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CWLA Announces National Service Awards to Kids Who Have Helped Other Kids
Jonathan Freeman of Tampa a Winner
For more information, contact
Joyce Johnson
Phone: 804/492-4519
Cell: 703/980-7641
E-mail: jjohnson@cwla.org
February 20, 2009, Arlington, VA -- The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) announced the annual recipients of its peer-to-peer service award. The "Kids to Kids" National Service Award is given in recognition of youth who have reached out to help their peers in the community.
Lainee Burnette of New Haven, Ct; Jonathan Freeman of Tampa, FL; and the Bonnie Brae Knights Drum Corps of Liberty Corner, NJ will be presented with the awards at CWLA's National Conference in Washington, DC on February 25, 2009.
As 13 year old living in Tampa, FL Jonathan Freeman announced his plans to create "Kits for Kids" during his Bar Mitzvah in 2007. To fulfill the Earth Charter Human Rights and Economic Justice principles and create a community service project that can be easily replicated across the world, Jonathan chose to provide children in real need within his community with basic, "back-to-school" supplies. "Kits for Kids" is directed toward helping families within the Florida Kinship Center located in Hillsborough County.
Jonathan requested that any gifts be in the form of donations to Earth Charter U.S. He and his mother then used these donations to purchase the kits (backpacks, school supplies and a disposable camera) for children in the Kinship Center. Jonathan raised more than $3,000 to launch this project. With that money he was able to assemble and help 370 families prior to the start of the 2008 school year.
The Florida Kinship Center provides support to grandparents who are raising children left in their care due to the death or inability of the children's parents to care for them. The Florida Kinship Center was established in 1998 to respond to the needs and issues facing Kinship families. The Center's mission is to serve kinship care families living in Florida, engage the resources of the Center in partnerships that respond to kinship care needs and issues, and conduct research that advances knowledge and understanding of kinship care. Through innovative programs, services and partnerships, the Florida Kinship Center helps support kinship caregivers, children and the entire kinship family. The Kinship Center is partly funded by the Children's Board of Hillsborough County.
"Today's youth are faced with so many challenges we feel it is important to acknowledge and honor those that have selflessly taken the time to care for and about the needs of others," said Christine James-Brown, President and CEO of CWLA.
Jonathan was nominated for this award by the Children's Service Board of Hillsborough County.
Since 1920, The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has been the nation's pre-eminent membership-based organization dedicated to ensuring that disadvantaged and vulnerable children are protected from harm and have the tools and resources they need to grow into the healthy and happy adults we want them to become. CWLA is the trusted authority for professionals who work with children and the only national organization with public and private member agencies working across all sectors of the children's services field.
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