care for children in their most vulnerable moments. Over decades, I witnessed extraordinary compassion and resilience in both those giving and receiving care.

Years later, through my work with the Meadows Foundation and long-standing support of Momentous Institute, a crisis came into focus: while we spent generations healing children’s bodies, a less visible epidemic grew. A generation of young people was struggling with mental health, and the systems designed to support them were stretched thin.

A vision emerged: what if we could remove the financial barriers holding back the organizations best equipped to address this crisis? What if we could lift the burden of constant fundraising and allow them to fully focus on their work?

Not incremental change. Not modest progress. A dramatic reversal of the youth mental health crisis in Texas.

That vision became Tread Together.

~Joel Williams
Tread Together Founder and President