Opportunity Kids
Disrupt the Cycle of Poverty and Incarceration
Connecting families in need to those who can help—thanks to corporations who care. Building on four decades of experience, Prison Fellowship® strengthens parent-child relationships, supports development of positive values and character, boosts educational achievement, and increases health and wellness, moving Opportunity Kids toward a lifetime of purpose, flourishing, and fulfilled potential.
America is known as the land of opportunity, built on the dream that anyone willing to work hard enough can get ahead. For an increasing number of children, however, access to opportunity is shrinking, not growing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make a difference by joining us in our new Opportunity Kids Collaborative™. Together we can ensure all children have the chance to flourish.
Making Connections, Opening Doors
The statistics above are deeply troubling. These children—including the Angel Tree® kids we have served for so long—deserve better. Not all have incarcerated parents, but we consider each one our concern. They are Opportunity Kids. They face persistent gaps in opportunity and exposure. Our vision is to create a collaboration of corporate, community, and faith-based partners working together to address these gaps—resulting in improved real-life outcomes as Opportunity Kids move from vulnerable beginnings to victorious futures.
Prison Fellowship Angel Tree™, the largest national program impacting the lives of children with a parent in prison, serves hundreds of thousands of children each year through thousands of church and community organizations. What if we could introduce these families to other nonprofits doing good in their communities? And what if, through a network of like-minded organizations, we could serve our current children in a deeper way while also serving children yet unknown to us? The possibilities are endless. But the bottom line is that when organizations collaborate, Opportunity Kids can benefit.
Dreaming Big
At Prison Fellowship®, we celebrate the work of thousands of nonprofits and churches innovatively serving Opportunity Kids—and the companies and organizations seeking to create equity for young people facing hurdles to success. While extraordinary strides are being taken in this arena, some families and young people are unaware of the service options available to them. And some organizations struggle to connect with those they hope to serve. We want to help bring them together.
The Opportunity Kids Collaborative is connecting families in need to those who can help—thanks to corporations who care. One of those corporations is Walmart Inc., who has provided a generous $450,000 grant to kick off our efforts in five urban centers (see map).
We have a bold vision to scale our impact to 15 cities by 2025 at a cost of $4.4 million. With significant investment, we will grow our infrastructure to support the four-year goals outlined below, touching the lives of 52,050 Opportunity Kids.
