KIM MADDEN, DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES, EXPLAINS WHY SHE CAME TO AFC
My husband and I first came to AFC as parents of a young boy with cerebral palsy. We were frustrated by our inability to get our son the services he needed. AFC had the answers. As a mother, I was deeply grateful. As a lawyer, I knew that this was an organization that I wanted to be a part of.
I am proud to be one of the 47 staff at AFC who fights -- as AFC has for over 37 years -- to provide a safety net for thousands of children who have fallen through the cracks in New York City’s public schools. We secure for these children the education and educational support to which they are entitled, but which they have been wrongly denied by our school system.
Our clients are parents -- whether they are homeless, have a child with a disability or do not speak English -- who are fighting for their kids’ futures. These families know that an appropriate education is the key to their child’s success, and they pursue that goal relentlessly. They inspire us all with their vision and courage.
During my time at Advocates for Children, I have witnessed hundreds of families like mine transform their fear and anxiety into hope with AFC’s help.
- I have seen 19-year-olds finally learn to read and become self-sufficient adults because AFC got them the remedial services to do what years of school had not.
- I have seen non-verbal children with autism learn to communicate after AFC secured the right school placement.
- And I have seen foster children who were bumped in and out of different schools find stability and remedial assistance because of AFC’s intervention.
All of these children’s lives -- and thousands more -- have been turned around because AFC caught these kids as they fell through the cracks and set them on their way toward a productive future.
Sadly, this year has been the most difficult of my career because I must decide which potential clients, each one with a case that has merit, can receive our services and which cannot. The economy has forced AFC to reduce staff, trim expenses, and do without. So, instead of meeting the increased demand, we are in fact in danger of not being able to serve the same number of children in 2010 as we did in 2009.
Education is undeniably the single most significant factor that can improve a child’s chance to be successful. Please help New York City’s children have a chance to get the education each one needs and deserves, by donating as generously as you can. I can promise you from personal experience that your gift, no matter the size, will make a real and positive difference in these children’s lives.
Thank you so much for your support,
Kimberly Madden
Director of Legal Services
P.S. To donate online please go to http://advocatesforchildren.org/donate.php |
