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On April 21, 2008
Cookie Magazine
honored
Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Christie Brinkley,
Karenna Gore Schiff,
Kim Raver and
three other amazing
charitable mothers.
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Karenna Gore Schiff
Supporter of the Association to Benefit Children;
author of Lighting the Way (Miramax)
Video: Karenna discusses her cause
Mother of Wyatt, 8, Anna, 6, and Oscar, 1 |
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"The Association to Benefit Children (ABC) serves kids living in poverty
in New York City by providing day care, early-childhood education, and
family services. When I joined the staff of ABC in 2002 (I'm now on the
board), I had young kids, so I was immersed in the questions of how to
care for children. To work at a place where those same questions were
being talked about felt like a great fit. When you look at political
priorities around the country, funding for child-services programs is
often the first thing to get cut. Politicians' discussions about the
budget can feel abstract, but it's not abstract for kids who will either
come in every day for a Head Start program or have no place to go. The
kids who come to ABC are just as innocent and vulnerable as my own, and
just as full of potential. But over the years, if they don't have a
nurturing place to spend time, their lives can take a different turn.
There are lots of things people can do to fight poverty. You can give
your own resources. You can say to a candidate, 'I've heard about
protecting America, I've heard about tax cuts, but how are you going to
help working moms afford better day care?' Politicians listen to the
will of the voters. And parents are in an ideal position to raise these
issues."
About The Association to Benefit Children
More than 14,000 children sleep in New York City shelters each night,
and more than 600,000 go hungry every day. The Association to Benefit
Children advocates for New York City children living in poverty and
provides services such as day care, early-childhood education, and
housing assistance.
"Poverty brings about all kinds of challenges, whether it's
homelessness, abuse, neglect, or developmental delays," says board
member Karenna Gore Schiff. "When you go to ABC, you can see how an
oasis like that can make all the difference—particularly with services
that involve the whole family, like counseling for parents,
mental-health treatment, and job placement."
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