Kids Wanna Help® is an all volunteer run non-profit corporation that was formed in 2007 under the direction of Mary-Brent (then age 12) and Beverly (then age 9) Brown. The purpose of Kids Wanna Help® is to give youth an opportunity to raise money for charities through fun activities that build confidence and self-esteem and encourage a lifetime of social and community responsibility.
How We Got Started
The founders of Kids Wanna Help®, kids themselves, thought that kids should have more input in raising money for charities. They thought that kids should be able to decide what kind of fundraisers they were going to have, when they were going to have them and, most importantly, who was going to benefit from the money that they raised. They thought that kids had great ideas but that adults didn’t always listen to those ideas. They decided to “change all that” and Kids Wanna Help® was born! The first Kids Wanna Help® fundraiser was a fashion show and pre-fashion show workshop in September of 2007. Both the workshop and fashion show were sold out events. The kids who participated in the fashion show raised over $11,000 and donated it to the J.L. Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides financial help to families of leukemia patients to help cover the costs associated with the treatment of leukemia that are not covered by insurance. In addition to the financial success of this fundraiser, the fundraiser was also successful in accomplishing the second goal of Kids Wanna Help® — providing activities that help kids empower themselves with a positive and giving attitude. Kids Wanna Help® received very encouraging feedback from the models, their mothers and other adults who attended the fashion show. The following e-mail was sent by the mother of one of the models:
“Thank you for this awesome experience. [My daughter] has spoken so much about all that she learned during the workshop Saturday and is really looking forward to the fashion show. This is really huge for her, as she is quite a shy child. I know that the feeling of giving to a worthy cause has motivated her to step out.”
501(c)(3) Status
Kids Wanna Help® is an all volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Some of our Awards
Kids Wanna Help® was chosen as 2012 “Foundation of the Year” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Louisiana, Greater Northshore Chapter
Kids Wanna Help® was chosen as 2008 “Charitable Organization of the Year” by Special Olympics Louisiana and Louisiana First Lady Supriya Jindal
Presidents Volunteer Service Award Gold Medal
Mary-Brent was chosen as a 2012 Angel by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
Mary-Brent was chosen as a 2013 recipient of the Louisiana Esprit de Femme Award by the Louisiana State University Women’s Center