Children's Defense Fund

All children have special gifts waiting to be discovered.

John,

As an educator, I believe in meeting children where they are.

That was my goal when I called the mother of a 10-year-old named Joseph to discuss his interactions with his classmates at the CDF Freedom Schools® site that I was running. During the conversation, his mother disclosed that her son had autism. I saw that as an opportunity for our staff and for all of his fellow scholars to learn about autism, so I asked her to come speak to the class.

Joseph’s mother told us about his special “gift” and how his friends could help him feel more comfortable. At the end of the conversation, Joseph’s mother went to each of the scholars and asked, “Will you be my scholar’s friend?” Before she could even get around the entire room, all the scholars stood up and said, “I’m your friend! I’m your friend!”

From that day forward, we were overwhelmed by how thoughtful and helpful Joseph’s classmates were—and I was reminded of the valuable gifts that live in every single child.

This moment has stuck with me over the years as I grew from a Servant Leader Intern to an educator and now to a member of the national CDF Freedom Schools team. But the truth is that there are countless moments like this taking place in CDF Freedom Schools all the time, all over the country. CDF Freedom Schools is a transformative educational program built on the idea that every child has a special gift just waiting to be discovered. And you can help more children make that discovery when you give a gift of your own.

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From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank supporters like you who have made my CDF Freedom Schools journey possible—it is truly the greatest gift I’ve ever received.

Gratefully,