The Joyful Child Foundation was established in 2002 by the Runnion family after the sexual assault and murder of five-year-old Samantha Runnion in 2002. Its first initiative was "Samantha's Pride" which aims to facilitate the establishment of child watch programs in communities across the US. As at the end of 2004, 51 programs had been established concentrated in the Orange County, California area of southern California. The California Conservatory of the Arts sponsored a group called the Kids Next Door who recorded a fundraising Christmas album at the end of 2004 with funds going to the Joyful Child Foundation.
In addition to funding the "Samantha's Pride" initiative, the Joyful Child Foundation will use donations to
- fund children's creative writing and artistic programs; and
- fund nonprofit organisations that seek to prevent child abuse and abduction; and
- research into predator behaviour and recidivism.
Famous quotes containing the words joyful, child and/or foundation:
“A moody child and wildly wise
Pursued the game with joyful eyes,
Which chose, like meteors, their way,
And rived the dark with private ray.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“When a toddler uses profanity, don’t make a big deal about it. If you do, you give the child more power. After all, it’s only a word—one that won’t do much harm to anybody. In fact, if you think about it, a nasty word is a step up from hitting or biting someone. So look at it as a sign of growth.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)
“Whenever any form of government shall become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, & to institute new government, laying it’s foundation on such principles & organising it’s powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety & happiness.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)