They say, "Children are the Future" and we tend to agreed, but it seems we've lost sight of this as of late. According to a national report, child poverty increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2009 and today shapes the lives of nearly 15 million children in the United States. Yes, a disturbing 15 million children!  That's not to mention another 31 million children who live in families that at the loss of only two pay checks would be at the brink of poverty themselves.

According to Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation,  "Children -- particularly very young children -- who experience even a bout of poverty are less likely to graduate from high school, are more likely to become very young parents, have more difficulties learning and earn less money than their non-poor peers as adults."