Where does RFK work?

Currently we work in 44 states, 252 communities, as well as 12 countries.

How many children does RFK reach though its programs each year?

Currently, we work with approximately 10,000 children annually.

How is RFK able to reach so many children?

We are a volunteer-based organization consisting of approximately 250 chapters throughout the country. Each chapter director and volunteer staff are primarily mobilized within churches. Community partnerships are formed with local businesses, schools, and other relevant organizations with a similar vision to reach neglected, abused, and abandoned children.

How many volunteers operate RFK programs?

Currently, approximately 15,000 volunteers serve the children we reach.

How is RFK introduced to foster children?

Each chapter works directly with the local Child Protective Services agency to locate foster children and facilitate their participation in our programs.

Is RFK a “Christian organization?”

RFK is led by Christ followers who share a common goal with people of good will in caring for those Jesus referred to as, “The least of these.” In our case, children of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Our Christian faith is woven into everything that we do as respond to Jesus Christ’s call to love and to serve. We pursue this mission through our holistic commitment to:

• Transformation: We believe that all lives can be changed, with joy and play leading the way.

• Security: We believe that safety and freedom from harm are essential.

• Love: We treat all people with dignity, generously lavishing them with kindness and compassion.

• Belonging: We facilitate interpersonal and community connectivity.

• Courage: We relentlessly serve for the betterment of society.

Do your programs proselytize?

No. Our volunteers are trained to ensure that children are never coerced toward any sectarian “conversion.”

RFK’s programs are not about “church programs for church kids.” They are about “community programs for community kids.” Our counselors do not preach; we allow the safety, the support, and the surroundings, to speak to the children in life-changing moments.

Furthermore, we utilize the most current best practices (such as Trust-Based Relational Intervention®) within the professional psychological community associated with dealing with children who are victims trauma.

What is the history of RFK?

RFK started in 1985 when Wayne Tesch, a children’s pastor in Costa Mesa, CA had a vision to give foster children positive experiences which their biological parents were unable to provide. The first camp was hosted in 1985. Soon, camps established across the United States.

Out of a vision to provide a continuum of care — and because of the demand of children desiring an ongoing relationship with their camp counselors — yearlong mentoring programs were launched in 2009. This included both mentoring clubs and one-on-one mentoring.

How do you know your programs make a difference?

Reports from caregivers and child protective agencies alike have noted that RFK programs have improved the child’s self worth. There’s evidence that the children are performing better in school and that a single moment in a child’s life where they feel valued and loved can change the trajectory of their life.

Then when mentoring programs and the continuum of care are put in place, children are able to see there is a community of people looking out for them and helping them to break the cycle of the abuse they suffered.

What about adoption and fostering?

Though RFK is not an adoption agency, each year nearly 150 children are adopted or fostered by our volunteers.