Dare to Love and the Rainbow Room

helping children who are victims of abuse and neglect

Mailing Address: Dare to Love, Child Protective Services
P.O. Box 23990/3635 S.E. Military Drive, San Antonio, TX 78223

Website: www.daretolove.info

For children who have been abused or neglected, the world can be a very shadowy place. Instead of sunny childhoods, their lives are clouded by the threat of further abuse and the emptiness of neglect. These are the babies who are left unattended in cars, the children who miss school because they have no uniform or school supplies, the preemies born to drug addicted mothers. Deprivation and poverty often impact the lives of these children. Sometimes they go without the most basic needs – a blanket to sleep under, a comfortable pair of shoes, a clean pair of underwear or socks. Thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers, a rainbow of concern shines over many abused and neglected children in San Antonio . The volunteers of Dare to Love, a nonprofit organization, have developed a remedy that speeds up the healing process for victims of abuse and neglect.

WHAT IS THE DARE TO LOVE PROGRAM?

Dare to Love is a non-profit organization with a mission to enrich the lives of abused and neglected children referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) with gifts, hope and love. Established in 1991, Dare to Love works in partnership with Child Protective Services’ caseworkers to assist needy children. Dare to Love provides funds for CPS children to attend summer school, tutoring, and also to purchase special clothing/shoes, pay athletic fees, and meet other special needs.

WHAT IS THE RAINBOW ROOM?

The Rainbow Room is an emergency supply store run by Dare to Love volunteers and located in CPS headquarters at 3635 S.E. Military Drive in San Antonio . The room is stocked with diapers, formula, clothing, shoes, school supplies, personal grooming items, and household cleaning supplies. Everything is given free of charge to the children through their Child Protective Services’ caseworkers. There is no red tape, no long wait and no need to scour the city for donations to help the children. If a caseworker picks up an abandoned infant, the worker can take a tiny layette to help the baby get situated in a shelter or foster home. A battered mother and children who have fled an abusive home can be given new clothes and cleaning supplies to start a new life. A schoolchild can receive a new uniform and a backpack full of supplies, so that he or she doesn’t feel different from other classmates.

WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS PROGRAM?

In 2008 we distributed 61,581 new items to 6,771 children or caretakers. Without the Rainbow Room, many Bexar County children would go hungry, sleep on bare floors without blankets or have no school supplies. Since its inception in 1997, the Rainbow Room has helped over 38,800 persons with emergency needs.

WHAT IS F.L.I.G.H.T. (Funding for Living Independently – Getting Help Now)?

F.L.I.G.H.T. provides limited financial assistance to single youth who grew up in our foster care system, are now on their own without family to turn to, and struggling to achieve their goals of becoming independent, self-supporting citizens. They must have exhausted all other resources, be enrolled in an educational program, employed, or actively seeking employment.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

· MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO DARE TO LOVE: A cash donation allows the Rainbow Room’s volunteer shoppers to select what is needed most. Donated funds also pay for special lessons, summer school and camp, tutoring, athletic fees, shoes, or helps an older youth become independent. Your donation goes directly to the children, since Dare to Love pays no salaries or administrative fees.

· GIVE TO DARE TO LOVE THROUGH THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC), STATE EMPLOYEE CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN (SECC), AND SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC SECTOR UNITED WAY CAMPAIGNS

· HOLD A DRIVE FOR THE RAINBOW ROOM. Members of your organization can hold a drive for anything from baby clothes to cleaning supplies to school supplies to birthday gifts. A wish list of what is needed is on the back.

· BECOME A DARE TO LOVE SPONSOR. Sponsors are paired with a CPS caseworker and can assist a child or group of children -usually 20 - 25 children- who are on the worker’s caseload. Although sponsors rarely meet the children, due to privacy concerns, they can provide holiday gifts or birthday cards, letters or meet children’s special needs through the caseworker.

ALL DONATED FUNDS GO DIRECTLY TO THE CHILDREN.