When people learn about Kids’ Chance – and about the extraordinary students we support – they are quick to ask, “How can I help?”

Our answer? Help us Build Bridges to Hope.

It isn’t surprising that people from all walks of life want to lend a hand. After all, Kids’ Chance scholars are so inspiring. They are determined to rise above their family’s misfortune. 

That’s why our annual Awareness Week is so important! It is our way of letting even more people know about how easy it is to have a huge impact on a student’s future. 

This November 18-22, we will be doing all we can to turn Kids’ Chance into a national movement dedicated to assisting hardworking families that have suffered a workplace tragedy. 

Inspired by Kids’ Chance Maryland’s response to the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge, our 2024 theme, Building Bridges to Hope, captures everything Kids’ Chance does so well. We create bridges to the future, through a unique online referral system that connects eligible students to the scholarship opportunities we offer. We create bridges to and among communities nationwide, providing resources, support and capacity-building tools to state organizations from coast to coast. 

Every gift to Kids’ Chance of America builds one more bridge in a national network that provides a lifeline to deserving students who might otherwise be denied the opportunity to attend college or trade school. 

Many of our scholars are eager to use their education to help others, and many become Kids’ Chance volunteers themselves.

Hannah was the first recipient of a Kids’ Chance of Nevada (KCNV) scholarship. Today, she is pursuing her dream of a career in law, while also building the Kids’ Chance community as an ambassador and a member of the KCNV board. “Kids’ Chance has been a huge and integral foundation in making my dream of becoming a lawyer real,” she says.

When a Kids’ Chance of Maine scholarship gave Karen the freedom to focus less on work and more on her studies, her grades skyrocketed – and she was able to pursue internships to support her career goals. Karen uses her role as an ambassador to educate others about the program. “I think it deserves more outreach,” she says. “And I want to be that person.”

A football scholarship was not quite enough to make ends meet for Marco. Kids’ Chance was able to fill the gap, ensuring that Marco could stay in college and work toward a career in computer science. Like Hannah and Karen, he is eager to let other students in similar situations know about Kids’ Chance. “This opportunity was a blessing,” he says. “I want people to know that just because you have a couple of hardships in your life, it’s not over.”