We Are
THE CTCN FOUNDATION
"The Cit·i·zen Foundation"
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Please help us help our neighbors and their special needs children.
By Coming Together, we can make a difference.
OUR HISTORY
The CTCN Foundation (pronounced "The Citizen Foundation"), Coming Together for Children in Need, really begins with Gabby Child. When Gabby was in the 7th grade she joined the Best Buddies club at her middle school. The club tries to pair a general education student with a student with special needs. For both of her middle school years, and all four years of high school, Gabby chose to spend time with the kids on her campus who were living with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Downs Syndrome, and dozens of other disabilities.
After graduating from high school, Gabby and her senior year mathematics teacher, Jake Schwartzberg, met to discuss Gabby's collegiate options and pathways as she considered pursuing a career as a Special Education teacher. It was in that conversation that Gabby shared with Jake that for many if not all of the Special Needs students on campus, the most socialization they will ever receive is the four years they spend in high school. She shared that the teachers and aides who taught and helped these kids, true heroes, could do so much more with more funding.
It was in that meeting that The CTCN Foundation was born. Knowing they couldn't do it alone, Gabby and Jake reached out to Alexander Eisner and Charlotte Drury to help them form this 501(c)(e) non-profit organization. Alex would provide the legal expertise as well as company direction while Charlotte would plan and execute our fundraising events. As two became four, so too did the organization's mission expand. Why stop at fundraising to enrich the lives of those who need help in our community when there are hundreds of other communities just like ours with children struggling to get the education options and technology they need? Why not provide an outlet in every community in Orange County, or California, or our great country for neighborhoods, or school districts, or towns to Come Together for Children in Need? So together, these four individuals, with Dana Hills High School as their common thread, have made a commitment to the kids in their own neighborhoods and in neighborhoods everywhere that need our help the most.
