Robert Jay Binstock

After our youngest child was born with cerebral palsy, my wife and I started a non-profit charity to provide special needs children the opportunity to take dance, art, photography, and theater classes. The charity called The River Performing and Visual Art Center also provided a six week summer art camp program open for these children and their siblings. Not only did The River provide quality programming, it also provided a respite for parents who could drop off their kids for a few hours knowing that our trained staff and nurses would be there to provide the care required for their kids to enjoy their time at our center. Since its inception over 20 years ago, The River has served over 20,000 kids. Many come free of charge thanks to the generousity of our donors. 3 years ago The River merged with Theater Under The Stars....TUTS. TUTS provides live theater, educational programs, and community outreach throughout Houston and the  surrounding community. Last year alone, more than 236,000 people of all abilities experienced the music and wonder of live theater and educational programs provided by TUTS including the special needs and out reach programming developed by The River. I am more than proud to now be on the board of directors for TUTS and am pleased to see how our merger has served to open even more doors for chidren who were often overlooked when it came to participating in the arts. At The River, the main goal is to allow every child who participates the opportunity to be a star!