Our Vision
At Kids Around the World, we are all about empowering the next generation to live a hope-filled, Christ-centered life.
Our Mission
We live out our mission by sharing God’s transforming hope with kids and their communities through food, play & story.
We partner with others like you to bring the gift of food, play and story to kids in impoverished regions of the world.
There we create environments within local communities through feeding programs, playgrounds and StoryClubs, where kids experience hope with a daily meal, a safe place to play, and stories from the Bible. Week after week, they build relationships with Jesus, their teachers and the local church. The impact spreads like a wave of hope across the community as kids grow stronger physically and spiritually, and share the Good News with their friends and family.
Partnerships
Partnership is at the heart of who we are at Kids Around the World. We recognize that through partnering with like-minded groups and individuals, we can have a much larger impact, helping people experience hope both locally and globally. We thrive through the support and engagement of amazing churches, businesses, schools, organizations and individuals like you.
Jeff Rosene, Interim President
My journey at KATW started in 2006. Since then it has been an honor to be a part of the amazing growth in this ministry as doors have continued to open and new opportunities have come. I love connecting people, whether stateside or globally, and figuring out how we can all serve together; how we can meet each other where we are in life to have the greatest possible impact.
I love how a simple gift of a playground can literally transform a community, or how a meal can provide hope for a child or empower a mom. Lastly, and most importantly, I love how telling a story in a simple and interactive way can impact a child’s life for eternity. That is what we do here at Kids Around the World and I am so humbled and honored to lead this ministry into the future.
All of this would not be possible without my wife Chelsea by my side since 2014. We live in Oceanside, California where she is a 6th grade teacher. We are blessed to have two amazing young kids: Jack and Everly. Jack loves baseball, swimming and literally anything else outside & Everly is all about being a princess who loves to dress up and dance. As a family we love to travel (of course), go to the beach, sporting events and stay busy. Being originally from Illinois, I am still struggling with being a Cubs or Padres fan (Jack is a huge Padres fan) but that conversation is for another time! We attend North Coast Calvary Chapel and are extremely blessed to have so many wonderful friends there.
Our Board of Directors
Bill & Tonya Meister, Chairman
Denny & Evie Johnson, Founder & Chairman Emeritus
Jim & Denise Rosene, President Emeritus
Dave & Jill Love, Vice Chairman
Judy Roberts, Secretary
Steve & Marita Sjogren, Treasurer
Bob & Jeanne Lindman
Dan & Barb Martin
Frank & Sonja Beach
Jim & Sharon Hessenthaler
Kurt & Sue Jensen
Paul Bierhaus
Raul & Jill Rodila
Rich & Michele Meyer
Our Team
Jim Rosene
President Emeritus
Jim Binder
Systems Support
April Bodrie
Senior Manager, Finance
Tim Clauson
Senior Manager, Playgrounds
Dave Dahl
Senior Manager, Projects
Phil Falconer
Playground Support
Charlotte Heeren
Director of Finance and Administration
Heather Johnson
Communications Coordinator
Jim Kamikawa
Corporate Development and Foundation Specialist
Dan Liesik
Vice President of Operations
Melissa Lounsbury
Vice President of Mission Advancement
Andrew Martin
OneMeal Director
David McDonald
OneMeal Event Manager
Debbie Morales
Mission Advancement Specialist
Britta Nelson
Communications Manager
Coleman Nelson
Event Manager
Steve Nine
GenHope International Director, Ecuador Director
Chase Perkins
Mission Advancement Specialist
Garrett Schneider
Food Program Event Manager
Sam Snyder
Senior Manager, Logistics
Gary Strudler
KIDStory Global Director
Brian Wahl
Regional Director of Mission Advancement
Ben Wallace
Food Program Event Manager
Jared Weidman
Marketing Director
Greg Weitzel
Sr. Director of Mission Advancement
Jacky Altamirano Nine
GenHope Ecuador
Jorge Oliveros
KIDStory Training and Development, Latin America
Antonella Cantando Oliveros
Kidstory Training and Development, Latin America
Marlon Suarez
GenHope Ecuador
Juan José Altamirano
GenHope Ecuador
Katherine Lopera
GenHope Ecuador
Mario Bertis
GenHope Ecuador
Ramon Corsino
GenHope Dominican Republic Director
Cristopher Macias
GenHope Ecuador
Aracelys Reyes
GenHope Dominican Republic Director
Moses Andruga
GenHope Uganda Director
Lala
KIDStory Regional Director – SE Asia
Misha
KIDStory Regional Director – Eastern Europe
Kennedy
KIDStory Regional Director – Central Africa
Emmanuel Corsino
Director of Operations GenHope DR
Mayelin Castro
GenHope Ecuador
Josue Moriera
GenHope Ecuador
Zenon Palma
GenHope Ecuador
Karen Rodriguez
GenHope Dominican Republic Communications
Our History
In 1994, KATW began when Denny and Evie Johnson came up with a plan to help Rockford’s sister cities around the world (sister cities allow for average citizens to engage in diplomatic relationships). One of Rockford’s many sister cities is Brovary, Ukraine. As a gift to Brovary, KATW built the first of two playgrounds for the city’s children.
In March 2000, Jim Rosene started working full-time for KATW as President. For the first 6 years, Kids Around the World was an all volunteer organization — gifted men and women led the charge under the leadership of the Board of Directors. As the organization continued to grow, it became obvious they needed a full-time leader and in March 2000, Kids Around the World welcomed Jim Rosene as their President.
In 2008, KATW started OneMeal, a mobile food-packing program that feeds children worldwide. Local churches, schools, businesses, and civic groups even host food packing events at their own locations or at the KATW warehouse.
From the very beginning, we had an outreach to children with puppets, songs and flannelgraphs, but realized we could accomplish so much more if we were able to train and equip leaders with an oral-based strategy: Bible Storytelling. It was in 2015 that we officially launched KIDStory, impacting lives of children by creating an environment where they are loved and accepted, play games, and have fun learning the Bible.
In 2020, we launched a Spirit-led initiative to go deeper in communities around the globe through our Food, Play, Story approach. In partnership with local churches and leaders, we began creating environments, Hope Zones, in three countries, where kids and families experience hope and communities experience lasting transformation.
A year of celebrating milestones for our ministry; as we built our 1000th playground in a community in coastal Ecuador, packed our 50 Millionth meal with a group of youth from a church in Southern California, and launched our 40th Hope Zone community. 2022 was also a year of looking ahead at the horizon, as we plan for the continued expansion of the Gospel and our ministry efforts through new Hope Zones, expanded KIDStory regions, and the equipping of partner ministries to bless kids through Food, Play & Story.
Our Financials
Kids Around the World is eager both to remain financially transparent as well as to strive for financial growth for the purpose of serving more children. We work to continue our efficiency in raising and spending money. We are proud to report that in 2021, the percentage of funds used directly for program services was 90%, while the percentage spent on administrative and fundraising expenses was 10%. We continually maximize our effectiveness as we deliver the gift of food, play, and story all over the world — thanks to donors and partners like you.
When it comes to donations and giving to Kids Around the World, we abide by the financial guidelines set forth by the ECFA (view documentation). This specific document explains their policy on Stewardship of Charitable Gifts.