Kids Korps was founded in 1995 in North County, and has since grown into more than 65 chapters all across San Diego County, including seven chapters in the diverse, low-income community of City Heights. More than 300 youth from this area participate in monthly Kids Korps programs at no cost, learning the value of giving back to their communities through meaningful volunteer service projects. Kids Korps is currently expanding its programs into other low-income areas, including Linda Vista, San Marcos and Vista, providing ongoing volunteer opportunities for youth from these areas to serve their communities. We also offer a free summer volunteer camp, offering low-income children from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to learn about community service. These week-long camps, held at the La Colonia Center in Solana Beach and in City Heights, engage 25+ children each week in a variety of meaningful service activities.
Kids Korps’ low annual membership dues ($28) help cover program and operating costs for a small staff and office. Kids Korps employs three full-time staff, and is supported by the National Board, chapter leaders and Leader Korps volunteers.
The impact of these programs is profound: more than 5,000 youth and their families participate in 1,300+ projects each year, serving the needs of more than 350 community organizations throughout San Diego County. Here’s what one of them had to say about the impact of our programs on the population that Kids Korps serves:
STAR/PAL (Sports Training, Academics & Recreation/ Police Athletic League) is very proud to be a Kids Korps partner. One of STAR/PAL’s goals is to cultivate youth empowerment through civic engagement & enrichment activities. The Kids Korps program just seemed like a natural fit for us. STAR/PAL works with low income, inner city youth who are at a higher risk of ending up in the juvenile justice system. The Kids Korps program helps STAR/PAL keep these youth focused by empowering them to become leaders through organized community service projects. It positively affects these kids when they see how they can make a difference in someone else’s life. Whether is it cleaning up a canyon in their own communities, feeding the hungry or making warm blankets for foster youth, they know they are impacting somebody’s life in a significant way. However, what they don’t always realize, but we do, is the how they impact their own lives. Participation in these community service projects gives our youth a reason to be proud of themselves. The sense of accomplishment they feel empowers them to be leaders within their own communities. Our hope is to create a culture of “paying it forward” so that together we can make a difference!
Aalke Heuvelman
Youth Center & Community Outreach Coordinator, STAR/PAL
This organization is catered to the rich. We find it difficult to participate on our budget. You may be better off with a different organization. After attending an event I came away feeling as if they were very disorganized. There was mayhem and chaos at the Bee Hive event. It was overwhelming for the kids as well as those parents who attended.
This non-profit should be considered very carefully before joining their service. The idea is to have children volunteer with their parents to teach them a sense of responsibility for their community. The work that the children and teens do is very benficial to the recipients but the participation is limited only to those who come from wealthier families. The reason is because there are national and local chapter dues and costs for participation per child per project. The organization has large fundraising galas each year to raise funds but the funds essentially go to paying staff and COO/CEO salaries. The necessity for the high paid salaries is non-existent in this 8 person office. The organization is surrounded by rumors throughout the community of ex-members and ex-volunteers, of which there are many. There really are too many wonderful organizations out there to be a participant of this one.