Change 1 Child

by Natalie Sabia (New York City)

As founder and Executive Director of Change1Child, Simone Adjei takes great pride in her organization because she is able to witness the changes that take place the lives of children, one child at a time. Founded in 2008, Change1Child is a not-for-profit organization that reaches out to failing schools in New York City and takes action against literacy. “Change1Child works alongside communities with underprivileged children and provides them with a reading program,” Adjei said.

Adjei works full time as a derivative specialist on Wall Street. But after working in finance for nine years, Adjei decided to pursue her dream of helping children as well. “I was happy with my career in finance, but I was intrigued by education and became apart of the Board of Education community,” said Adjei.

She came across an article in the paper that detailed the scheduled closings of the failing schools in the New York City area. Adjei ’s immediate thought was, where are the kids who need extra help going to go? “By sending them to better schools, without receiving more attention, I felt as though most kids would fall behind and I wanted to do something about it,” said Adjei. Adjei came up with the idea of a literacy program to bring kids reading materials and teach them how to read. Change1Child believes that, by providing the proper materials, along with a boost of motivation, they can reach a child and spark their interest in learning. “If we’re able to change just one child’s life, it’s a success,” said Adjei.

The goal of this program, which is made up of about 40 volunteers, is to utilize reading as a bridge out of poverty. By the end of this year, Adjei hopes to have more families involved, as well as schools in the surrounding New York City boroughs. By enabling children to see beyond their current condition, Adjei believes she makes a true connection in their daily lives and expands their thoughts. “We want to go in and read to children,” said Adjei. “60-70% of kids that we meet with on a monthly basis will show major improvements in reading and in school.”

Adjei works closely with the Board of Education to ensure that Change1Child complies with the school curriculum. She also meets with principals and works with each school to develop ideas for the program. While it was difficult to gain the trust of the school administration at first, “after two or three sessions, the principals became more confident in us and we were able to build a relationship,” said Adjei. “They didn’t want the kids to be hopeful in case we weren’t reliable. Now we have great relationships with schools.”

Change1Child seeks out schools that are considering to be failing by the NYC Board of Education. “I work with the school board and also keep my own list of ongoing schools that need a visit,” said Adjei. At the monthly meetings at their offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Adjei goes over policies and restrictions with volunteers before sending them out to schools.

While some of the reading books are donated, it is Adeji herself that funds the organization, providing the much need capital used to purchase additional books and pay for administration fees. “The children are so excited to see us and even more excited when they realize were giving them books,” said Adjei. “I want these kids to develop a love for reading.”

Adeji is resigning from her full-time job in finance at the end of this year and will dedicate herself to running Change1Child. Currently she has over 70 memberships with schools; her hope is to develop Change1Child outside the U.S. and reach countries such as Africa and South America. “We want to have relationships with other organizations in different countries,” said Adjei.

Making the move to non-profit world is a life changing decision. Adjei loves her job in finance, but wants to be remembered for something more than being one of many within the ranks of the corporate world. “I want to make a difference in a child’s life,” said Adjei. “If I can reach a child, I’ve done a wonderful thing.”