Marc Ecko Enterprises

Early on in the development of what would become Marc Ecko Enterprises, founders Marc Ecko, Seth Gerszberg, and Marci Tapper made a pledge: If the company, deep in debt, ever reached profitability, a substantial donation would be made to a charity for children in need Out of this promise grew Tikva, which addresses the growing crisis of orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children in the Odessa region of the Ukraine

Founded in 1996, the Tikva Children's Home is committed to providing a nurturing home environment to the hundreds of homeless, abandoned and orphaned children of Odessa, Ukraine. In addition, Tikva provides the educational and emotional resources to help these children rise above their impoverished past at the same time that it works toward building a culturally and economically re-invigorated Odessa community in which they can thrive. Currently, Tikva Children's Homes of Odessa house and educate 110 boys and girls, who range in age from 18 months to 16 years old. Since Tikva's founding, over 100 children have benefited from its resources.