Every Child Is Ours

Every Child is Ours was created in 1997 to complement President Clinton’s “America Reads” initiative. Initially, students from Guilford Lakes, CT realized they had far more school supplies than the students in downtown New Haven, CT. The students decided they wanted to share. The books and school supplies they collected brought the students of New Haven a new chance at education – and the opportunity to develop more friendships with children beyond their community. It has been more than 50 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights named free and compulsory basic education a fundamental human right. Sadly, this basic human right is not always being met, and it is by definition the children that suffer.Our mission is to promote educational opportunities through fostering relationships between children to experience a sense of a compassionate global community. We work as an outreach program that matches up local resources with children in need. We are able to find value in unusual places: boxes of old athletic jerseys left in a school basement or school desks without a home are some examples. In donating these items to schools of greater need, children from wealthier communities have the opportunity to build relationships with, and an understanding of, children from needier communities. For many, these relationships build life-long changes – building compassion, commitment, and understanding