Meet Jorge Quiñones And Natalie Lerner | Executive Director and Director of Communications and Events

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jorge Quiñones And Natalie Lerner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jorge Quiñones and Natalie Lerner, how does your business help the community?
The Outreach Center of West Houston (OCWH) is a beacon of hope and healing. It is the hub and junction of people, from all walks of life, that arrive in hopeful anticipation for a better tomorrow – a tomorrow free of pain, void of suffering, full of blessing, and overflowing with good tidings. The center houses 12+ on-site tenant partner organizations that synergistically provide services to the community, from after school enrichment, to support groups, to drug and alcohol recovery, to CPR classes and more. This synergy is achieved by focusing on efforts to keep rental rates far below market value for the on-site partner nonprofits, allowing them to better focus on the mission of their programming rather than the stress of meeting rent. Through such efforts, people are connected with the resources they need to improve their lives, create stronger communities, and build better futures every day.

What should our readers know about your business?
Big things often have little beginnings. The Outreach Center of West Houston (OCWH) grew out of one man’s idea to provide needed services to the West Houston community. Larry Coulter was the presiding pastor at St. Thomas Presbyterian Church when they needed to navigate how to handle a dilapidated building that was an iconic community gathering place for recovery groups, scouts, youth groups, and more. Rather than invest in another temporary building, Larry presented the idea that perhaps the new building could be much more than a home for these existing groups. He believed that this future building had the potential to be a synergistic healing place for the greater community via partnerships with nonprofits. The rest is history. Larry’s vision came true and still stands 33 years later.

OCWH has had its fair share of ups and downs, and finances were not always abundant. The center has been blessed with long-time supporters and strong board members that have given their time and talent to ensure that West Houston’s beacon of hope makes it through any storm and continues to shine brightly. The center has made it through recessions, floods, and more. Now at its healthiest, OCWH is in the midst of a 3-phase capital campaign to improve the building, add square footage, and to assess a greater reach across the city and beyond. This campaign will make the missions of more nonprofits a reality while strengthening the ones already housed within.

The variety of people and organizations that use the center are a major component of the charm and positive atmosphere at OCWH. The location of the center is also key to encouraging community conversation and neighborly care. To the north of the building, apartments span miles; to the south, million-dollar homes. At OCWH, economic status is not a thing. The doors are open to all. The relationships that form because of such a center are deeply meaningful and priceless.

Jorge and Natalie are the only two employees of the center itself. Rarely do the both of them get the opportunity to express how special OCWH is and why they choose to work there. For Jorge, his journey to the center began with a choice to come out of retirement and into a second career. Seeing lives changed over, and over, and over, gets him out of bed in the morning and has kept him at the center for 14 years.

Natalie came on board in March of 2023. Her journey is in large part due to creativity. She started as a stage actor, a talent and skill she still keeps up with. Her creativity and adaptability has always opened doors of opportunity. At one point she was a magazine publisher, and that led to a need to know the needs of the community in order to deliver a relevant product. This led her to Rotary, and through Rotary, her desire to serve others was amplified. These skills and passions are why OCWH was a great fit, but it is the eye-witness evidence of lives changed that has kept her there the last three years.

Managing such an important piece of social purpose real estate with two people means the two of them cover a lot of ground. To anyone out there needing encouragement in their mission, the biggest lesson they have learned and wish to share is that the mission is in the interruptions. When the people come, stop. When the people cry, cry with them. When help is needed, offer it. Yes, the work needs to get done, but you may be the only glimmer of hope someone gets today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
With all of this talk about the beloved nonprofit that the both of them help run and manage, a trip to Houston would not be complete without a stop at the Outreach Center of West Houston. After that, it would be a choose-your-own-adventure scenario, since Jorge, as a transplant to Houston of 48 years, and Natalie, as a native, have decades of knowledge on hotspots and uniquely Houston dives.

Where the two agree, anyone visiting Houston for the first time needs to try Tex-Mex. The Original Ninfa’s, Lupe Tortilla, or Chuy’s are all possibilities. Another mutual food favorite includes the buffet luncheon at Nirvana, a nearby Indian restaurant. Snack breaks at the office are always fun when cookies are around. Natalie suggests Tiny’s Milk & Cookies or Tiff’s Treats as an excellent stop for cookies. Her son Jaydan makes the best cookies though.

Jorge, as an avid sports fan, would lead the charge on a day of sports, whether a University of Houston game, or the Astros, Texans, or Rockets.

Natalie, as an advocate of the arts, would be sure to introduce guests to the Houston arts scene. Perhaps a stop through the Arts District, a concert, live theatre at Hobby, A.D. Players, Stages, or Main Street, or an excursion through Seismique or Meow Wolf might work.

