KIDS ON THE MOVE

TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF ACTIVIITIES FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, WHICH WILL PROMOTE EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND EDUCATIONAL GROWTH WHILE FOSTERING PEER CONNECTIONS.

Kids on the Move was incorporated in March 2006 and received tax exempt status from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code on May 25, 2006. Amy DeVos and Peggy Davenport are sisters who founded the organization.

TARGETED POPULATION

Kids on the Move believes that children in the foster care system are presented with many challenges; many lack needed support and resources. Being removed from their homes and placed in foster care is a difficult and stressful experience for any child. However, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that most foster children show remarkable resilience and determination to go on with their lives. Kids on the Move was established to help them do just that. Kids on the Move focus 100% of its time on programs for these children.

There are three hundred children on average in the foster care system at any one time in Jefferson County. According to the Jefferson County Department of Human Services, the need for Kids on the Move is great because there are no other programs that provide extracurricular experiences such as those which this organization is offering. Barbara Weinstein, Finance and Resource Manager, Children, Youth & Families Division of the Department of Human Jefferson County, strongly endorses this programmatic concept.

Foster children are busy with school, and for many of them much of their free time is spent in therapy dealing with the stresses of having been removed from their homes. Kids on the Move makes a positive difference in the lives of some of these children by providing fun and educational activities unlike others to which these children are routinely exposed. Referrals come from case workers in Jefferson County who determine, to the best of their ability, which children are most suited to this program.

PROGRAMS

July 2006

Kids on the Move began its seven week Pilot Program with eight girls and seven boys, ages 7-13. The children were referred by the Department of Human Services, Jefferson County. Each group met once a week, and our activities included the Georgetown Loop Railroad, swimming, The Wildlife Experience Museum, Lakeside Amusement Park, Buffalo Bills Grave and museum, paddle boats, IMAX and tour of the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science, roller

skating, an outdoor cowgirl concert, and foothill hikes.

Fall/Winter 2006-07

With our successful summer program completed, we began our fall program in October 2006 with fifteen additional children. These groups experienced a magic show, the circus, bowling, the Heritage Square Music Hall, a variety of movies, corn mazes and pumpkin picking, a Bell Choir Concert, the Stock Show, and Disney on Ice.

Summer 2007

Kids on the Move will resume its summer schedule in June and will have three groups of children meeting once a week for ten weeks. We intend to continue the program with a combination of cultural and physical activities.

The Children

Kids on the Move takes on a life of its own when the children are together. We have been delighted to see how the children have bonded with one another, almost immediately. We have established a code of conduct, in which the children are responsible for their behavior and the older children embrace the younger ones.

Rules are established from the start. It is a time that the children can truly call their own and because of this, we see kids comfortable to be who they are and to be confident and self-assured.

Measurement of Success

Since the program is new, we measure our success by the smiles on the kids' faces, by their enthusiasm, and by not wanting to be the first to be taken home. A survey taken of parents and by Human Services has endorsed the program in its first nine months of operation. At the completion of our first year, we will be receiving feed back from the case workers assigned to each child.

Use of Funds

If awarded a grant by YourHub, Kids on the Move will use these funds to continue with the summer program. There are direct costs associated with running the program; i.e., rental of the van, tickets, and food, and the funds would be applied to these accounts.

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Note: Our kids are so awesome, and we look forward to the future with organizations such as YourHub allowing us, through generous grants, to continue to work with these kids. Thank you.

Peggy Davenport, Director
303-733-8884
kidsonthemoveonline.org