The Joyful Child Foundation was established in 2002 by the Runnion family after the sexual assault and murder of five-year-old Samantha Runnion in 2002. Its first initiative was "Samantha's Pride" which aims to facilitate the establishment of child watch programs in communities across the US. As at the end of 2004, 51 programs had been established concentrated in the Orange County, California area of southern California. The California Conservatory of the Arts sponsored a group called the Kids Next Door who recorded a fundraising Christmas album at the end of 2004 with funds going to the Joyful Child Foundation.

In addition to funding the "Samantha's Pride" initiative, the Joyful Child Foundation will use donations to

• fund children's creative writing and artistic programs; and

• fund nonprofit organisations that seek to prevent child abuse and abduction; and

• research into predator behaviour and recidivism.

External links

• Joyful Child web page
• Good Morning America story