Past Year's Achievements
Our organization directly impacts over 5,000 people through our mentors and art-related programs supporting troubled youth, children at risk, victims of crime, children with special needs, adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and the elderly in Katy and surrounding Harris and Fort Bend County. Katy ARTreach programs reached as many as 20,000 more individuals through audience-based ARTreach programs and cultural arts presentations in underserved schools, lock down facilities and community centers. Our successes have been widely publicized in local newspapers and magazines.
ARTreach Program Recognition and Awards. Since its founding, ARTreach has consistently received positive recognition for our quality programs and overall contributions to the community. Here are examples from the past two to three years alone.
- In 2010 The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) professional review panel ranked ARTreach Programs at 97% for impact, 97% for integrity, and 96% for capacity, and approved ARTreach programs as available to applying schools with 50% funding provided by the TCA to support delivery of these programs across the State.
- In 2009 ARTreach received new State funding from the Texas Commission on the Arts for ARTbeat programs supporting health and human services and the elderly, and for URGEWORKS programs serving children at risk.
- In 2008 ARTreach received the Crystal Award for Innovative Partnerships in Texas (Texas Association of Partners in Education).
- In 2007 ARTreach was awarded the STAR Non-Profit of the Year Award from the Houston West Chamber of Commerce.
- In 2007, 2009 and 2010 ARTreach was recognized by the International Institute of Education for our programs that encourage minority participation in the arts, and for creative art programs that support literacy. The U.S. Department of Education sent delegates from Spain and Iraq to witness our programs in action at the Fort Bend County Detention Center and the Burmese Refugee Resettlement in Houston.
Objectives
The fundamental objective of ARTreach is to design, deliver and fund high impact arts and art mentoring programs that promote character building, leadership, education, and positive, healthy lifestyles in the greater Houston area, including Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties.
ARTreach has a strategy for achieving our objectives that focuses on four areas of action:
1. We design a variety of arts programs and events that are inspiring and life changing to children and adults who have not been given sufficient opportunities to experience the arts due to financial hardships, or to limited availability, awareness of, or access to the arts and arts education. ARTreach Programs support educational standards that lead to graduation, and improve the social development and emotional and physical health of needy individuals through interactive, thoughtful and creative art experiences. These programs are designed to help teach life skills, build self esteem and self awareness, and lead to healthier relationships and cohesive communities. Our programs are effective in helping individuals cope with depression, social dysfunction, grief, issues pertaining to gang violence, drug abuse and child abuse, rehabilitation, physical and mental health recovery and student apathy.
2. ARTreach trains and contracts independent artists to teach and mentor within a wide range of art disciplines, including drama, music making, storytelling, video production, drumming, silk screen printing, ceramics and creative writing. Our teaching methods are arts-based and relevant to the populations we serve.
3. We deliver these high quality art-related programs and services to indigent and the underserved populations in our geographic region, specifically targeting children at risk and troubled youth, special needs groups and the elderly, including individuals with Alzheimer's disease. We maximize our ability to serve the neediest populations by actively collaborating with campuses and school districts, cultural centers, churches, juvenile detention centers and social service agencies. These collaborative partners provide the facilities for our activities, important links to the communities we wish to serve, and the vital ideas and inspiration that help us to continue to do our work, as we hope they are helped and inspired by ARTreach teachers, mentors and activities.
4. We raise and manage funds so that we can continue to increase the frequency and impact of arts experiences in our target communities, to support their overall health and well being. Our funds come from individual donations, corporate and small business donations, and from charitable foundations. We utilize our financial and material resources efficiently and effectively while executing our clearly defined mission. We are also very active advocates for the arts, and seek to build individual awareness and appreciation of the arts, and to promote more effective State policies and legislative action to increase funding for the arts and arts education in Texas.
Since 2003 ARTreach has been designing and delivering innovative arts programs and developing best delivery practices to serve a wide variety of social and educational needs. We have demonstrated success in a range of applications, and have become skilled in developing effective partnerships with juvenile detention centers, residential treatment centers, hospitals, rehab centers, crisis centers, family shelters, plus Title 1 and alternative schools. We continue to achieve our objectives by ensuring our organization utilizes a consistent and transparent artistic philosophy, establishes measurable objectives year after year, develops strong leadership and organizational governance policies, and by enlisting a high level of community participation, engagement and support.
Addressing needs and requests for art mentors and high impact art programs serving children at risk and troubled youth in Houston and Fort Bend County as well as life enrichment programs for elderly, and the intellectually and physically disabled children and adults in all geographical areas are requiring our organization's immediate attention. Subsidiary branches are supporting programs in three counties. With special projects being piloted statewide and internationally based on our local programs model.