Social Issue Track: Early Childhood: Laying the Foundation for School Success
Sponsored by: The Peter & Carolyn Lynch Foundation
 Cradles to Crayons (C2C) provides children ages 10-12 living in poverty with the basic essentials they need to be safe, ready to learn, and feel valued.
The C2C model serves as a bridge connecting those who have more with those who have less, breaking down some of the barriers within and between communities.
C2C collects new and gently-used children's items through community drives; processes and packages donations at its Giving Factory with the help of thousands of volunteers; and, through partnerships with social service agencies that identify specific children and their individual needs, distributes donated toys, books, clothes, and other items to children throughout Massachusetts at no charge.
Through grass-roots civic engagement and meaningful volunteer opportunities, C2C reaches tens of thousands of needy children annually, enables social service agencies to work more effectively, and mobilizes thousands of youth and adults to learn about the problem of poverty and become part of the solution.
Social Problem:
- One in four children in Massachusetts lives in a low-income household.
- By age 4, children who live below the poverty line are 18 months behind developmental milestones for their age group; by age 10 that gap is still present. For children living in the poorest families, the gap is even larger.
- Over the past two decades, incomes for the most affluent families in Massachusetts have grown almost five times as fast as those for low-income families. Opportunities to bridge the gap between communities, especially ones that engage children and families, are few and far between.
Key Accomplishments & Social Impact:
- Since its founding, C2C has served over 90,000 children and provided meaningful volunteer opportunities for over 20,000 children, youth, and adults. In 2007 alone, Cradles to Crayons:
- Reached more than 35,000 children with a donation of clothing, school supplies, books, or toys.
- Hosted 7,500+ volunteers in its warehouse, 1/3 of whom were ages 5-18.
- Mobilized more than 80 Massachusetts communities to sponsor product drives.
- Grew its distribution network to include 362 social service partners.
- Launched C2C Philadelphia, beginning C2C's national expansion.
Two-Year Goals:
- Serve 50,000 children annually.
- Engage 9,000 volunteers (3,000 youth).
- Partner with 125 communities.
- Build capacity for growth beyond 2010 by establishing systems and business processes to enhance productivity, quality, and portability of business model.
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Ways to Invest
In-Kind Support
- Warehouse Space
- Bulk donations of children's products
- Truck/van use
- PR/marketing services (graphic design, website design, advertising space, print services)
- Members for Family Leadership Council & Corporate Advisory Board
Financial Support
| $50,000 |
Improvements to online ordering system and database architecture |
| $25,000 |
Individualized packages for 1,000 children |
| $15,000 |
Web-based volunteer scheduling system |
| $10,000 |
Backpacks for 1,000 children |
| $5,000 |
Customer service and leadership training for staff |
| $1,000 |
Support for a member of C2C teen leadership council |
Contact Information
Lynn Margherio
617-471-8417 x113
lynn@cradlestocrayons.org
Location
Quincy, MA (HQ)
Founded
2002
Current Budget
$2.0 million
Lynn Margherio
Founder and CEO |
