This project was launched by my good friend Paige Ellison of Fairhope, AL, and I have signed on as head of the advisory team.
In the first days after Hurricane Katrina, Paige traveled through some of the most devastated coastal areas and saw first-hand the need for emergency child care services. Children were exposed to environments in chaos, lacking food, water, clothing or proper sanitation facilities.
In many instances, children were inadequately supervised and exposed to injury from "playing" amidst flood waters and debris. We know of at least one instance where a child was hit by a car and another where a toddler who had lost his parents in the flooding was found in the company of an unrelated drunken man. Even in the best cases, where families are intact, the needs of caring for the immediate supervision of their children can hamper parents' efforts to obtain what they needed for survival, shelter, and relief.
With
her past experience in training child care workers for the U.S. Armed
Services and other organizations, Paige saw the need and knew how to
respond.
Project:
K.I.D. was established to organize a timely and effective response to
kids in devastation by providing what we are calling "Play Care."
Thanks so much for your attention and consideration!
I have officially been offered the post as head of the Ford Foundation.
As some of you may know I have been considering a move back to the nonprofit arena. That time has come. Thanks to stellar recommendations and several interviews in NYC, the final word has come down. The Ford Foundation is looking to focus extensively on Social Entrepreneurship, an area I have been studying for years. Thanks to excellent recommendations from friends at HBO and the World Health Organization, this stellar opportunity has been realized. This marks a new era in philanthropy as the old guard us starting to relinquish the reigns to the younger generation. The official announcement will come within the month once the negotiations for the position are complete.
All my best,
Shane Snipes
Posted by: Edward | April 02, 2007 at 02:24 AM