Our support of youth through CWF

The American Legion’s Child Welfare Foundation (CWF) has provided grants for the past 63 years to nonprofits that contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children. These grants – totaling more than $13 million since 1955 – have ensured that blind children have an opportunity to read the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence through the creation of braille books; provided life-saving organ transplants to children in need through support of the Children’s Organ Transplant Association; helped the National Autism Association save the lives of young people with autism by creating the Big Red Safety Box initiative; and so much more.

CWF grant recipients share their gratitude to The American Legion during our annual Children & Youth Conference in Indianapolis. This year attendees heard from two 2018 grant recipients – the Arthritis Foundation and Children’s Craniofacial Association (CCA).

The Arthritis Foundation of Atlanta was awarded a $37,464 CWF grant for its juvenile arthritis (JA) wellness book. More than 300,000 youth nationwide have some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, said Jillian Lain, mission integration manager for the Arthritis Foundation. And this book is helping children that have been recently diagnosed with juvenile arthritis to better understand their disease. Lain shared with The American Legion that the Arthritis Foundation is always looking for volunteers for its JA conferences, which are “life-changing experiences” for the more than 1,000 families that attend each one. To get involved by either being greeters or helping with different activities like arts and crafts, visit www.arthritis.org to connect with a local office.

CCA of Dallas was awarded a $32,000 CWF grant, allowing them to publish and print 5,000 of the New York Times best seller and award-winning book “Wonder” with their logo on it. These books are then donated or provided to schools at a reduced cost that support CCA’s Choose Kind initiative. So far, 20,000 books have been printed. The book helps teach children value, empathy and tolerance for people who are different than themselves.

“Thanks to the grant from The American Legion, it’s really helped us get the word out,” said Dede Dankelson of Illinois, a CCA board member. Dede’s son, Peter, was born 10 weeks early with 10 birth defects as the result of a craniofacial condition called Goldenhar syndrome. Peter, now 17, has endured 30 surgeries and he’s been sharing his journey, alongside his mom, with schools since 2013. His story has reached over 25,000 students nationwide.

Peter encourages students to choose kind, embrace diversity and end social isolation. His theme is when given the choice to be right or be kind, choose kind. The “Wonder” book is a part of Peter’s journey and presentation as Peter brings the main character of the book, Auggie, to life as a living example of someone with a craniofacial condition. Other CCA kids, like Peter, are also bringing Auggie to life in schools thanks to CCA’s Choose Kind initiative. For more information about CCA’s Choose Kind initiative, visit  https://ccakids.org/wonder.html.

CWF grants are made possible by generous donations. In 2018, CWF received over $886,000 in donations – the Sons of The American Legion were the lead contributors with over $594,400. And last year, CWF awarded $636,467 to 27 nonprofits.
Visit   www.legion.org/cwf for more information.