The nonprofit group Kids Matter International has been making big waves in the area since 2006. Their mission: to help children in crisis.
With the support of volunteers, both private and corporate, and donations, Kids Matter has clothed, fed, educated and enchanted the lives of thousands of children and their families.
On Nov. 18, Kids Matter held its biggest event of the year, Around the Block, at the Southlake Kohl's department store. Many organizations came together to provide clothing for 930 kids as well as dinner, a new pair of shoes, a backpack and a book.
"The 930 kids we helped in one night is probably our biggest number ever," said Joe King, president and CEO of Kids Matter.
"You know what? I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I just enjoy myself helping other people and I can't tell you what a great feeling that is," King said. "And it's amazing that I can do it because of the volunteers, the donors and the people in our community that just support us. If they see a cause or a need, they come running—and that is amazing. It's real easy for me to do what I do in a community that is so giving of its resources, its time, its talent and its finances."
One of the things that Kids Matter prides itself in is the ability to take a monetary donation, $100 for example, and pass all of it forward to a child in crisis and then some.
"If someone donates $100, a kid gets to spend $100," King said. "First off, Kohl's deep discounts everything for us, then when they come out they get a new pair of shoes, they get a backpack, they get a book it comes out that if you give me $100, that kid gets $170 to $180, and it is because we have a well organized plan that came together and people cared—it's that simple."
The annual Around the Block program pairs needy children from around the area (typically selected by teachers, guidance counselors and other organizations) with a volunteer personal shopper who helps each child pick out clothes. For many of the children, the Around the Block program is the first time that they will ever step foot into a department store.
The time and effort that King puts in for the charity have not gone unnoticed: He was named Citizen of the Year by the Southlake Chamber of Commerce in June.
As high-profile as the charity is now, Kids Matter came from humble beginnings.
In June 2006, a group of six people went to Guatemala to visit a Christian orphanage that was in need of assistance. They had 32 children and the group saw the need and also had the desire to help.
So the group first established a charity in the U.S. and created a board. King was asked to run the day-to-day operations.
Today, that orphanage is a library and a school as well. Those 32 kids go to school there and children from around the area can also attend the school if they pay tuition, which has enabled the orphanage to be self-sustaining.
"Our mission is simple 'helping children in crisis.' That's it. Four words," King said.
Kids Matter International, 535 S. Nolen Drive, Ste. 300, Southlake, 817-488-7679,www.kidsmatterinternational.org
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