Both have a fascination for space, thus NASA would be a must-do. Other must-dos, if the timing is right, would be to attend the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo or the Renaissance Festival.

As far as museums, the art, science, and health museums are always fun, but to make things extra unique, Bayou Bend or the Rienzi might be first picks. Natalie also suggests a unique outing at Newman’s Bakery and Castle.

With such a close proximity to the coast, a trek over to Kemah or Galveston for the day, or for other outdoor excursions, Brazos Bend or Stephen F. Austin State Park would be in the running.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people and things in our past that have each helped to shape who we are in our leadership roles at the center today. To attempt to condense our list, Todd Breton deserves a huge thank you. Todd and his wife, Cindy Breton, had been long-time supporters of the center, but also mutual friends of both Jorge and Natalie. It is Todd who facilitated introductions. A year later, Natalie ended up as a working team member of the center.

Jorge has had the help and support of a lot of people in his life in order to one day become the Executive Director of the Outreach Center of West Houston. His parents were incredibly hard-working people and showed him what it meant to go all in for the ones you love and to flip the script on circumstance. His mother, in particular, was a woman of great kindness, tenderness, and humanity. Her memory fuels much of the compassion that Jorge so seemingly naturally expresses to center visitors. His sister also deserves a shoutout. As a go-getter, PhD, author, and more, she continues to not only support, but to challenge Jorge to keep going, keep pushing, and keep aiming.

On a personal level for Natalie, her dad, Steven, has always been one interested in the use of words, whether he would acknowledge such or not. For one, he is the epitome of a dad who loves dad jokes. Puns fly when he is around. Additionally, two phrases he was very firm in drilling into she and her siblings were, “Treat others the way you want to be treated,” and “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” He taught her that not only what we say, but what we do is all communication and it is always illustrating something about us and about how we view others. His other phrase about words not hurting is not an easy lesson, but Natalie knows he was trying to teach her to be strong and confident when, not if, painful words come. Natalie’s fascination with story and words is in large part because of him, as well as is her work ethic.

Natalie’s mom, Janet, has a love language of gifting. The level of compassion Natalie has witnessed her pour into others, through gifting, set a major example for interpersonal communication. Additionally, joy pours from her mother. She loves a good party or game. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious, and her mom is a huge part of why Natalie has a creative streak.

Natalie grew up in the Alief area, an area that went from cow pastures and trains to neighborhoods and highways during her childhood. With all of that development came waves of people of all nationalities. The area is now deemed “Houston’s International District”. Growing up in such a culturally diverse area played a role in nurturing Natalie’s love for people. It is also in Alief that Natalie discovered a desire to lead. She enjoyed leading various clubs and initiatives through her schooling experience there.

Leadership, communications, and a love for people have culminated into various things over the years, with theatre being a constant. Theatre plays a major role in Natalie’s success. Natalie has been acting since middle school and went on to get a degree in it, alongside Radio/TV Communications. Theatre taught Natalie compassion, empathy, that the human spirit is resilient, and to pay attention to the details. Natalie is now also a master’s student in Arts and Nonprofit Leadership at Southern Methodist University, so shoutout to SMU and her cohort for investing in her next steps as a leader.

With handfuls of teachers, bosses, mentors, friends, and family to thank, Natalie could write a novel. Her husband, Zachary, and sons, Jaydan and Jonathan, are major motivations for the work that she does. One boss that Natalie would like to take a moment to shout out to is Jay Berckley. Jay once said to Natalie, “Don’t let anyone put you in a box.” His support, enthusiasm, and belief in her full self have always been incredibly meaningful. Jay’s zeal for taking action remains a go-to example for leading with purpose.

Both Jorge and Natalie are Rotarians. Having a community of people locally, nationally, and internationally to turn to, to help make lasting change, also deserves shoutout. Sometimes it takes a village to impact a village. Rotary is quite the village to help make an impact.

Website: https://www.oc-wh.org/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theoutreachcenter_/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/west-houston-community-center-whcc-

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OutreachCentWH

Facebook: https://facebook.com/OutreachCentWH

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@outreachcenterofwesthousto4505

Other: Nextdoor: https://nextdoor.com/pages/outreach-center-of-west-houston-houston-tx/?init_source=org_pages

Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/houston-tx/outreach-center-of-west-houston-2

Email: info@oc-wh.org

Office Phone: 281-497-7211

Jorge’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-quinones-7bb1152/

Natalie’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-lerner/

Image Credits
Cris Peña