What a fantastic sensory-friendly performance put on today by the Houston Ballet! Tyler and I loved it. Thank you Houston Ballet for creating such a fabulous program and the WithMerci Foundation and Whitney Mercilus for donating tickets for our Autism Rescue Angels families to attend!
In Texas, there are few residential options for adults with special needs that are high quality and affordable and most are private. The cost of these centers runs $47,000-70,000 per year. If your adult child with special needs goes to a place like this from ages 30-65, the cost is $1-2M. If you couple that with a high divorce rate in the Special Needs community, there is a majority of single parents out there who cannot afford this long-term care. Even married couples struggle with this cost. Imagine if you had to pay for college for 35-40 years.
Texas, we can do better for Special Needs families.
We must.
Welcome to our newest Advisory Board member, Leah Bennett. We are honored!
Leah Bennett, CFA
President, Westwood Trust
Ms. Bennett was appointed President of Westwood Trust, Houston in March 2018. Prior to joining Westwood in 2016, Ms. Bennett was Co-Chief Investment Officer at South Texas Money Management, where she shared responsibility for overseeing the investment strategies of the firm.
Prior to that, she was a Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at King Investment Advisors, Inc. and a Research Analyst for Capital Research & Management. In June of 2017, Ms. Bennett was elected to the CFA Global Board of Governors, where she serves on the Audit and Risk Committee.
She is a former President and Director of CFA Society Houston and is a Co-Founder of the CFA Women in Investment Management initiative and the CFA Institute Global Research Challenge of the Southwest. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, on the Wright Fund Oversight Board at Rice University and on the Advisory Council of Executives (ACEs) at the Bill Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University. Ms. Bennett earned her Bachelor of Science in economics from Texas A&M University.
The World Autism Organisation is hosting an event November 12 – 15 in Houston, Texas! We’ll be there to learn from Autistics, to listen to innovative ways of working with Autism and to network and share information with more than 125 speakers from more than 30 countries! More information is available at the organisation website.
Sharing a “thank you” from a family we were able to help because of YOUR generosity!
My 6-year-old son was diagnosed with ASD in 2014, ADHD and epilepsy in 2017, and focal cortical dysplasia in 2018. With multiple therapies, doctor visits, tests, procedures, medicine, child care, etc.. During this same time frame, I lost my 6 figure job, went through a divorce, was left with almost $100,000 in unsecured debt, and no income. The reality of all of this hits you in the face going about 1000 mph and to say I was overwhelmed, is an understatement. With insurance, my son’s therapies cost between $800-1000 a month. Testing, ambulatory costs, medical expenses not covered by insurance were mounting up and my savings, all 401Ks, and anything else I had were quickly depleted.
I applied to Autism Rescue Angels because I needed help to get the best care for my son. The grant we received allowed my son to proceed with necessary testing, therapies, and medication. We would be lost without the generosity of ARA.
Thank you to Lisa and the ARA board!
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