That ensures that the organization can continue to help children year after year. This year, CFK hired Grisman and two additional support staff to organize the annual fund-raiser. The staff also monitors the delivery of donations and other projects, such as providing field trips and sponsoring musical performances at the schools. To ensure that all donations directly benefit students, Madara and 13 other members of the organization pay all salaries and operating costs personally. Madara and other CFK volunteers are proud of the personal connection they have established with the teachers and students at their target schools.
Volunteers visit the students throughout the year to monitor their needs.
It is more than just test scores. None of those scores really mean much when you visit and hear teachers talk about their kids. Because so few people really know what goes on in the schools, CFK recruited New York filmmakers to produce brief documentary segments capturing the essence of these inner-city schools. The segments are aired at the CFK annual fund-raiser, held in October. Madara's ultimate goal is to see the government put CFK out of business.