Kind to Kids
Care Package
for Foster Children
Kind to Kids distributes toys and books to children who come into foster care. These gifts help the child through the painful transition and remind them that someone cares. If you know someone who has recently come into foster care, contact us! We can drop off a wonderful care package.
Our Grantors & Supporters
About Us
Founders and Staff
Board of Directors
Outreach Committee
Kind to Kids Handout
Media
Press Releases
Founders and Staff
Founders
Caroline Jones, Executive Director
Founder and Executive Director of Kind to Kids, Caroline has extensive experience as a strategic planning consultant for nonprofit organizations and businesses in the Delaware area, such as United Way of Delaware and the Delaware Community Foundation.
Prior to her consulting work, Caroline was a Practice Administrator for a large physician group in the Wilmington area. Early in her career, Caroline enjoyed her work as an intensive care unit nurse at Georgetown University Medical Center. She has a Masters in Health Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree from Villanova University.
Committed to children’s causes, Caroline is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with the Family Court of Delaware where she testifies on behalf of foster children, acting in the best interests of the child. She also serves on Friends of CASA Board of Directors – Secretary, Kids with Confidence Advisory Board, subcommittees related to children’s issues, and is an active public speaker on child advocacy.
Kind to Kids Foundation began as a Jones family venture in 2008, and the entire family is active in the organization. Caroline’s husband, Mark, is an advisor and active participant. Her children Chris (20) and Catherine (18) are the cofounders of the organization. Email carolinejones@kindtokids.org, or (302) 654-5440.
Christopher Jones and Catherine Jones
Chris and Catherine are the cofounders and creative spark for Kind to Kids. While at a Delaware sports event, they saw large groups of empty seats around the stadium.
They realized the seats were a wasted opportunity and asked, “Why can’t they be given to foster kids and children in poverty?” It was a pivotal question – and the start of Kind to Kids.
Thanks to Chris and Catherine, Kind to Kids has provided wonderful events to over 4,000 children and donated over $52,000 in ticket values to foster children, foster families, and children in poverty since our inception in 2008. Chris is currently a junior at Villanova University and Catherine is a freshman at St. Joseph’s University. In addition to their studies, Chris and Catherine are active participants in the organization and serve in a number of ways – from distributing tickets and volunteering at events to creating marketing plans and office management.
Staff
Kind to Kids is fortunate to have committed staff members who are passionate about our mission and willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. They enable our organization to provide compassionate, effective and responsible services. Call us at (302) 654-5440.
Caroline Jones – Founder and Executive Director
carolinejones@kindtokids.org
Debbie Dempsey – Executive Assistant
debbie@kindtokids.org
Fund Management
Delaware Community Foundation
Kind to Kids Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We maintain a nonprofit fund managed by the Delaware Community Foundation. We are fortunate to benefit from the professional and financial expertise of the community leaders that comprise the Foundation. Established in 1986, the Delaware Community Foundation professionally manages 500 charitable funds, with assets of approximately $230 million. These funds are administered according to the wishes of the donors to meet specific humanitarian, educational, and cultural community needs. The Foundation’s motto is, “Connecting people who care with causes that matter.”
Board of Directors
Our board of directors is comprised of esteemed community and corporate leaders. Our board members generously give of their time, provide guidance to the organization, and deliver financial support. Their extensive experience and breadth of skills provide a strong foundation for the organization.
This support enables Kind to Kids Foundation to effectively serve foster children and children in poverty throughout Delaware. We are grateful for their service!
Board Officers
Tom Stevenson, Board Chair
Chairperson – Tom Stevenson
President, Cash ConnectVice Chairperson – Sherry Dorsey
President/CEO, SWAP ProductionsSecretary – Dini Silber
Development, Drexel Neumann AcademyTreasurer and Chair, Emeritus – Riccardo Stoeckicht
COO, Rodel FoundationBoard Members
David Arthur
Director of Marketing, Wilmington Blue RocksSherry Dorsey, Vice Chair
April Birmingham
Vice President, Bank of AmericaMark Jones, MD
Pulmonologist, Christiana CareAl Lindh, Esq.
CASA Attorney, Family Court of DelawareMaria Matos
Executive Director, Latin American Community CenterMaurice Pritchett
President, Pritchett AssociatesSam Romirowsky, PhD
Family/Child PsychologistEdward Weirauch
President/Owner, Weirauch Leadership CommunicationsCaroline Jones
Executive Director and Founder
Outreach Committee
Kind to Kids coordinates wonderful outreach events thanks to our exceptional volunteers. Because of their grassroots efforts, Kind to Kids has extensive community outreach and a great social network. Whether it is educating the community about our organization or leading a fundraising campaign, our committee works together to impact the lives of children in need. The generous efforts of each volunteer allow Kind to Kids to provide joyful experiences for underprivileged children with extremely low overhead costs.
Community members support Kind to Kids while enjoying wines from around the world at our annual winetasting, relax with the girls at our ladies night out hostess party, delicious cuisine at our fancy breakfasts and tasty dinners, family fun at our community carnival, joy at the holidays with Santa & Mrs. Claus at our toy drive, and great exercise at our annual 5K run/walk.
Our high level volunteer outreach committee members:
Rosemary Brooks
Tiffany Clark
Susan Bennett
Bryan Gordon
Maureen Gordon
Nancy Greenberg
Beth Saad
Linda Barratt Saad
Michele Whetzel
Kind to Kids Handout
Media
Kind to Kids Foundation has been featured in TV, radio, magazines and newspapers.
