The first collegiate chapter of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), a nonprofit organization that advocates for disadvantaged children, has been established at the University of Notre Dame.p. Created by a student-led initiative, the chapter’s mission is to inform, educate and motivate the Notre Dame community about issues of child poverty in the South Bend area and across the country through campus events, publicity, community engagement and outreach, and SPROUT (Student Poverty Reduction Outreach), a CDF program through which students help children and families receive benefits for which they are eligible.p. “CDF has carved a unique niche at Notre Dame because it has served to inform and educate the strong service community present on campus to engage the South Bend community and to help people gain access to government programs,” said Dennis Barrett, a graduating senior and chapters co-founder who served as an intern at CDF’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. “Our goal is to mobilize the service community to attack the root of the problem – the poverty that is present in the surrounding community.”p. “I have been so impressed by the amount of support that we have received this year. It has been incredible,” said Maureen Carney, a graduating senior and chapter co-founder. “There has been a dedicated group of students that has worked tirelessly to get this new organization off the ground and to give it a good foundation for the years to come.”p. Established in 1973, CDF is a private, nonprofit organization that provides a voice for the children of America with particular emphasis on the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.p. More information about the Notre Dame CDF chapter is available on the Web at www.nd.edu/~cdf .p. Contact: Dennis Barrett, barrett.44@nd.edu ; Maureen Carney, MCarney1@nd.edu
p.
TopicID: 5040