Once held in the backyards of homes of the all-volunteer group, with all the food cooked or baked by its all-women members, those luncheons grew to inside those homes. Three years ago, CAC expanded to private facilities. The last one was held at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club for 225 guests.
The mission statement, written on its https://childrensaidclub.com/ website, reads: “To positively impact the health, general welfare, and education of underprivileged children in our community. We accomplish this by helping families in crisis and through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations serving children in need.” CAC works with 25 different partner organizations that address such critical issues as education, health, homelessness, and hunger, among other needs.
Just days ago, CAC donated Thanksgiving baskets to 85 families in crisis, helping feed 238 kids and 176 adults, according to Ways and Means chair Linda Ianelli of Coconut Creek. CAC’s gift included $10,950 in Publix gift cards. They plan to give additional baskets later this month for Christmas, which will include similar cards from the grocer, a variety of other gift cards, toys, and books, among other goodies.
Children’s Aid Club, now in its 65 th year, may be senior in years, but keeps its eyes on the juniors in our community who are in great distress. It raises money for its $240,000- plus operating budget through three sources: individuals, organizations, and its own self-funding. It receives no monies from any government, has no paid employees and zero overhead, and gives 100 percent of its profits to families in need. Typically, the support CAC offers is to pay a family’s rent for a month, or take care of its utility bill. It doesn’t provide cash gifts, instead directly paying existing bills on a short-term basis. Sometimes it might provide glasses to an underprivileged child. “I can see!” one girl screamed in joy upon receiving muchneeded vision correctors.
“We try to be a stopgap solution for one or two months to help these people get back on their feet,” Courtney said. “We try to fill the gaps of government safety nets to empower the children,” she added. “We try to prevent them from becoming homeless.” Last year, CAC handed a building manager a certified check for rent for one family, who would have been evicted and thrown onto the street the following day. The cavalry came and the cavalry was Children’s Aid Club.
Organizations that have heard CAC’s SOS call for local children in crises include Bank of America; Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale; Deerfield Beach-based JM Family Enterprises, whose subsidiaries include Toyota and Lexus dealerships; and Sheehan Buick GMC in Pompano Beach, among other businesses.
Typically CAC holds two fundraisers each year: a February luncheon and a May golf tournament arranged with the Construction Association of South Florida – the last one was held at Jacaranda Golf Club in Plantation. If COVID-19 continues to rage next year, CAC will have to find alternative methods. Already it’s likely to hold a virtual luncheon.
In February, CAC’s 25 partner groups inform them of what their needs will be for the coming year. The following month, the CAC board reviews those needs and makes recommendations, which the membership then votes on. During its fiscal quarter ending in October, the Children’s Aid Club reached 4,424 children, whose families were in dire need of help.
In “Greatest Love of All,” Whitney Houston sang, “I believe the children are our future.” The heartfelt love of the Children’s Aid Club is doing its part to help make sure that South Florida children can have a future.