Organization

Kidz2Leaders

Marietta, GA
Mission

Kidz2Leaders exists to break the cycle of incarceration by providing stability, opportunity and a Christian community for children of inmates. We accomplish this by helping them rise above their circumstances, empowering them to become leaders, and providing a life of hope through intentional, faith-based programming in a loving environment.

  • Website: http://www.kidz2leaders.org
  • Email: Christina.Cummings@kidz2leaders.org
  • Phone: 1-770-977-7751
  • Principal Officer: Christina Cummings
  • EIN
    EIN: 582485924
  • Organization Description:

    Our 10-year program continuum is designed to cultivate long-term, supportive relationships, beginning with children at age eight and serving them and their families through young adulthood. We believe it is only through this long-term commitment that can we truly end generational incarceration. Young adults who complete our decade of programming are on a trajectory toward living their lives free from incarceration and contributing positively to their communities.

  • Facebook Handle:

    @kidz2leaders

  • Instagram Handle:

    Kidz2Leaders

  • CCIG Recipient:

    2019

  • Organization's Contact Person:

    Christina Cummings

  • Organization's Contact Email:

    info@kidz2leaders.org

Kidz2Leaders
4385 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta, GA 30068
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All Programs

As the entry point into the lives of the children and families we serve, Camp Hope is a week-long overnight camp that begins with children of inmates between ages eight and 10. Progressing each summer for up to seven years, our carefully designed curriculum teaches the basic Christian principles of love, forgiveness, trust, joy, and servant leadership. Growth is expected from each participant every summer, as each year’s lessons build on the years’ prior. The seven-year progression culminates in successful campers being invited to serve as teen counselors to younger children, putting what they have learned into practice. Camp Hope also supports healthy child development by cultivating supportive relationships for campers with peers, teen counselors, and adult counselors, to counteract the trauma experienced due to parental incarceration. Our camper to volunteer ratio is one-to-one, allowing for careful attention to be paid to each child. A week at Camp Hope is filled with intentional play, including team sports, swimming, horseback riding, rock climbing, creative arts, fishing, biking, boating and more. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Play is essential to development, as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.”

Interns4Tomorrow promotes higher education, financial literacy, business etiquette, and life skills, and offers paid internships to high school students who have completed at least eight years of our programming. The objective of I4T is to prepare students to reach their educational and career goals while empowering them to become self-sufficient adults who are contributing to their communities and the workforce. With the knowledge and experiences gained through I4T, students will be more equipped to dream and plan for next steps after high school. Eligible students complete an application and interview process in the fall to be accepted into the program. From January to May, they complete a semester of monthly training sessions.This prepares them for paid, three-week summer internships with Atlanta-area businesses, where they can put these lessons into practice and earn a paycheck, many for the first time. Students have the option to participate in I4T for two years, typically their junior and senior year of high school. Throughout the program, we help them prepare for life after high school by guiding them while they complete a personal achievement plan, taking them on college and business tours, taking them on a business trip to New York City, and hosting a money management workshop.

Our Family Support Platform exists to enhance the stability of the home environment for each child we serve. We do this by creating a supportive community of families, volunteers, and staff that enhances social connectedness, builds trust, promotes resilience, and provides concrete support (financial, emotional, behavioral, spiritual) in times of need. Our program activities create spaces to teach caregivers about Kidz2Leaders values, and equip families to reinforce these values at home. Activities include case management, resource referrals, financial assistance, retreats, and field trips. The children served through our Family Support Platform will live in safer, more stable homes, ultimately increasing the chance that they will live a life free from incarceration.

Kidz2Leaders programming does not end after high school graduation – it evolves into our Alumni Community. Students who have been together for more than 10 years of progressive programming become like brothers and sisters to one another. K2L continues to provide activities that foster a family-style community of young adults who are living free from incarceration and contributing to their families, communities, and the workforce. Kidz2Leaders Alumni are invited to participate in reunions during the year through baseball games, dinners, ice skating, and more – all free of charge. We also provide continued individual support for any alumni to help navigate through school and the career world. We stay further connected through annual alumni surveys to learn how we can make our programs better and keep up-to-date on alumni progress.