“We can’t do everything, but we can do something and the something we do, matters”
Marci Fair, Founder and CEO of Kares 4 Kids
Charities spend considerable energy worrying about generating their vital income, so when Marci, the founder of Kares 4 Kids received an unsolicited email five years ago from Nikki Holland of The Brothers Trust (a charity based in London looking for charities to support) she thought it was a scam and almost did not respond. Marci is used to appealing for support - not fielding emails from Trusts looking to make awards.
“…we’re based in the United States, no one from abroad gives money to an American charity…”
But ever diligent on behalf of Kares 4 Kids, Marci decided to reply with all of her alarms on high alert. At the time, she was frantic with organising a large fundraising event, so her reply was to thank Nikki for her email and to request that they might reconnect in a month or so time.
Nikki replied promptly (most likely scan reading the email and getting it very wrong)…
“That’s great. Tomorrow at 3pm is great for me!”
Marci was initially convinced she was being scammed – but that phone call did happen and five years later, Kares 4 Kids has received an amazing $146,800 in multiple grants from The Brothers Trust, so that they can continue their extraordinary efforts working for disadvantaged kids all around the Atlanta area.
It is important that The Brothers Trust grants reflect our supporter base. Since Tom has done so much work in Atlanta, he has a close association with the area, which is one reason why US based Kares 4 Kids is a good fit for TBT.
Below are some key headlines of Kares 4 Kids achievements, and then I would like to dwell on a couple of the great outcomes because they hinge on TBT's support.
Marci explains that Kares 4 Kids works in the margins, identifying gaps of poverty and deprivation that go unnoticed. Each year, Kares 4 Kids supports thousands of children, afflicted by homelessness, food insecurity, poverty, violence and sexual exploitation as well as a raft of children with physical and mental incapacities that restrict their development and outcomes. Sometimes their support helps first and second generation immigrant families to the US, who arrive for the great American Dream, but quickly discover the reality is very different. 100% of all donations to Kares 4 Kids go directly to helping children and in the 19 years since it was founded, Kares 4 Kids has conservatively helped over 763,500 children and worked with over 603 other charities and children's organizations around the Atlanta area.
A brilliant example of the care and support they provide is their work with The Special Needs School. Within this school is an initiative called YALLS – "young adult learning life skills" and is a good example of a ‘gap’ identified by Kares 4 Kids. Support provision for autism is usually concentrated during the school years but quickly tails off for young adulthood (when arguably it is needed even more).
Young adults at the special needs school called YALLS
TBT has also loved supporting JavaJoy through Kares 4 Kids. TBT has sponsored multiple "JoyRistas" over the last couple years, to help these fine young people "of all abilities" have an opportunity for employment - giving out coffee, sharing hugs and JOY!
Our amazing JoyRistas!
Another amazing charity TBT has supported through Kares 4 Kids is Spectrum Autism Support Group. Recently two plays were produced with a cast of young adults with special needs. The productions of High School Musical and Mary Poppins were both such a success they drew the attention of the city authorities – both for their success but also because of the association with TBT and Tom Holland (the famous actor). Kares 4 Kids was thrilled to share the news that they are working on new shows to be staged at the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The Brothers Trust is delighted by this outcome. What a tremendous accomplishment for this young cast, not to mention their parents and families.
We heard about Kares 4 Kids by chance via some local friends. Jackie and Dwight Lindo, two doctors from Jamaica. Jackie’s sister, Claudia, lived in Atlanta and worked with Kares 4 Kids as a volunteer Ambassador and regularly extolled their virtues to anyone who would listen, including her sister in London.
It was incredibly sad to all who knew her, that Claudia lost her battle with cancer in January 2018. When her news reached London, TBT was being formed and from our friendship with the Lindo's, we learned about Kares 4 Kids. It was the perfect opportunity for TBT to also support the community that has supported us in Atlanta. While Claudia might not be with us today, her compassionate heart continues to bless children in often desperate need, through our support of Kares 4 Kids. So much good has been done and with more to come!
A thank you video from Kares4Kids
JavaJoy instagram - https://www.instagram.com/java.joy/?hl=en
Spectrum Autism Group instagram - https://www.instagram.com/spectrumautismsupportgroup/
Special Needs School instagram - https://www.instagram.com/snsofgwinnett/?hl=en