The Association to Benefit Children (ABC) is dedicated to bringing joy and warmth to disadvantaged children and their families through compassionate, sustainable, comprehensive and integrated services, designed to permanently break the cycles of abuse, neglect, sickness and homelessness.

ABC’s humane and innovative programs today include early childhood education for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, educational advocacy, housing assistance, mental health services, family support and preservation, crisis intervention, therapeutic out-of-school and summer day camp programs, youth leadership development and mentoring.

ABC’s early childhood education centers include Cassidy’s Place, Merricat’s Castle School, The Jamie Rose/Keith Haring School, Echo Park, and Variety Cody Gifford House.  Please visit ABC’s website for more information on their organization.   

MISSION

Childhood is a treasure and a right. Children embody our richest aspirations, yet they are also our poorest, most vulnerable minority, defenseless in the face of abuse, neglect, homelessness and poverty.

In New York City, well over 14,000 children sleep in shelters every night and every day over 600,000 children go hungry because they live in households in which parents must regularly choose between paying the rent and buying food.

Last year, almost 70,000 children were reported victims of child abuse or neglect. Each and every day, hunger, homelessness, physical and emotional abuse, abandonment, neglect, substance abuse, substandard housing, failing schools and disease endanger children’s welfare and undermine their future.

The Association to Benefit Children (ABC) was created to amplify the voices of defenseless children by combating the debilitating effects of poverty and championing the right of every child to a joyful and nurturing childhood.

ABC creates model programs that are easily replicable, compassionate, comprehensive, cost-effective and sustainable. Through them and through widespread advocacy efforts to enact far-reaching and lasting solutions, ABC has brought relief, tenderness, joy and hope to many thousands of disadvantaged children.

HOW VARIETY HELPS

Variety the Children’s Charity of New York’s grant supports the costs of purchasing educational equipment and developmentally appropriate manipulatives and toys for Variety Cody Gifford House, ABC’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with severe developmental disabilities and delays and serious medical conditions.

Located at ABC’s refurbished Variety Cody Gifford House, this early intervention program provides educational, medical, psychological, speech, physical, and occupational therapies for children with serious educational, medical, and developmental disabilities.  In 2010 ABC expects to serve 34 children through center-based early intervention and an additional 50 children and their families through home-based care.