Yesterday, I was asked to accompany Save the Children, the leading independent organization for children in need, to St. Ann's Child Care Center in Keansburg, NJ.
A delegation, including Vice President of US Programs, Kathy Spangler, came in from Washington, D.C. to commemorate the launch of their annual National Report Card in Protecting Children in Disaster. New Jersey was one of four states to take action and meet the minimum emergency planning standards for children in times of disaster for the first time. The delegation also visited Seaside Heights earlier in the morning.
Judy Abrahamsen, Director of St. Ann's Child Care Center explained, "We wanted the children to have a stable place to play.", after describing that the entire outside play ground was covered with sludge and their roof sustained a bad leak, both from Hurricane Sandy. When Judy went looking for aid to get the day care up and running safely, Save the Children came to the rescue.
Save the Children donors provided roughly $1.5 million dollars for Sandy relief with the intention that the funds were used to help protect children after disaster.
For more on the visit and Save the Children's new initiative, please see my post, "Parents: Get Ready, Get Safe with Save the Children" on World Moms Blog, which writes from over 20 countries on motherhood, culture, human rights and social good.
