Matt D’Arrigo is Founder and CEO of ARTS | A Reason To Survive, the non-profit agency dedicated to changing the life trajectory of youth facing adversity through the arts and creativity. As a teenager and young adult, D’Arrigo was a poster child for his current program. Lost in a world of alcohol and drugs, low self-esteem and self-destructive behavior, he was on a path that wouldn’t have a happy ending. He was given a wakeup call in 1991 when both his mother and sister were diagnosed with cancer after his failed freshman year in college. This sobering news brought a hiatus to his destructive behavior and D’Arrigo found refuge, clarity and hope in his bedroom studio painting and listening to music. One day, towards the end of his mother’s illness, he had an epiphany that would eventually change the course of his life. He’d start a non-profit organization that would provide the same artistic refuge to other kids facing their own struggles. D’Arrigo carried this dream closely with him until he was at a time and place in his life where he was prepared and ready to fully commit. That time came in 2001 with a $5,000 gift from his father and a book on how to start a non-profit from his sister. ARTS was launched out of D’Arrigo’s garage as an outreach effort bringing art activities to children and families at Ronald McDonald House and San Diego Children’s Hospital.
ARTS has grown into a nationally recognized full service arts agency for youth offering visual, performing, media, literary and industrial arts in a long-term, sequential program model based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: therapeutic arts programs, arts education, and college and career preparation. It’s a one-stop shop, not only giving youth A Reason To Survive but also A Reason To Succeed just like D’Arrigo. ARTS continues their outreach programs and has added a 20,000 sq ft ARTS Center, Transportation Service (Van Go!), and Community Beautification Projects. To broaden their reach and impact beyond San Diego, ARTS recently launched support services for organizations and communities to run their own ARTS or ARTS-like programs. ARTS has also become a leader in advocacy and education about the arts as a prevention and intervention vehicle.
In addition to being featured in countless media stories both locally and nationally, D’Arrigo’s work has been the subject of the Academy Award © winning documentary “Inocente”, The New York Times best selling book “Decisive” by Chip and Dan Heath, and profiled in Darius Graham’s book “Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World”. D’Arrigo has been recognized as “One of San Diego’s brightest leaders under the age of 40″ by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine with their “Forty Under 40″ Award and featured in San Diego Magazine’s “50 People to Watch″ issue. He has received the Safeco Insurance Community Hero Award, the Freedom Foundation’s National Community Award, and was a finalist for the Volvo for Life Award. Matt was recently also elected to the National Arts Education Advisory Council for Americans for the Arts.
About A Reason To Survive
A Reason To Survive (ARTS) is dedicated to creating a movement behind the importance of the arts as a prevention and intervention vehicle to create positive transformation in children and youth facing adversity. They work directly with youth using their “Heal, Inspire, Empower” program model and framework. Taking all the knowledge, experience, and resources they have gathered over the years, ARTS provides services to individuals, organizations, and institutions to support and strengthen arts programs that heal, inspire, or empower children and youth. ARTS is made up of a team of passionate and dedicated staff, volunteers, partners, donors, vendors, and kids all working towards a common goal: To give kids A Reason To Survive through the arts! For more information, please visit www.areasontosurvive.org.
