2026 Honoree - Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things Award

LaChica King was born on January 23, 1980, in Houston, Texas. She was raised in her late grandmother, Josie’s home, shaped by both hardship and profound love, and anchored by her grandmother’s strong Christian faith, values, and unwavering support. Her mother, though present and in the home, was single and not positioned to parent alone. It was Josie who stepped in to help, loving LaChica through her most formative years and providing the stability she needed to survive them. Childhood, however, was not without its shadows. The dark moments could have defined her by their weight, but instead quietly shaped the depth of her compassion and the clarity of her calling.

After graduating high school in 1997, she relocated to Dallas, Texas to attend the University of North Texas. Still, her path took an unexpected turn when she left college in 1998 to enlist in the United States Army, serving as a Medical Specialist. That decision launched a healthcare career spanning more than 15 years and gave her a deep understanding of the connection between physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

In 2000, LaChica became a single mother herself, a role that would further reshape the course of her life. Navigating the challenges of raising her son alone, she found not just strength, but purpose. That experience ignited a fierce and unwavering passion for ensuring that no young woman must face adversity without support, guidance, or someone in her corner.

As early as 2002, while navigating challenges of her own, LaChica was already living the Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. mission by opening her home to women needing shelter, sharing meals, and providing emergency assistance to women and families in crisis. Those quiet, consistent acts of compassion over two decades eventually grew into something greater.

In 2003, LaChica added another milestone to her journey, graduating from Seminary School, deepening the faith that her grandmother first planted in her heart so many years ago.

In August 2024, Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. was established, becoming a registered 501(c)3 faith-based nonprofit dedicated to uplifting young women aging out of foster care, supporting veteran women transitioning to civilian life, and providing emergency assistance to single parents. The name says it all: Healing, Encouraging, and Restoring Troubled Spirits -one heart at a time.

Today, LaChica leads Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. with lived experience, professional expertise, and a calling that is both personal and profound. She knows what it costs to carry childhood wounds into adulthood, and she knows, without question, that healing is possible because she has seen it, and is living it. This work is her life’s testimony and is, in no small part, a tribute to the woman who never let her give up, her grandmother, Josie.