KIDS HELPING NEEDY KIDS

ARTICLE I: Name/ Location

i) The name of this private foundation shall be Kids Helping Needy Kids ( KHNK).

ii) The foundation is located at 3005 Spriggs Request Way; the city of Mitchellville; state of Maryland; Zip Code 20721; country United States of America.

Amendment to Article I (Effective August 2009): This private foundation may be referred to “Kids Helping Needy Kids” or “Kids Helping Needy Kids, Inc.” This is in accordance with KHNK’s receipt of incorporated status as of March 15^th, 2006.

ARTICLE II: Founders/Officers

 i) Tsige Chernet-Price: CEO/ Board Member

3005 Spriggs Request Way Mitchellville, MD 20721

ii) Lulit I. Price: President/Treasurer

iii) Mehron H. Price: Vice-President/ PR Director/Secretary

iv) Luladay M. Price: Assistant Secretary/Fundraising Director

v) Kuri Chernet: Ethiopian correspondent/Board Member

                vi) Amsale Legesse: Board Member              

ARTICLE III: Purpose

 i)The main purpose of Kids Helping Needy Kids is to aid underprivileged children in Ethiopia by establishing individual and personalized sponsorships. Our goal is to provide needy children with monetary assistance for food and school-related costs, and supplement the $8.00 a month payments with care packages to provide clothing, toiletries, and basic school supplies.

ii) Kids Helping Needy Kids also operates to foster academic achievement in the children sponsored. Our goal is to remove some of the obstacles that can prevent children from focusing in school, and in doing so, encourage—both through letters and official policies—children who are serious about furthering their education.

 ii) Kids Helping Needy Kids operates on donations and annual fundraisers.  Sponsorship money is to be used expressly for the child designed to benefit from it, in a manner that directly benefits the child it is designed for.

ARTICLE IV: Governance

i)The welfare of this organization shall hereby come before all other interests of the board members, executive staff, and sponsors.

 ii) Board members will act according to the mission and goals set by the foundation’s directors.

iii) Amendments may be made to these bylaws by any of the three co-founders at will. For amendments that directly affect in a significant way the governance of KHNK, a vote will be taken among the co-founders and board members to ensure fair implementation.

ARTICLE V: Monetary Assets/ Fundraising

i) All proceeds of fundraising endeavors shall go to the organization alone.

 ii) Under no circumstances are the monetary assets of this foundation to be used for personal gain for any of the board members or executives.

iii) No volunteers or board members of Kids Helping Needy Kids will receive a salary or payment of any kind. Members volunteer of their own time.

ARTICLE VI: Selection Criteria for Sponsorship Through KHNK

i) The child and/or the child’s family must demonstrate severe financial need. Financial need is judged by an evaluation of the family’s current financial situation, factors affecting the parent’s ability to find a job (i.e. permanent disability), and/or lack of one or more parents.  

ii) The child must be older than 2 years and no older than 19 years of age. (Special consideration will be given in the case of permanent disability or extenuating circumstances where the child meets criteria for sponsorship.)

iii) The child must attend school. This requirement is non-negotiable. Students not enrolled in school may not remain so for more than 6 months while continuing to be sponsored. Special consideration will be give in the case of severe illness or similar scenarios, which will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

iv) Special circumstances may make some children eligible for sponsorship without meeting the above listed criteria. Each child’s sponsorship is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

Amendment I to Article VI (Effective August 2009): Sponsored children attending school must remain in at least the 50^th percentile in order to retain sponsorship with Kids Helping Needy Kids. For those already sponsored but below the 50^th percentile, students are offered one semester to demonstrate significant improvement of their grades, and are placed on “Probation” status until this goal is reached. If it is not, KHNK reserves the right to terminate their sponsorship. This policy is in accordance with KHNK’s goal of fostering academic achievement.  

ARTICLE VII: Policies for the Sponsored Parties

i) The money that Kids Helping Needy Kids sends each month is to be used expressly for the child that it is designated for.

 ii) Any items donated by KHNK may not be sold by the recipients or the recipients’ family under any circumstances. This stipulation is also non-negotiable.

iii) All sponsored children are required to submit copies of their report cards. Failure to do so within a reasonable amount of time may result in termination of sponsorship. Any attempts to produce a report card that does not belong to the child in question may also result in termination of sponsorship.

ARTICLE VIII: Becoming an Officer in KHNK

i) You must be a sponsor for a minimum of 3 months prior to assuming a leadership position in KHNK.

ii) You must not have an outstanding balance at the time of your appointment as an officer.

iii) Missing three consecutive meetings will result in the loss of your position, especially in the case of secretarial officers.

ARTICLE IX: Termination of Sponsorships

i) Any sponsors who wish to terminate their sponsorship are required to notify Kids Helping Needy Kids three months in advance, so that we can find the sponsored child a replacement sponsor.

ii) If KHNK does not receive an overdue payment from a sponsor for more than 4 months, KHNK reserves the right to terminate the sponsorship and place the child on the waiting list until a replacement sponsor is found.

ARTICLE X: Legal Status

i) Kids Helping Needy Kids, Inc. is classified legally as a private foundation in the state of Maryland.

 ii) Kids Helping Needy Kids, henceforth referred to as Kids Helping Needy Kids, Inc., received said incorporation on March 15^th of 2006, three years after its inception.

iii) The date of KHNK’s licensing as an official, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was January 30^th, 2009, six years after KHNK’s inception. This tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) qualifies KHNK to state that all donations are legally tax deductible.