Angel Organizations of the Month

Children's Defense Fund - National Organization of the Month

The Children's Defense Fund’s Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF encourages preventive investment before children get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.

CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.

In our first decade, we:

researched and defined critical child needs in all racial and income groups
outlined and tested action strategies to meet those needs
began documenting the cost effectiveness of early child development programs and early intervention when children get into trouble
worked to organize child advocates to work together to protect all children

In our second decade, we focused on public education and mobilizing child advocates. We:

educated the public about the importance of child and youth investment
formed Child Watch® coalitions in more than 100 communities, and strengthened ties with state and local officials
studied the federal budget's impact on children and published the first annual CDF® State of America's Children® Yearbook
held our first national conference to train

In our third decade, CDF sought to strengthen and integrate our field mobilizing, organizing, and communications efforts. We have aimed to empower a critical mass of young servant-leaders to advocate for children. CDF is a leadership incubator for the child advocacy movement.

Former CDF board members, alumni, interns, and the 6,000-plus youths we trained serve at the highest levels in academia, the private sector, and advocacy institutions across our nation.

For more information on Children's Defense Fund, please click here.

Marian Wright Edelman’s Biography

Marian Wright Edelman Mrs. Edelman, a graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, began her career in the mid-60s when, as the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Mississippi. In l968, she moved to Washington, D.C., as counsel for the Poor People's Campaign that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. She founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm and the parent body of the Children's Defense Fund. For two years she served as the Director of the Center for Law and Education at Harvard University and in 1973 began CDF.

Mrs. Edelman served on the Board of Trustees of Spelman College which she chaired from 1976 to 1987 and was the first woman elected by alumni as a member of the Yale University Corporation on which she served from 1971 to 1977. She has received many honorary degrees and awards including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings which include eight books: Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change; The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours; Guide My Feet: Meditations and Prayers on Loving and Working for Children; Stand for Children; Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors; Hold My Hand: Prayers for Building a Movement to Leave No Child Behind; I'm Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children; and I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children.

She is a board member of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Association to Benefit Children, and City Lights School and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Marian Wright Edelman is married to Peter Edelman, a Professor at Georgetown Law School. They have three sons, Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra, two granddaughters, Ellika and Zoe, and two grandsons, Elijah and Levi.

A star-studded evening to celebrate 35 years of accomplishments and a future dedicated to our nation's children.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.

Monday, October 6, 2008
Pre-Show VIP Reception 6:30 pm
Show 8:00 pm
Post-Show VIP Reception 9:30 pm

For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.

To view all Angel Organizations of the Month, please click here.


	Angel Organizations of the Month Children's Defense Fund - National Organization of the Month The Children's Defense Fund’s Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF encourages preventive investment before children get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds. In our first decade, we: researched and defined critical child needs in all racial and income groups outlined and tested action strategies to meet those needs began documenting the cost effectiveness of early child development programs and early intervention when children get into trouble worked to organize child advocates to work together to protect all children In our second decade, we focused on public education and mobilizing child advocates. We: educated the public about the importance of child and youth investment formed Child Watch® coalitions in more than 100 communities, and strengthened ties with state and local officials studied the federal budget's impact on children and published the first annual CDF® State of America's Children® Yearbook held our first national conference to train In our third decade, CDF sought to strengthen and integrate our field mobilizing, organizing, and communications efforts. We have aimed to empower a critical mass of young servant-leaders to advocate for children. CDF is a leadership incubator for the child advocacy movement. Former CDF board members, alumni, interns, and the 6,000-plus youths we trained serve at the highest levels in academia, the private sector, and advocacy institutions across our nation. For more information on Children's Defense Fund, please click here. Marian Wright Edelman’s Biography Mrs. Edelman, a graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, began her career in the mid-60s when, as the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Mississippi. In l968, she moved to Washington, D.C., as counsel for the Poor People's Campaign that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. She founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm and the parent body of the Children's Defense Fund. For two years she served as the Director of the Center for Law and Education at Harvard University and in 1973 began CDF. Mrs. Edelman served on the Board of Trustees of Spelman College which she chaired from 1976 to 1987 and was the first woman elected by alumni as a member of the Yale University Corporation on which she served from 1971 to 1977. She has received many honorary degrees and awards including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings which include eight books: Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change; The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours; Guide My Feet: Meditations and Prayers on Loving and Working for Children; Stand for Children; Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors; Hold My Hand: Prayers for Building a Movement to Leave No Child Behind; I'm Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children; and I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children. She is a board member of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Association to Benefit Children, and City Lights School and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Marian Wright Edelman is married to Peter Edelman, a Professor at Georgetown Law School. They have three sons, Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra, two granddaughters, Ellika and Zoe, and two grandsons, Elijah and Levi. A star-studded evening to celebrate 35 years of accomplishments and a future dedicated to our nation's children. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C. Monday, October 6, 2008 Pre-Show VIP Reception 6:30 pm Show 8:00 pm Post-Show VIP Reception 9:30 pm For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here. To view all Angel Organizations of the Month, please click here.	Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service is a volunteer program that recently took 30 at-risk youth from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Johannesburg, South Africa. Please click here to learn more. To support the year-long program, please click here. To view a CNN.com video of the participants in South Africa, please click here. To read Journey for Change participant blogs on CNN.com, please click here. To view Journey for Change photos, please click here. JOURNEY FOR CHANGE SPONSORS Sponsors Media Sponsors (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. Read about Dwight C. Johnson, a mentor, volunteer, fundraiser and an avid traveler. Read about Mark Ottenweller and his life of serving the poor and disadvantaged through his work with Hope Worldwide. Children's Defense Fund National Organization of the Month Microcredit Summit Campaign International Organization of the Month The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow Global Exchange Fairtrade Online Store Your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts
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