VoicesForClevelandsChildren.org
Title
Voices for Children of Greater Cleveland : Home
Description
Mission
Voices for Children of Greater Cleveland is a non-partisan group of public, not-for-profit and private sector organizations and individuals who share a mutual concern about improving the well-being of our community’s children and their families. Through a collaborative effort and a collective voice, Voices promotes improvements in the well being of our community's children and their families.
History
Voices for Children of Greater Cleveland (Voices) evolved from a grassroots initiative called the Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children (Coalition). The Coalition was founded in 1996 under the auspices of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital at University Hospitals of Cleveland. The Coalition formed to fill a void in advocacy and research relating specifically to children’s issues. The primary focus for the Coalition was to represent a community-wide effort to advocate for issues on behalf of Cleveland’s children through its collective voice. From 1996-1999, the Office of Child Protection and Advocacy at Rainbow staffed the Coalition as a component of its program.
In the fall of 1996, the Coalition engaged 30 non-profit organizations and corporate sponsors to hold its first program, a Voter Education Forum. Child-serving agencies, parents and the general public came together to learn about the candidates for State office and hear their positions on issues impacting children. In May 1999, the first full-time manager was hired, funded by a grant from the George Gund Foundation. The initial efforts of the Coalition concentrated on influencing the county, and then the state budget.
