PHOENIX — A spokesperson for Arizona Leadership Academy charter schools tells 12News they will donate $34,500 to a California-based mental health foundation in honor of the late Charlie Kirk.
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Last September after the shooting death of the conservative political influencer, the charter school announced sales of “Freedom” t-shirts to honor Kirk’s legacy.
In a letter to the community, ALA founder Glenn Way said they were holding the t-shirt fundraiser because Kirk “challenged us to do more and be more… to reject apathy and indifference, to stand boldly for what we believe.” Students could also wear the shirts on Fridays in place of their uniform shirts.
“All profits will go directly to a qualified organization selected by the Kirk family,” Way said in the letter.
ALA: $34,500 raised will benefit Change Your Brain Foundation
The $15 shirts sold online proved to be popular, a testament to the profound impact that Kirk’s life and tragic death had on Arizonans. On Monday, the Director of Government Relations of Charter One, the management company of ALA, told 12News by email they sold 9,763 shirts at a profit of $3.54 per shirt. Alani Hunsaker said the total amount raised is $34,564.
“The qualified non profit that was chosen by the Kirk family for the donation is Change Your Brain Foundation which is run by Dr. Daniel Amen,” Hunsaker said.
A 501c3 nonprofit based out of California, its mission is to “end the concept of mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health.”
Dr. Amen is a researcher, influencer and author working with the Trump administration on national health policy. Some of his views challenge mainstream science, including his theory surrounding brain SPECT imaging.
Parents raised concerns about fundraiser last year
After the announcement of the fundraiser last year, at least three ALA parents contacted 12News to express concern. They asked to remain anonymous. They questioned whether a charter school receiving public money should be honoring a figure who although was impactful, was also known for using divisive rhetoric on gender, religion and race.
They also wanted assurance the “qualified organization” to receive the donation would not be political in nature. State law prohibits public schools and charter schools (which are nonprofits and private companies receiving public dollars to educate children) from fundraising for political causes.
When 12News reached out to ALA in the fall to confirm the donation would be for a strictly nonpolitical cause, ALA initially declined to provide a confirmation. After a second inquiry, ALA clarified the money would go to a nonprofit with no political affiliation. In January and March of this year, 12 News reached out to ALA again to follow-up about the donation total and the recipient of the funds. Some parents said they believed the fundraiser had ended in December. ALA did not respond to requests for comment at the time.
12News reached out to ALA on behalf of parents to confirm donation details
During the final week of school (last week), 12News reached out again to ALA inquiring about the donation total and recipient. Hunsaker responded. She told 12News on Wednesday of last week the t-shirt fundraiser ended in December and the school had a check ready to send to the organization of the Kirk family’s choosing. Hunsaker said they would know the identity of the recipient within days and update 12News. She declined to provide the total amount collected.
Hunsaker added it was important to note that the fundraiser was carried out by Charter One (C1) Apparel, not the school. Charter One Apparel is a third-party company that makes ALA uniforms and hats.
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ALA corrected prior statement about timetable
Hunsaker sent a follow-up email on Thursday of last week, stating she needed to correct a prior statement because she was unfamiliar with the process due to the PR director being on extended leave. Hunsaker wrote that “final accounting of all funds will be completed at the close of the school year, which ends this week, including final sales data from the clothing vendor we worked with on this project.”
“We will continue working closely with our vendor through the completion of this project to ensure full fidelity to the original commitment made to families,” Hunsaker wrote. “We have worked with legal counsel to ensure that all donations are made by the appropriate entities, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.”
“Pls send any further inquiries on this topic to C1 Apparel,” Hunsaker wrote.
State business records show C1 Apparel is co-owned and operated by ALA founder Glenn Way and his son James Way. 12News responded to Hunsaker’s email, asking for Glenn and James Way to respond directly to questions about donation totals. 12News also asked Glenn and James Way to clarify the timetable of the fundraiser in relation to the planned donation.
On Monday of this week Hunsaker responded. She provided totals of the donation and identity of the recipient.
“As mentioned in my previous email; the reason for the timing of the donation is that the decision was made to use the sales of Freedom Shirts from the entire school year. Our school year ended on Thursday May 21, 2026. The check will be mailed to the foundation no later than Wednesday of this week,” Hunsaker wrote.
Founder of Change Your Brain Foundation has wide popularity
The foundation’s founder, Dr. Amen, is a strong advocate for Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s nutrition platform to reduce processed sugar foods, promote more natural foods, and to remove artificial flavors.
A 2012 Washington Post article called Dr. Amen “the most popular psychiatrist in America.” The story noted he had unorthodox approaches to mental health care. A 2011 article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry said Amen’s theory regarding the effectiveness of SPECT imaging to understand and diagnose mental illnesses – a position he promotes at his foundation today – was not supported by evidence. The article’s authors accused Amen of making “scientifically unfounded claims” to the Brain Imaging Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. They said the organization offered Dr. Amen the opportunity to submit his analyses of “a blinded set of SPECT scans (to have been prepared by the Brain Imaging Council) to determine how effective his technique is at correctly diagnosing subjects.”
“Although this proposed study could have provided support for his approach, the offer was declined. Nevertheless, for more than two decades, Dr. Amen has persisted in using scientifically unfounded claims to diagnose and treat patients (over 45,000 by his own count),” the article concluded.
In a December social media video last year, Amen defended his position on SPECT imaging, saying criticism that alleges he does not use randomized controlled trials to validate brain SPECT imaging is “a category error.”
“Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard for treatment not diagnostic tools,” he said. Amen said diagnostic imaging is validated by different tests.
“Brain SPECT imaging is very useful for clinical practice. It’s not theoretical. SPECT provides objective data on brain function,” he said. “Let me be clear. SPECT is not a treatment. It’s a tool to make better decisions so let’s ask the right questions.”