WISH LIST $100: transportation for staff to 5 City Council hearings concerning legislation that will affect youth; $500: "Guide to Accessing Elected and Appointed Officials in the District of Columbia" publications for 500 stakeholders; $1000: 1,000 copies of "Children and the City Council: Committees- How they relate to kids"

DC ACT is an advocacy group that works to improve the lives of vulnerable, low-income kids and their families. What do advocacy groups do? Unlike direct service organizations—which solve problems hands-on—advocacy groups attack the problem itself: educating families about, and enrolling them in, the healthcare for which they qualify; pressuring legislators to subsidize substance abuse programs; or seeking systemic change that reduces barriers to enrollment. Educate, organize, convene, and facilitate are words you hear a lot when advocacy is on the agenda. DC ACT makes recommendations to government agencies on child care, health, and child welfare issues: its annual budget analysis—“What’s in it for the Kids?”—helps the District manage its money more efficiently. DC ACT's recent accomplishments include securing Mayor Fenty’s commitment to create and implement a comprehensive, citywide child abuse and neglect prevention plan without legislation by the City Council; focusing public and government attention on the mental health needs of children and youth in foster care by hosting a community forum and co-authoring an issue brief with a pediatric resident from Children’s National Medical Center; and working in collaboration with a range of public and private partners to produce KidBits, a critical tool for identifying trends affecting the city’s children. Not everything can be done one child at a time: giving to DC ACT promotes change in the whole village.

Kathleen Sylvester, Executive Director 1616 P Street NW, Suite 420 Washington, DC 20036 202-234-9404 www.dckids.org