Capital Campaign

The John M. O’Quinn Foundation Donates $5 Million for New Campus to The Monarch Institute for Neurological Differences

It is with our deepest gratitude that we humbly announce that the Monarch Institute for Neurological Differences has received a transformational $5 million lead gift from The John M. O’Quinn Foundation. This incredible investment is leading the way toward completing the remaining two buildings for the campus that will house Monarch Institute, including The Monarch School and all related programs. This is the largest such gift ever made to a program of this type in the nation.

The late and nationally acclaimed Texas trial lawyer John M. O’Quinn left the bulk of his fortune to his foundation to provide support in the Houston area for education, health, medical-related projects, and programs benefitting youth from communities of greatest need. Mr. O’Quinn had supported Monarch in the past and was very interested in helping the campaign reach its goal, and the Foundation voted in late March to make this incredible contribution to The Monarch Institute. About $2.5 million is needed in commitments to close out this multi-phased campaign. The board is hopeful that the project will be constructed by August of 2013.

“John’s own mission was one of transformation and empowerment, and he had a deep affinity for The Monarch School and its students,” said Robert Wilson III, President of The John M. O’Quinn Foundation. “This gift will enhance the fulfillment of years of effort and planning to provide facilities for expansion of the Monarch Institute.”

Dr. Marty Webb, Executive Director of the Monarch Institute and Head of The Monarch School, said: “John spoke for the voiceless and powerless, a description that fits many of our students. His spirit will live on through his life’s work, and the Monarch Institute will spread its wings because of the incredible impact this lead gift will have on our campaign. We are so very grateful.”

The timely gift coincides with National Autism Awareness Month. The campaign to build a new facility, so generously put on its course by the O’Quinn Foundation, is being overseen by honorary co-chairs Rose Cullen and Kathy Cullen McCord, campaign chair Grier Patton, board chairman Dave Matthiesen, Monarch faculty members Dr. Marty Webb and Jenny Ferguson, and Ellen Cokinos, Campaign Consultant.

If you would like more information on the campaign and how to help, please contact Dr. Marty Webb, Head of School and Executive Director, at 713-479-0800.

The Monarch Institute is constantly evolving, and with it comes growth. Our humble beginnings have translated to life-changing accomplishments, and our new campus will only enable us to go further. Click here to see the list of individual and foundation major donors who have so generously supported our capital campaign. Read on to learn about our story—and our upcoming adventures—of how we’re shaping lives from the inside out.

The growth of The Monarch Institute has been phenomenal, not just because we have an innovative therapeutic program, but also because key community leaders have recognized the uniqueness, efficiency and sustainability of The Monarch Institute model. It is a model with outstanding, long-term outcomes, led by professionals who are eager to replicate the program throughout the United States and around the world—impacting thousands of individuals, families and communities.

The development of The Monarch Institute’s permanent campus has been full of joy and a testimony to the support of hundreds of friends of the school. We hope you enjoy this chronological history.

Our Challenge

The 10.75 acres generously donated to us by the MetroNational Corporation gives us an incredible opportunity to expand, so that we can impact more children and their families. The entire Monarch Institute is temporarily housed in the Chrysalis Building, and we are at maximum capacity with 112 students and 66 faculty. We have been forced to turn away many families for the school year, due to lack of space. The ability to complete the entire campus will give The Monarch Institute much-needed space and resources to increase research capabilities and the development of new therapeutic support strategies.

Progress to-Date

The campaign for the first building has been completed, and we have moved onto our beautiful campus in west Houston. We are proud to share that, in our quest to construct a healthy school for students with neurological differences, the building actually achieved Gold-level LEED^® certification—making us “the greenest school in Texas.”

The total campaign goal for the remaining two buildings, the Butterfly Building and the Monarch Center, is $10,000,000. Construction will begin as soon as funding is secured, and the buildings will be completed in 12–15 months.

Until very recently, The Monarch Institute humbly rented space at both a church and an office warehouse. This was a less than optimal situation born of economic necessity that we braved with good cheer for more than a decade. In August of 2009, after a generous donation of 10.75 acres of land in Northwest Houston, we united our school and moved into the first of three buildings, the Chrysalis Building. This building was designed for day school students in the first two levels of The Monarch Institute’s uniquely defined developmental Levels System—Novice and Apprentice. It has 12 classrooms organized in four wings, each with a therapy room, sensory room, observation room, common area and a direct link to outdoor porches and student gardens. At our current level of service provision, the Chrysalis Building provides cutting edge, earth-friendly space for our programs, but further growth is impossible within this single structure. The remaining portions of The Monarch Institute to be built include:

• The Monarch Center, which will house research, our Training Center, Life Academy, Diagnostic Clinic, Therapeutic Services Center and administrative offices.
• The Butterfly Building, which will house day school and transitioning students at Challenger and Voyager levels, with a total of 15 classrooms and a library, computer lab and science lab.
• Five fine arts therapy studios

Building Green

The Monarch Institute’s green roots are deep and include a nature-based curriculum, much of which occurs in our outdoor classroom—including trails, natural building projects, gardens, natural habitat and native plants. For us, beyond our personal obligation to be good stewards of the land, we also have a responsibility to design a campus that is healthy for our students and faculty. Our first building, the Chrysalis Building, was awarded Gold-Level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for new construction rating system, making The Monarch Institute Texas’ highest-rated LEED-certified K–12 school. In addition, we earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rare Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR (DEES) certification, as well as the actual Energy Star award, making us one of the nation’s most energy–efficient private and public school buildings.

Benefits of the New Campus

Your support of The Monarch Institute will empower us to make a profound difference in the fields of children’s mental health and special education, both locally and globally, when we accomplish our goals.

Resources

• Photos of our groundbreaking celebration held on March 13, 2008
• Progress of the building construction
• Video of the dedication of our new campus, with the Honorable James A. Baker, III
• Announcement of the completion of Phase One of our capital campaign
• More detailed information about the capital campaign

More Information

To learn more about the building project, or to find out how you can get involved, please contact Dr. Marty Webb, Executive Director.