History

The inspiration for founding Kids Korps USA came from a desire to make children more aware of their environments and provide them with opportunities to contribute to the positive welfare of their communities. Kids Korps USA operates on the premise that volunteering encourages children to care about the world around them, and thus has a positive influence on the shaping of their lives. Mobilizing children to give something back helps their communities and the kids themselves, boosting their self-esteem and combating boredom – two of the biggest factors, experts say, in reducing youth violence. Given the right opportunities and strong, positive leadership, our youth discover their talents and skills to help others in their community.

In 1995, Kids Korps USA started out using the Peace Corps as a model. Co-founder Joani Wafer and a group of moms from San Diego, California brought neighborhood kids to a nursing home to visit the elderly, while Co-founder Dawn Lehman recruited kids from North Carolina Boys & Girls Clubs to serve meals to the needy. Through word of mouth and the media, membership grew and many more families joined.

Today, Kids Korps USA is thriving in several states and enlists thousands of young volunteers. With requests for chapters throughout the country, Kids Korps USA is training chapter leaders regularly.

Achievements

Kids Korps’ impact resonates among the most vulnerable members of the communities we serve, an impact and outcome measurable by the youth and families we engage and those we benefit. Since 1995 more than 18,500 Kids Korps youth and family volunteers have …

o    Contributed more than 600,000 service hours to their communities
o    Conducted more than 4,100 community service projects
o    Benefited more than 1,000,000 people
o    Generated an overall value to society of nearly $12,000,000

Kids Korps Volunteers Serve the Heart of Community Needs. We have:
o    Created 55,000 care bags for youth entering transitional facilities
o    Assembled 1,000 bikes for underprivileged youth
o    Assembled 400 emergency preparedness kits
o    Built more than 40 beehives as micro-enterprise assistance for formerly indigent mothers in Baja California
o    Made blankets for more than 8,000 youth entering foster care facilities
o    Constructed 30 homes providing shelter in Mexico and the US

A Growing Force, Kids Korps is Serving Community through:
o    58 chapters
o    More than 1,200 service projects annually provide the human resources non-profit agencies need to survive
o    More than 250 nonprofit service agencies and organizations that address the entire range of our community’s social needs

The majority of youth in the U.S. engage in some form of volunteer activity, and more youth (59 percent) serve as volunteers compared to adults (49 percent). Maria R.T. de Guzman, University of Nebraska, Extension Adolescent Specialist

Populations Served:
o    Caucasian       54%
o    Latino      30%
o    African American      10%
o    Asian & Pacific Islanders    5%
o    Native American      1%

Age Groups Served:
o    Children 0 – 12       55%
o    Children 12 -17      15%
o    Adults 18 – 54       40%
o    Seniors 55+      20%

Poverty Level
o    Below Poverty Level       85%
o    Above Poverty Level      15%

When youth volunteer, the larger community also benefits. Volunteerism promotes positive citizenship among youth by encouraging them to be more engaged in their own communities. Youth who volunteer feel more connected to their community, are more likely to show concern, and to stay in or return to their communities. Thus, youth volunteerism contributes substantially to community vitality. Maria R.T. de Guzman, University of Nebraska, Extension Adolescent Specialist

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