Every year at the Kids’ Chance National Conference, our founder, Bob Clyatt, tells his story. He shares how he came to form the first Kids’ Chance in Georgia and what he sees as the future of the Kids’ Chance mission. His vision has always been to have a Kids’ Chance organization in every state.
It is my distinct privilege to say that we’ve achieved this dream. With the forming of Kids’ Chance of Wyoming, we have a presence in all 50 states.
Now we look forward to our next chapter. It’s not enough to have a presence in each state; we need to ensure each and every state can consistently fulfill its mission and ultimately reach every eligible kid.
Over the past year, we engaged our stakeholders — members of our board, our staff, leaders at our partners and our states, and even our kids — to develop a new strategic plan.
It’s our states who provide the scholarships and support directly to our kids. Our plan includes targeted support to move each state to the next level, as well as investments in infrastructure to support national sustainability.
As the national organization, it is our mission to unite the worker's compensation community in support of the kids of workers who have been injured on the job.
Part of that support comes in the form of dollars. This year, Kids’ Chance of America surpassed $1 million dollars in operating revenue, a major milestone for our organization. I send my sincere thanks to everyone who chose to make a difference this way.
We will also strengthen our ability to find the kids, as well as explore other ways we can support their families at a national level. Despite the increase in referrals to our Planning for the Future initiative, we know there are more families out there who need our help, and we need to find them.
With our national board, plus the boards of 50 state organizations, there’s perhaps nothing more critical to the continued success of our mission than viable leadership. Ken Martino, my predecessor, started this work, and I’m humbled to follow his example.
I’ve served on the board of Kids’ Chance of North Carolina, including serving a term as the organization's president. I’ve also been a board member at the national level for 4 years. In addition to the educational components outlined in our strategic plan, I want to specifically focus on how we can evolve the role of volunteers to ensure we’re engaging people the right way and concentrating their time on the things that make the most impact.
I've seen firsthand, by awarding scholarships and talking to the kids we support, just how much impact our work makes on their lives and the lives of their families.
I've also seen what an amazing national community we have at Kids' Chance. We do what we do because we give kids a chance at a better future, and that commitment brings out the best in our industry — and beyond.
I look forward to working together with all of you as we continue on our journey and advance our goal of #MoreMoneyforMoreKids.
