The mission of the Tom S. & Marye Kate Aldridge Charitable & Educational Trust is significant, focused and, ultimately, life-changing. The foundation strives to provide the means by which individuals can improve their lives and attain their fullest potential, and then make an impact in the community where they live.
“Our mission statement says it all,” explains Tom Shelton Aldridge II, the foundation’s chairman.
“We exist to allow people to improve themselves, in hopes that they will go out and help others. The organizations that we currently invest in do exactly that, and we are very proud of the work that they do.”
Tom shares a passion that has been passed down through three generations of the Aldridge family before him. The foundation was founded by Tom’s grandfather, Tom Shelton Aldridge, who, with his wife, Marye Kate, had been very active in philanthropy in Oklahoma City. The foundation was established in 1995 by Tom Shelton Aldridge I, in Tom & Marye Kate’s honor, to pursue the ideals and standards by which they lived.
Today, the foundation is run by Tom Senior’s grandson, Tom Shelton II, and great-grandson, Jake, who serves as vice chairman. The foundation focuses on four main pillars of outreach, giving to programs that support education, child enrichment, faith-based altruism and humanitarian outreach efforts.
“One of the first grants that we gave was to a Benedictine monk at St. Gregory’s College named Father Paul,” Tom II reminisces.
“He was working with children in third-world countries with developmental delays that were being shunned and not receiving proper nurturing. He worked around the world helping parents better understand their child’s disability. Today, we are honored to continue supporting his work through Camp Benedictine, a camp in McLoud where parents can go with their students with developmental delays to help them become the best they can be.”
Jake Aldridge, vice chairman of the foundation, adds that the Cavett Kids Foundation is one of the newer projects that the foundation is proud to support.
“Danny Cavett was head chaplain at OU Children’s Hospital, and he started a foundation to support divisionary play for children with life-threatening illness,” Jake explains.
“The Cavett Kids Foundation helps in their care and recovery, ensuring a high quality of life while they are dealing with chronic and life-threatening diseases. Cavett Kids promotes personal resilience and courage, emphasizing that their illness does not define them.”
The Cavett Kids Beach Bash is held each summer in Pensacola Beach, Florida, and is often the first time the Cavett Foundation campers see the ocean. Campers spend a week at a beach, enjoying a respite from the stress that they often feel dealing with chronic illness or life-threatening disease. Tom and his wife, Melissa, attend the Beach Bash each year to experience the foundation’s impact first-hand.
“Supporting the Cavett Kids upholds the mantra that our benefactor started,” Tom reflects. “It is the belief that by giving a little, we can help a lot. By giving to the Cavett Kids Foundation, we show kids with life-threatening illnesses that we care and that their illness does not have to hold them back.”
In addition, the foundation also supports scholarships in education, the arts, nursing and for members of the armed forces at the University of Oklahoma and University of Central Oklahoma. In Marye Kate’s honor, the foundation supports the public library in Lone Oak, Texas, where she grew up, supporting summer programming and outreach activities.
The foundation also has a discretionary fund that allows members of the Advisory Board to support projects close to their heart, including The Boys & Girls Club, the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Corral, Special Olympics and more.
“It has continued to grow and expand into something really awesome,” Jake explains. “As our foundation has grown through generations, we have been able to open up so many partnerships. All of these efforts have a significant influence, and we see how even the smallest efforts can have a huge impact.”
Reflecting on the foundation's success, Tom says that it is humbling to see all the impact that their giving has made over nearly 30 years.
“So many wonderful things have happened. My grandfather had a vision, and my dad was the captain of this ship from the moment it launched. It kept him young and kept him engaged, and he loved it. He is largely the reason why the foundation has been so successful,” Tom explains.
“Our foundation has always been very family-oriented and family-centered, and we are so very lucky to have been able to watch our efforts blossom and grow. We are currently looking for other foundations to connect with, to increase the impact of our giving and seeing how we can make a difference together.”
As the fourth generation of the Aldridge family to take the helm, Jake says the responsibility of carrying on the work of the foundation brings him incredible pride.
“It is an incredible responsibility to carry on that level of compassion for humanity,” he concludes.
“I am incredibly blessed to have had three men before me to captain the ship and guide our family to this place. It has helped me be a better attorney, father and person because I am constantly thinking how we can help others and give back. Looking forward, I see the foundation growing and having a larger footprint. I am truly proud that my four children know what it means to be benevolent.
“I am eternally grateful for the opportunities it has allowed me in my life. I wouldn't be the person I am without it, and I look forward to seeing what the future will bring.”
For more information, visit TMKAldridgeFoundation.org or facebook.com/aldridgefoundation.