Teen's non-profit partners with Texans quarterback for Back-to-School event

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 2:07PM CT
HOUSTON, Texas -- When Lily Dubose was eight years old, she made it her mission to spread joy to children impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Fast forward nine years, and her vision has expanded into a non-profit, Lily's Toy Box, and a massive warehouse filled with over 20,000 toys.

"I started giving away my Legos and dolls to kids who flooded, and it just went off from there," said Lily, who is now going into her senior year of high school. "I realized I loved giving away toys because it is such a simple act and kids love toys, so that was really fun for me to start that."

Since 2017, Lily's Toy Box has given away over 100,000 toys to children across the country.

"Lily is 17, and so if she wants to do something, I'm all in with that," said Jessica Dubose, Lily's mom. "My husband and I both said, well, do whatever you want to do with Toy Box. And so it's a lot of work, we volunteer many hours a week."

Lily's Toy Box also partners with different brands and foundations, including Texans quarterback CJ Stroud's foundation. For the past three years, Lily's Toy Box and the CJ Stroud Foundation have hosted a Back to School event in August, providing Houston-area families with backpacks, school supplies, shoes, haircuts, toys and a lot more.



"Lily is just incredible," said Kim Stroud, president of the CJ Stroud Foundation and mom to CJ Stroud. "Her and her parents are just amazing people. They have such a big heart. They give back. They do it with a gracious heart, too."

Lily hopes to keep expanding her reach to as many children as possible.

"The best thing that we would love for people to do is follow our Instagram and all of our socials," Lily said. "They're also able to go to our website, lilystoybox.com, and fill out a form for a child in need."

"I'm very proud of Lily," said Jessica Dubose. "She has a good heart and she's always thinking of other ways to help kids."

ABC13's Localish team visited the CJ Stroud Foundation's Back to School event in partnership with Lily's Toy Box to see how the two organizations are working together!



For more information on Lily's Toy Box, check them out on Facebook, Instagram or their website.
Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.