Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc.
K.I.D.S. has responded to more natural disasters in 2011 than in any other year. To date, there have been 69 declared disasters in the United States with pleas for help coming from our local community based partners around the country. EVERY DAY OVER THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE BEEN RESPONDING TO NEW THREATS TO PEOPLE’S LIVES.
First, we helped the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan with new merchandise. New merchandise is still being shipped there. more…
Children of Promise
by Samantha Michaels
Not long after Sharon Content opened an after-school and summer program for youths in Brooklyn, she had an interesting conversation with one of her students. “Ms. Content?” said a little boy in her program, preparing to reveal a secret. “It’s hard to love someone who everyone else says is bad.” The boy was referring to his parent, because like an estimated 800,000 children, he lost one of them to the New York state prison system at a very young age.
Last week I had an opportunity to speak with Content about her program, called Children of Promise, which she created in 2007 to help children with incarcerated mothers and fathers. more…
When Parents are Upstate…
by Eleanor Bader
The handwriting is literally on the wall at Bed-Stuy’s Children of Promise, an after-school program and summer camp exclusively for the children of incarcerated parents.
“I feel angry at you for not being at home with me,” wrote one.
“I wish you would not have hit my mother,” wrote another.
A “Hope Tree” reaches from floor to ceiling… more…
A Reason and a Season… to Believe
by Dylan Houle
On Friday, Children of Promise (CPNYC), a non-profit, after-school program for children who have one or two parents that are incarcerated, held its second annual Christmas party at Brooklyn Tabernacle.
The parents mingled in the recently renovated gymnasium, while the children practiced Christmas carols and dance routines. The mood was festive and light and these children, who have at least one parent behind bars this Christmas, seemed happy and hopeful.
According to CPNYC, over 2 million children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent. more…
Kite Sender- Christmas Party Video (Dec 2010)
When Mom’s in Jail, a Mentor Means Even More
Almost 2.5 million kids in the US have a parent who is in prison. So who steps in to fill the void? With any luck, it’s you.
“For children who experience other kinds of separation from their parents, there’s some level of sympathy. The children of incarcerated parents don’t get that. They’re also serving time,” said Sharon Content, the founder of Children of Promise, NYC, a three-year-old organization committed to doing everything it can to make sure that the children of incarcerated parents don’t end up behind bars themselves. more…
BCAT Do Gooders Award (Nov 2010)
A boro of ‘Do Gooders’ Quiet heroes up for award
by Elizabeth Lazarowitz
In Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sharon Content runs an after-school program for children with parents in prison.
In Windsor Terrace, Tom Angotti turned his 5,000-square-foot yard into a community garden.
In downtown Brooklyn, Jonathan Askin finds free legal help for small business startups.
The three borough residents are just a few of the 200-plus nominees for the Brooklyn Community Foundation’s “Do Gooder” awards. more…
When Your Dad’s Behind Bars
To one boy in Bed-Stuy, a program for children of the incarcerated makes a difference.
By Patrick Egan
Bedford Stuyvesant — Mickel Marchan stands about two inches taller than any of the other six- and seven-year-olds in his after-school group at Children of Promise, a Brooklyn program for children with parents in prison. This past fall, his creative movement class had barely begun when he decided to use that physical advantage to test the limits of “creative.” more…
In July of 2009, I came across an organization that was seeking out volunteer librarians to help create a library and I immediately jumped at the chance to be a part of this unique experience. Children of Promise, NYC is a non profit organization, located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, that is “committed to embracing and empowering children of incarcerated parents to break the cycle of intergeneration involvement in the criminal justice system.” Founded last year by Sharon Content, CPNYC looks to provide guidance, promote positive social relationships, develop leadership skills, and enhance academic performance. Without organizations like this, 70% of children of imprisoned parents wind up in the criminal justice system themselves. Furthermore, they must deal with the rejection and stigma of having a parent in the system. In response, CPNYC provides an innovative after-school program, as well as a summer camp and mentoring. more…
