Editor’s note: This post was written by Julia Drabick who interned at Action for Children during the Fall 2012 semester.
Growing up in North Carolina, I had my every last need met. I was blessed with the most loving parents, a safe home environment and the greatest public education.
But I’m lucky. Not every child in North Carolina is fortunate enough to grow up in these privileged circumstances. Did you know that North Carolina ranks near the bottom of the nation on many indicators of child well-being? More than one in four children in our state grows up in poverty. One in ten babies is born too small. Seven in 1,000 babies die before their first birthday.
Our children deserve better. And I believe Action for Children North Carolina is an organization that wants to ensure that.
Action for Children works hard to make certain that all children in North Carolina have access to the opportunities and resources they need for a healthy start in life.
During the course of this semester, I have had the opportunity to work with this amazing organization as part of a service-learning component for one of my courses. I worked on developing a campus outreach project that is aimed at getting more college students like me involved in child advocacy. Students are powerful allies in the fight to ensure that every child has the happiest and healthiest lives possible. After all, we were just children a few short years ago. It is my hope that my work will reach fellow students across North Carolina, and inspire them to get involved.
Children are everyone’s business, and every single child matters. I am so glad that I was able to join Action for Children this semester in helping to ensure that children in North Carolina have the best lives possible. I am also confident that the campus outreach plan that I am leaving behind will yield excellent results – and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds!
Julia Drabick is a student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina, Chapel-Hill. To learn more about student internships and volunteer opportunities at Action for Children, contact Randi Munns at randi@ncchild.org.