THE ORGANIZATION
KJs Carts for Kids is a Christian non-profit organization encouraging, inspiring, and focusing on KIDS HELPING KIDS. Children truly have an opportunity to see first-hand how they have helped another. Their organization (originally called KJ's Carts for Katrina's Kids) began in 2005 when KJ (5 years old) was concerned for the children affected by Hurricane Katrina. He collected some of his own toys and asked his friends and others to help. In just a few short months, a toy drive brought together neighborhoods, churches, businesses, families, and individuals throughout the community. This resulted in over two thousand pounds of new toys. They were wrapped, delivered, and distributed for Christmas at a celebration held in Houston, Texas. At the same time, KJ also received an award from Somebody Cares America as a Champion of Compassion and was featured on the CBS Early Show as an American Hero.
Since that time, KJ's Carts for Kids (as it is now called) has dedicated their efforts to filling carts with items benefiting cancer survivors, burn victim, a young boy severally bitten by a dog, a young girl in need of a heart transplant, and military children who have a parent deployed oversears. In August of 2008, the theme, "Angels in August" gave KIDS a unique opportunity to "Be An Angel to a Child Less Fortunate." The community came together to help fill 500 emergency backpacks for children infant to 18 years of age. These backpacks were filled with items of immediate need for children infant to 18 years of age who are pulled from their homes with (sometimes) nothing but the clothes on their backs. KJ's Carts for Kids was blessed to have partnered with Iowa Kids Net, Child Saving Institute, Nebraska Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, OMNI Behavioral Health, Christian Heritage Foster Care, Lutheran Family Services, Visinet, Inc., Child Connect, Nova, Iowa Kids Net, and Catholic Charities.
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