Event Highlights
Continue or re-establish your engagement
with Children’s Defense Fund as we embark
on our next half-century of advocacy!
Celebrating Over 50 Years of Impact and Advocacy
Last year, we began the celebration of CDF’s 50th anniversary, and the festivities continue! Across the nation, we are honoring our bold legacy and bright future with the help of community leaders, donors,
elected officials, young people, and their families.
Now, we have a special opportunity to honor the individuals who made this milestone possible: our alumni.
Who Should Attend:
- Former staff
- CDF Freedom Schools® scholars, Servant Leader
Interns, Ella Baker Trainers - Beat the Odds® scholarship recipients
- Board members
- Advisory council members
- Black Community Crusade for Children®
participants
If you’ve ever been affiliated with CDF, join us for Alumni Homecoming!
Why You Should Attend:
CDF alumni have shaped this country in a myriad of ways. Our alumni have gone on to serve in various distinguished capacities, but they all have one thing in common: they started at CDF.
Celebrate the contributions of leading advocates like you to advancements for young people and their communities.
Event Highlights:
- Friday, October 18 – Alumni Homecoming Kickoff: Join us
for homecoming kickoff, a vibrant gathering of alumni and
staff from across the nation! Honor our Advocate for Joy
honorees. - Saturday, October 19 – Day of Service: Participate in a day
of service dedicated to Founder and President Emerita
Marian Wright Edelman. - Sunday, October 20 – National Observance of Children’s
Sabbaths : Celebrate and commemorate this interfaith
experience, centering the urgent issues impacting children and youth.
Reconnect and Recommit:
Alumni Homecoming weekend is a unique opportunity to reconnect with the CDF community and re-engage with our mission. As we look forward to the next 50 years, your involvement is more important than ever.
Advocates for Joy
Karen Pittman
Founder and Former President and CEO, Forum for Youth Investment
Served on policy team in the 1980s, laying the groundwork and leading the establishment of CDF’s policy agenda for adolescents
Olivia Golden, PhD
Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy
Served as Director of Policy & Programs from 1991 to 1993
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Served as Executive Director of CDF-Minnesota from 2013 to 2016
National Observance of Children’s Sabbath Speaker
Rev. Thomas Bowen
White House Senior Advisor on Public Engagement
Served as CDF’s Senior Organizer and Religious Affairs Advocate from 1996 to 2003
