OUR BEGINNINGS

In March 2004, a friend sent a letter to me along with $10 and asked me to “put it to good use.” The catch? Once I decided what to do with the $10, I needed to send back a note detailing what I did with that $10 to be part of a book being written titled “Looking for Goodwill.”

Later that same year, when my employer sent me to India for a three-month assignment, I knew what I would do with the $10. Soon, the “India Fund” developed, with friends and colleagues giving me money. With the help of a “stretch every last dollar” friend, we bought items for children, which I carried in my luggage.

During my first weekend in Bangalore, I went to the Gurukul Vidhyapeeta orphanage in Kengeri. I arrived to see 250 smiling, excited, and curious faces. Each child shook my hand, kissed my cheek, and told me their name. While I didn’t speak their language or remember all their names, the abundance of love left me forever changed. During my three months, I spent several weekends with the children, taking much-needed essentials and sometimes, a little treat, like a piece of fruit for every child.

When my husband met me in India, I introduced him to the amazing children. We knew we wanted to continue helping the children beyond this visit. We spent several years helping the children privately. As we shared our story, friends joined us by supporting us financially. We knew it was time to make our efforts official, and our $10 story grew!

With this new support, I started A Childhood for Children in 2012, the first step on our magnificent journey.  Today, we have hundreds of like-minded people who support our work and they know 100% of the contribution we receive will directly benefit the children.

Our founder recognized

Radhika, our Founder, was one of Orlando Magazine’s 2021 Women of the Year.  She was recognized for her work with A Childhood for Children.

A Childhood for Children has been written about on an online site for small towns in America.