We are grateful for the publicity, which helps to educate others about our mission to help foster children and children in poverty.
If you would like an interview, presentation, or more information, please contact Caroline Jones, Executive Director, at carolinejones@kindtokids.org or (302) 654-5440.
Click to read this full article in PDF format.
For these kids, a ticket to somewhere
The News Journal – Wilmington, Del.
Author: KIM HOEY
Section: NEWS
Special to The News Journal
Wanaisha probably didn’t have too many aspirations for college until she saw her first University of Delaware basketball game.
“You are role models for other kids. It’s a blessing to come to the Hens’ game. You’re playing good defense, so when I grow, I will be following your footsteps in the college,” she wrote in a letter to the men’s team.
Wanaisha is one of hundreds of children living in poverty or foster care who got to see a little more of the world through a Delaware program called Kind to Kids.
Kind to Kids obtains tickets to entertainment, sports and cultural events. The tickets are then donated to nonprofit organizations and government agencies that work with underprivileged children. The program was founded with the vision to impart kindness and create a positive experience for children in need by providing opportunities to nourish their minds, program officials said.
It’s also a way to brighten their future.
“When children are provided with positive opportunities like those offered by Kind to Kids, it often ignites their imagination and gives them hope,” said Laura Miles, director of the Division of Family Services at the Delaware Children’s Department.
“Think of a child who has a keen interest in music, but has never had the opportunity to experience a live performance,” Miles said. “A Kind to Kids musical event at Longwood Gardens allows her to see just what her interest can blossom into and where it can take her.”
It’s also a way to remind children that someone cares, said Caroline Jones, director of the organization.
Jones helped found the program at the urging of her children, Chris, 18, and Catherine, 16. They were sitting at a basketball game when they realized there were many empty seats, seats they thought could be well used by underprivileged children. So they kept urging their mother to do something.
Kind to Kids was the outcome.
“It was like manna from heaven,” said Rob Prestowitz, director of Urban Promise, a program to help young people in Wilmington. “Without exception, our kids have a special time. In most cases, they are experiences they never had before.”
It started as a small idea, but has become a full-time job for Jones, with the help of her children and a cadre of volunteers. The more the group does, the more important Jones realizes it is.
“People say, ‘Oh you’re just taking them to a game,’ but it’s so much more than that,” said Jones, who pointed out that poverty is more than a lack of wealth. It’s a lack of interaction and social experience as well. “These are kids who never get to go. We are making them part of the community.”
Participants in the program have gone to sporting events, concerts, ballets, amusement parks and zoos. They’ve taken special tours of places, played and participated in festivals and events all over Delaware and surrounding states. The price of admission is an evaluation from the ticket giver and receiver, and a thank you note from the recipient.
“You read some of them and you’re just — oh, my gosh,” said Jones, who said she’s seen more than one light go on inside a child at one of the events. She’s also heartened by the generosity of people and venues that donate.
“Everyone remembers what it’s like when you’re a child and don’t fit in,” she said. “They can empathize.”
Many of the tickets are donated from the venues, but there are plenty of individual supporters.
After explaining the program to a scout troop one day, one of the adult chaperones came up and handed Jones $100 saying he had been a foster child who would have benefited from the program.
“I get to see the best of what Delaware has to offer,” said Jones of the people who donate and the children who benefit.
FYI
The program is always looking for donations of tickets to events, but financial support, transportation to events and volunteers also are needed.
For more information, visit www.kindtokids.org or call 654-5440
Press Releases
KIND TO KIDS
1ST ANNUAL 5K RUN WALK
Please join Kind to Kids Foundation on Saturday, July 23, 2011 for our 1st Annual 5k Run Walk at Brandywine Park (across from Brandywine Zoo) in Wilmington. T-shirts will be available for all pre-registered participants and to those who register on race day as long as supply lasts. Refreshments will be provided and awards will be given. Registration will open at 7:30am and the race will begin at 8:30am. Entry fee is $18 until July 20 and $22 after and the day of the event.
There are over 26,500 children in Delaware living in poverty. In addition, there are over 800 children in Delaware’s foster care system. These children are removed from their families because they were abused or neglected. They struggle to adjust to the painful changes in their lives.
Kind to Kids’ mission is to enrich the lives of these children, impart kindness and create a positive experience for children in need. Similar to Make-A-Wish, we provide opportunities for children to attend events such as a professional baseball game’ symphony orchestra, and theater performance. These experiences nourish children’s minds and brighten their lives.
Please contact our office for a registration form
and more information on how you can help.
Proceeds for this event will benefit:
Kind to Kids Foundation
100 West 10th St., Suite 606
Wilmington, DE 19801
302/654-5440
kindtokids.org
Welcome!
Caroline JonesFounder & Executive Director Welcome! Whether your a community advocate, government agency, nonprofit organization, or foster family - we are happy to help!
Video
Caroline Jones, Executive Director, appears on Cable TV, Window on Wilmington.
Congratulations to our Board Chair, Tom Stevenson, for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from Delaware Mentoring Council. Thank you for all that you do to improve the lives of children at risk!
Save the Date! Click link below for sponsorship information."https://picasaweb.google.com /103628253952394563536/"
Barnes & Noble Kind to Kids Book Drive
Governor Markell supports Kind to Kids with a family storytime!
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