Advocates from Across America Met with 100+ Members of Congress, Urging Them to Invest in Kids

More than 200 advocates from 35 states traveled to our nation’s capital this week and met with more than 100 lawmakers and their staff, urging them to protect and invest in kids both here at home and around the world. The meetings on Capitol Hill were the culmination of the Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Advocacy Summit, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.

The three-day event provided advocates the opportunity to attend in-depth advocacy trainings, hear from leading experts on issues impacting children worldwide, and meet with their legislators to advocate for investments in early childhood education in the U.S. and humanitarian support for the world’s children.

“Kids don’t vote, and they don’t donate to political candidates – that means elected officials aren’t often reaching out to them, listening to their voices about the world they live in,” said Mark Shriver, CEO of SCAN and Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs and Advocacy at Save the Children. “These advocates from across the U.S. – including more than 75 high school and college students – are actively engaged and dedicating their time and efforts to be that voice for kids on Capitol Hill and in their home communities. They took time from school and work to make this world a better and more opportune place for children.”

In celebration of Save the Children’s 100^th year of changing children’s lives, the global nonprofit is honoring changemakers for children, individuals who have raised their voices and used their influence to drive change for the world’s most marginalized and deprived children. Changemakers are an array of individuals such as policymakers, teachers, CEOs, philanthropists, advocates and more. At the Advocacy Summit, attendees heard from a panel of changemakers that featured:

• Pat Daly, a global health worker who has dedicated her career to saving the lives of babies and their mothers worldwide
• Mark Geri, a veteran single father of twins in Washington who is helping ensure more children can access high-quality early childhood education
• Tasneem Ghogawala, a proud Pakistani American who is changing children’s lives through philanthropy
• Ruth Kagi, a retired Washington state lawmaker who advocated for the creation of both Washington’s Department of Early Learning and subsequently Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families and changed the lives of thousands of children
• KayeLea Kautz, a Save the Children Action Network Student Ambassador from Iowa who, as a mom, is ensuring children like hers get the early learning opportunities they deserve

Powerful 2019 Advocacy Summit speakers included Special Olympics International Chairman, Dr. Timothy P. Shriver, who delivered the keynote address, Save the Children President & CEO Carolyn Miles; Mark Shriver, and ABC News and NPR political commentator Cokie Roberts. On Tuesday, Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Reps. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Ann Kuster (D-NH) spoke the advocates before they met with their individual members of Congress.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.