WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An epidemic has swept across America, threatening the well-being of its most vulnerable residents, according to Save the Children, who launched today its Freedom from Poverty campaign to give a voice to the 16 million children bearing the brunt of the U.S. poverty crisis.
Artist ambassadors Jennifer Garner, Julianne Moore and American Idol judge Randy Jackson have already signed the Freedom from Poverty pledge, whose aim is to have 15,000 signatures from supporters by campaign’s end on August 14.
“Today, one in four kids is living in poverty. But it doesn't have to stay that way,” said Randy Jackson, who supported Save the Children’s post-Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans, La. “We all have to do our part to help turn around the childhood poverty crisis and make sure that every kid gets a fair start in life."
The goal of the Freedom from Poverty campaign is to shine a light on this crisis impacting a quarter of children across the United States who know all too well what it means to go without.
“Living in poverty can mean having little or no food on the table, no safe place to sleep at night, no electricity or running water,” said Carolyn Miles, Save the Children’s President and CEO. “Poverty also means not having books to read and falling 18 months behind one’s peers by age four, never catching up. It means being trapped in the cycle of poverty for life.”
In addition to raising awareness of this hidden crisis, Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of children by ensuring they have the resources they need. Through initiatives like U.S. child sponsorship, children gain access to a quality education, books, computers, after-school learning, physical activities and healthy snacks.
From the foothills of Kentucky to the deserts of Arizona, U.S. sponsorship supports proven programs that are changing the future of children who are all too often forgotten. Children like Tracie Hays…
“My sponsors helped inspire me to achieve success. They encouraged me to go to school, try hard and do well so that doors would open in my future,” said Hays, who benefited from Save the Children’s sponsorship program as a child growing up in poverty-stricken rural Kentucky. Hays went on to graduate from high school with honors, receive a full college scholarship and complete a master’s degree in education.
To learn more about Save the Children’s Freedom from Poverty campaign and the U.S. Sponsorship program, visit: www.savethechildren.org/freedom. Text READ to 69866 to take the Freedom from Poverty Pledge.
About Save the Children
Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of children by ensuring they have the resources they need—access to quality education, healthy foods, and opportunities to grow and develop in a nurturing environment. When disasters strike, like hurricanes and wildfires, Save the Children is among the first on the ground, ensuring the needs of children are being met.
In the United States, Save the Children’s early childhood education, literacy, physical activity and nutrition, and emergency response programs reached more than 185,000 children last year alone. For more information, visit www.savethechildren.org/usa.