Our world was rocked by the news from Sandy Hook Elementary School two weeks ago when twenty 6- and 7-year-olds were killed by a gunman with a semi-automatic assault rifle. Since then, the daily headlines tell the tragic toll of gun violence: "Child dies from self-inflicted gunshot on Christmas Day… Four-Year-Old Shot in Drive-By Shooting Taken Off Life Support... Houston teen allegedly shot to death over sneakers... South Dakota teen shot dead during argument over paintball game..." We will do whatever it takes to end this madness and to work with you to ensure our leaders protect children, not guns. Arm yourself with the facts about guns and children from our annual gun report, read Marian Wright Edelman's recent Child Watch® Columns responding to the Newtown massacre of innocents, and sign our petition to the President and members of Congress demanding they do whatever it takes to pass common-sense gun safety laws and ensure every child in America has a safe start in life. Our efforts over the next few months will pit us against the multi-billion dollar gun lobby. Even as we fight to ensure all children a safe start, we will continue to advocate for better access to mental health care and for changing America's culture of gun violence. As we countdown to the end of the year we need your help now more than ever to protect children instead of guns. Please support our work today, make your year-end tax-deductible contribution now. Since the tragedy in Newtown, child advocates have been loud and active using our Twitter hashtag #ProtectChildrenNotGuns to trend nationally and to deliver direct messages to elected officials. They have shared our messages on Facebook, letting their friends know enough is enough and asking them to stand for children. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter by liking us and following us, and share our petition with your friends. Beat the Odds Close 2012 with Celebration This month the stars came out to support CDF and our Beat the Odds® scholars in Los Angeles and New York. Please support our Beat the Odds college scholarship and leadership development program and help us be the catalyst for changing the odds for youths who have overcome overwhelming challenges to excel academically and give back to the community. Listen to what some of Hollywood's biggest stars have to say about CDF. For inspiration, watch our Beat the Odds videos. Please donate today. As we wrap up the year, members of Congress are back in Washington after Christmas to attempt to strike a deal on taxes and budget cuts that will impact our children for decades to come. We are following the negotiations closely as so many threats to our investments in children and the poor are at-risk. Please support our 'Be Careful What You Cut' campaign - remember cutting children from the budget now will cost all of us more later. Invest in our campaign today. 40 Years of Change for Children The Children's Defense Fund will celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2013. Throughout the year we will look at the accomplishments for children in policy and practice over the decades, while putting the spotlight on the hard work still to be done. Help us spread the word. Invest in us, in our highly-regarded research and powerful advocacy, our strong youth leadership development programs, and our highly-effective CDF Freedom Schools program delivering a rigorous and fun integrated reading curriculum to thousands of low-income children in dozens of states to stop summer learning loss and close the achievement gaps. Invest in us so we can do whatever it takes to build a powerful movement for children to ensure every child a level playing field and the opportunity to reach their God-given potential. |
|||||
|
|||||
