Inspiring Hope in the Midst of Tragedy

The Arnold & Itkin Foundation has partnered with The Monarch School and Institute since 2016 to bring new opportunities to individuals with neurological differences. We've donated a total of $350,000 in support, funding the creation of a new state-of-the-art classroom, ensuring that Monarch could keep its doors open through the COVID pandemic, and more.

The Arnold & Itkin Foundation hosted an auction fundraiser for The Monarch School & Institute on our rooftop garden during the spring of 2018. The fundraiser was made possible in part by the incredible artwork of former learners at The Monarch School, many of whom have gone on to successful careers and acclaim. Nearly everything about the fundraiser, from the food to the auction items, were provided by current and former learners.

Casa de Esperanza de Los Ninos, the House of Hope for Children, provides a safe place for children who are in crisis due to abuse and neglect. We're proud to support their mission and work hard to help them however we can. After Hurricane Harvey struck, we helped raise hundreds of donations for foster families, birth parents, and aftercare clients. We have also hosted a Halloween party for the children to help bring a little festive fun. This included a pledge equal to the tuition of one child!

The families of burn survivors often have to spend all their savings and college funds to pay for multiple surgeries, expensive specialists, and weeks of hospital care. Our scholarship was designed to ensure that the children of burn victims still have a bright future untouched by medical costs.

Twenty-two people die every day from waiting on a viable organ transplant that never comes. Another 120,000 people are on the national transplant list, waiting for the news that a match has been found. Simply put, we need donors. We need people who are willing to save up to 8 lives. It’s not a question of willingness to help—95% of Americans support organ donation. However, only 48% have signed up as donors. “Breathe for Charles” was founded to raise awareness about the need for organ donors and to encourage every U.S. adult to make a pledge and save lives.

Catastrophic burns are a lifelong burden, both physically, medically, and financially. Burns require months of treatment, multiple surgeries, and the help of multiple high-cost specialists to fully recover. Most burn victims never return to full capacity and often have to change careers or live with a lower income for much of their lives. By working with the American Burn Association, our Foundation can raise awareness about the common causes of explosions and burn incidents—thus sparing countless lives from the pain of a devastating injury.

The annual RESPECT Contest is how the Arnold & Itkin Foundation inspires children to think about what it means to be respectful and fair. We ask elementary students throughout Texas to offer a short definition of respect and draw a picture illustrating their idea. The submissions left our founders floored. The students’ entries explored empathy, equality, and justice and they helped inspire our foundation’s philosophy. As Jason puts it, their entries taught us about a broader definition of justice that exists outside the courtroom and is exhibited in the way we treat each other every day.

During and after Harvey, the Foundation team donated their time, money, and efforts to helping our neighbors recover. Some of us were flood victims, too, but we immediately got to work helping others replace things they needed: food, supplies, children’s clothing, and more. We drove across the state on a mission to collect thousands of supplies to distribute throughout the greater Houston area, and we’ve since been working to help as many people as possible recover everything they’ve lost.

The Arnold & Itkin Foundation is often involved in supply drives, children’s toy drives, fundraisers, and awareness campaigns to improve our community and help our neighbors. During Hurricane Harvey, we donated hundreds of supplies to Casa de Esperanza, a home for children in crisis due to abuse, neglect, or HIV. We do more than help our local community—the foundation is involved in service campaigns across the United States. We’re proud to help make the world a better place.