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HISTORY

WALIPP, a 501(c)(3) entity, was incorporated in 1996 by a group of Houstonians to commemorate
50 years of ministry by Reverend William A. Lawson, founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist
Church. Rev. Lawson and his wife, Audrey, have always maintained their commitment to children
and family development in the communities where they live and work.

The WALIPP Senior Residence, a four-story structure with a central elevator/atrium area, provides
42 2-bedroom and 8 1-bedroom apartments for independent living adults age 55 and older. All
amenities comply with the American Disabilities Act. It is located on a 1.88-acre site on Scott
Street near Southmore, a major thoroughfare in Houston's Third Ward community.

The Lawson Academy's mission is to educate and mentor disadvantaged youth in single gender
schools; building character and community through partnerships with mentors and universities.
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) charter school began operation in 2002 with
grades six, seven and eight. Facilities were initially located on the campus of Wheeler Avenue
Baptist Church and moved in 2007 to the campus of Texas Southern University. At the time of
the relocation, the Academy was renamed the WALIPP-TSU Preparatory Academy, hereafter
called the Academy, in recognition of the alliance between the agency and its host University. In
May of 2015, the Academy was rebranded The Lawson Academy in honor of its founders, Rev.
William and Mrs. Audrey H. Lawson.

In September of 2010, The Lawson Academy was approved by the State Board of Education in
Texas as an open-enrollment charter school. The Lawson Academy began the 2011-2012 school
year with two campuses with the Boys’ Academy remaining on the TSU campus. The Girls’
Academy has been housed on the St. James Episcopal Church grounds located on Southmore since
its inception in 2011. In 2015 the Boys’ Academy joined the Girls’ Academy at St. James
Episcopal Church. In September, 2017, The Lawson Academy moved into its own 3-building
campus at 5052 Scott Street in a 36,000 square foot space.

The Academy has always provided student instruction for grades 6, 7, and 8 at both academies.

Both of these WALIPP programs serve primarily African-American residents who benefit from
the availability of high quality education and housing in the inner city. Neither program
discriminates on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability or marital status.

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