Brief History of CRN
Children’s Restoration Network (CRN)
was founded in 1993 by Jim Cox (President) and Cliff Kinsey (CEO). They recognized a growing problem facing metro Atlanta: lack of
needed services for the ever increasing number of children, and women with children, who were becoming homeless. For years public
awareness was focused on the poorly-dressed man on the corner who would work for food. With increased relocations away from hometowns,
and the breaking down of traditional families, children, and women with children, have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless
population, and few agencies addressed their needs. With this in mind CRN began working in 1993 with one
Today CRN works with 134 shelters and group homes in 19 counties around metro Atlanta, housing over 2,200 children each night and over 3,500 children each year. Beginning with simple tasks such as preparing home-cooked meals on Sundays, painting and brightening dreary community shelters, and providing warm winter clothing to mothers and children in need, CRN has developed a wide array of programs and special events designed to alleviate the trauma and despair of being homeless.
From the beginning, CRN has recognized the value of its cherished volunteers.
Growing from a few dedicated people in 1993 to almost 5,300 people who volunteered with CRN in 2009, CRN recognizes that without this
“life-blood” we could not hope to successfully fulfill our mission. In this report you will find descriptions of special events each
spring and summer which bring almost 1,000 homeless children together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. On this website
we will highlight the programs and special events that CRN has developed that make life just a little easier for the children and
mothers we work with. These programs help them to, “Keep hope alive!” Since the beginning CRN has worked hard to ensure that a great
percentage of donations go directly to the children and mothers we serve. In 2009 over 90% of donations to CRN went directly into
programs. In its 17-year history CRN has now touched the lives of over 38,000 homeless children and 11,000 adult women. CRN endeavors
to provide ever-increasing, and more effective programs that positively affect the lives of some of metro