Cradles to Crayons

 

Track Sponsors: The Peter and Carolyn Lynch Foundation

Founded: 2002

Current Budget: $2.0 million 

Website: www.cradlestocrayons.org

 

Need 

Some 282,000 children under age 13 live in low-income households in Massachusetts. These children face a constellation of problems related to poverty.

  • 1 in 4 children in Massachusetts lives in a low-income household.
  • By age 4, children who live below the povety line are 18 months behind developmental milestones for their age group;by age 10 that gap is still present.  For children living in the poorest families, the gap is even larger.
  • Over the past two decades, incomes for the most affluent families in Massachusetts have grown almost five times as fast as those for low-income families.  Opoortunities to bridge the gap between communities, especially ones that engage children and families, are few and far between.

About

Cradles to Crayons (C2C) provides children ages 10-12 living in poverty with the basic essentials they need to be safe, ready to learn, and feel valued.The C2C model serves as a bridge connecting those who have more with those who have less, breaking down some of the barriers within and between communities.C2C collects new and gently-used children's items through community drives; processes and packages donations at its Giving Factory with the help of thousands of volunteers; and, through partnerships with social service agencies that identify specific children and their individual needs, distributes donated toys, books, clothes, and other items to children throughout Massachusetts at no charge. Through grass-roots civic engagement and meaningful volunteer opportunities, C2C reaches tens of thousands of needy children annually, enables social service agencies to work more effectively, and mobilizes thousands of youth and adults to learn about the problem of poverty and become part of the solution.

Key Accomplishments

  • Since its founding, C2C has served over 90,000 children and provided meaningful volunteer opportunities to over 20,000 children, youth, and adults.
  • In 2007, C2C reached more than 35,000 children with a donation of clothing, school supplies, books or toys, hosted +75,000 volunteers in its warehouse, mobilized more than 80 Massachusetts communities to sponser product drives and grew its distribution network to include 362 social service partners 
  • Launched C2C in Philadelphia.

Join the Cause

In-Kind Support

  • Warehouse space
  • Bulk donations of children's products
  • Truck/Van use
  • PR/marketing services (graphic design, website design, advertising space, print services
  • Members for Family Leadership Council & Corporate Advisory Board

Financial Support

$50,000 Improvements to online ordering system and database architechture 
$5,000
 Customer service and leadership training for staff
$1,000 Support for a member of C2C teen leadership council

Learn More

Want to learn more about Cradles to Crayonrs? 
View their full Social Innovation Forum prospectus here.

Contact Information

Lynn Margherio
Executive Director
617-471-8416x113
lynn@cradlestocrayons.org

www.cradlestocrayons.org