A child's life is like
a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.
~ Chinese proverb
An economically secure and nurturing family, a safe and stable community, and a place in this world for every child to develop and grow into a healthy, productive adult. Isn't this what we want for all children?
Although that may be what we want, that isn't what we've got. There are 74 million children in America, and 20 percent of them are living in poverty, making them the poorest residents of our nation. Just think about that: The youngest, the most vulnerable to risks to their health and development, and the poorest.
The holidays have a way of encouraging us to take stock of our blessings and to think even more about the needs of others, especially those struggling to survive under the weight of poverty.
The National Center for Children in Poverty, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is a nonpartisan public policy research center that measures its impact by the number of poor children and families who benefit from the policies and programs that we promote. It is these policies and programs that, ultimately, reduce the number of families living in poverty.
I invite you to visit (or revisit) our website - www.nccp.org - to get a better understanding of who we are, what we do, and how we're making a positive impact in the lives of poor children. I'm also hoping that you'll help us continue our work with a tax-deductible gift to the NCCP Annual Fund. Any contributions we receive will be used to continue our work — from conducting data collection and analysis to creating interactive tools, to promoting our findings among policy makers and advocates to helping the media tell the stories of poor children and families in America and shine a spotlight on the powers of prevention and intervention. Please help us leave a positive mark on a child's life, one that will benefit us all.
Best,
Renée Wilson-Simmons, DrPH
Director
National Center for Children in Poverty
Columbia University/Mailman School of Public Health
Credit card donations can be made through the
Columbia University website.
If you prefer to donate by check, please make it out to
Columbia University/NCCP, and mail to:
NCCP Annual Fund
National Center for Children in Poverty
215 West 125th Street
Third Floor
New York, NY 10027
If you have any questions, please call Morris Ardoin (646-284-9616) or email development@nccp.org.