STAND UP FOR KIDS

STANDUP FOR KIDS is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1990 to help rescue homeless and at-risk youth. With national headquarters in San Diego, California, STANDUP FOR KIDS is run almost entirely by volunteers, and has established more than thirty outreach programs in fifteen states. The mission of STANDUP FOR KIDS is to help homeless and street kids. This mission shall be carried out by a national volunteer force whose on-the-streets outreach efforts will find, stabilize and assist homeless and street kids in their efforts to improve their lives. The organization's mission shall also be furthered through deterrence and resource programs provided in schools and via the Internet. All facets of this mission shall be guided by the mandate that our volunteers shall tell kids they care about them and then, at every turn, prove it. Retired U.S. Navy officer Richard L. Koca founded STANDUP FOR KIDS in 1990. For him, it was a natural extension of his ongoing outreach efforts. Koca was inspired to begin outreach in 1987 when he saw a CBS broadcast of 48 Hours that documented street kids in San Diego, California. He was so disturbed by the news report that, when the Navy sent him to San Diego the following year, he immediately became involved in walking the streets to identify homeless teens and get them into shelters. STANDUP FOR KIDS targets homeless and at-risk youths age 21 and younger. Based on current estimates, there are more than one and a half million children, teenagers and young adults trying to survive on U.S. streets today. Children now make up 27 percent -- the fastest growing segment -- of the U.S. homeless population. STANDUP FOR KIDS is an independent, nonprofit organization that has no religious or political affiliation. STANDUP FOR KIDS helps kids without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds. STANDUP FOR KIDS is entirely run by volunteers. Volunteers fill a variety of positions -- such as executive director, public relations manager, community resource director, outreach and apartment support directors, and kid and adult training directors. Since 1990, STANDUP FOR KIDS volunteers have performed more than a million hours of community service and conducted more than 100,000 counseling sessions. STANDUP FOR KIDS’ volunteers provide more than 20,000 meals each quarter to homeless and street kids, and at-risk youth! In addition to helping homeless and at-risk youth with immediate necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and personal hygiene, STANDUP FOR KIDS offers a wide array of services, including: assistance in finding housing; education assistance; vocational development; counseling; health services; transportation to self-help meetings; and legal assistance. Volunteers also conduct life-skills training, covering such areas as budgeting, banking, apartment cleanliness and safety, shopping and cooking, nutrition, and hygiene. Laundry services and lunch and snack facilities are made available, as well as mail and message services. Volunteers go through an extensive STANDUP FOR KIDS training program, consisting of eight 2-hour classes. Some have likened the intense training to “drinking out of a fire hose.” The training program prepares volunteers for working with homeless and street kids. Those who want to work directly with kids usually become Street Outreach Counselors or Apartment Support Counselors and receive additional training by walking the streets with experienced volunteers and performing role-plays with street kids. Though the number of kids a local program will help fluctuates, volunteers often work with 25-50 kids. Volunteers can expect to provide a variety of services, such as street counseling, providing nourishing food, transporting kids to and from church meetings or AA/NA meetings, helping kids locate furniture, teaching kids basic living skills, helping with baby clothing, and providing the local STANDUP FOR KIDS office with clerical assistance. Basically, volunteers can expect to be the first line of defense for crisis counseling on the streets and in kids' apartments. Since 1990, STANDUP FOR KIDS has established programs in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington and Washington, D.C. In 2003, STANDUP FOR KIDS established programs in Houston, Portland, Seattle, Anaheim/Orange County, Long Beach, and Tampa. Operating revenues come mainly from charitable donors committed to the aims of the organization. Each year STANDUP FOR KIDS organizes a giving campaign known as "Friends of Kids." In addition to gifts, the organization seeks national and local sponsors, grants, endowments and gifts-in-kind. For example, a grant from the Lawson Valentine Foundation helped establish the program in Las Vegas, Nevada. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service classifies STANDUP FOR KIDS as a 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Yearly financial statements prepared by a San Diego CPA firm and audited by a separate firm. STANDUP FOR KIDS is grateful to have been recognized by both the George Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, the U.S. Justice Department, the Colorado Secretary of State and the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children. In addition, the organization has received the JCPenney "Golden Rule Award" and various Corporate and Community Service Awards.

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Stand Up For Kids