In 1993, two friends, Cliff Kinsey and the late Jim Cox, saw an ad in a newspaper asking the public to help a women and children’s shelter that needed coats and blankets for their residents. Cliff and Jim knew they had to help, so they asked their family and
friends to donate coats and blankets, and the two men took them to an emergency shelter for women and children in downtown Atlanta.
Quite frankly, they were astonished at the living conditions endured by these women and children who called the shelter “home” and they knew they needed to do more to help. Soon, Jim and Cliff, along with a group of other volunteers, started serving weekly meals and painted the shelter rooms to make living there more tolerable. Word quickly spread about what they were doing, and soon other shelters asked the men for help. Cliff and Jim could not turn their backs on the growing need in the community.
On September 25, 1993, Children’s Restoration Network officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and began its service to the community by providing hope and support to homeless children and homeless mothers with children living in group homes and shelters in Metro Atlanta. What started as an appeal from an emergency shelter for coats and blankets, has turned into something much more, and CRN is honored to continue to serve.
This photo was taken on Valentine’s Day in 1995, when Cliff and Jim donated this swing set to a women’s shelter that was opening its doors to mothers and children in need. The children didn’t have a playground, and this gift brought joy to their new space. Pictured with them is Monica Kaufman, beloved Atlanta newscaster and mistress of ceremonies for the shelter’s grand opening.