Our Core Principles
- All children have the potential to be exceptional.
- There is no such thing as a “bad” child, only a child who has not yet received the support or opportunities they need.
- Empowering children to become the leaders of tomorrow begins with ensuring that their basic daily needs are met.
- No child should go hungry or lack the basic supplies they need to get a good education.
- Children and teenagers need role models who can help them learn the behaviors of a good citizen and stay motivated to succeed.
- The children we work with must be active participants in forming their own goals, discovering their own solutions, and envisioning their own paths to success: The role of a good mentor is to be a listener and guide, not a lecturer.
- Giving children the support they need is a community effort: No child should be left to fend for themselves.
- There’s no room for egos when children’s lives are at stake: We will work together with other organizations that have goals that fit with our own, doing what is best for each child rather than worrying about who gets credit for it.
- Everyone in our community has something to contribute to help kids have a brighter future, whether it be their time, their talents, or their financial support.
- Stronger families help to create stronger children; we will not limit ourselves to solely focusing on the child if familial factors are holding them back and need to be addressed.
- Violence is detrimental to children’s well-being, and this problem requires solutions that involve the whole community.
- Adequate health care, including mental health care, is crucial to a child’s development.
- A child’s failure to achieve is a temporary situation that can be changed with adequate attention to the root causes of their struggles.
- Children and teenagers’ needs do not conform to a set schedule. We must always be willing to support them and to intercede for them when necessary, no matter what time of day or day of the week it is.
- We will always strive to help each child we work with reach their full potential: “Acceptable” is only the first step on the journey toward excellence.
- We will never give up on a child.