October, 1993--KIDS HOPE USA began in October, 1993 with a question and a discovery.

The question: when we asked experts in law enforcement, education, religion, and health and human services if churches could address the needs of growing numbers of at-risk children, they responded with one voice: churches that mobilize and train their members to form one-to-one relationships with the youngest children can make a profound difference in their lives. These children need a relationship with a caring adult!

The discovery: many church members wanted to make a difference in the life of a child but they did not know how. And their churches often lacked an organized system to prepare or sustain them for that involvement.

November, 1994-- The KIDS HOPE USA model was designed to teach churches how to give hope to at-risk public elementary school children through a relationship with a caring church member. Described as the KIDS HOPE USA Way, the model has four distinctive features:

• One child: an at-risk public elementary school child who needs a relationship with a caring adult;
• One hour: sixty critical minutes each week when a trained mentor befriends a child and helps him acquire basic academic skills;
• One church: owns the program with its neighborhood school and provides a trained mentor and a behind-the-scenes prayer partner for each child; and
• One school: which welcomes this proven intervention to increase the academic skills of at-risk children at no cost to the school.

February, 1995: KIDS HOPE USA is initiated in three pilot sites in Michigan. These programs trigger interest in many other communities where church and school representatives request program information.

Today: KIDS HOPE USA has helped 550 Christian churches in 29 states engage their members in the lives of over 8,000 at-risk children. Located in urban, suburban and rural communities, these churches range in size from 40 to 5,000 members and represent many denominations.