Shania Kids Can: Creating Safe Spaces for Underserved Kids

Shania Kids Can: Creating Safe Spaces for Underserved Kids

International sweetheart and reigning Queen of Country Pop Shania Twain knows what it is like to be a child living in a dysfunctional family.

Much of Twain’s childhood revolved around keeping up appearances so that no one would know that her family life was dysfunctional, even if it meant going to school hungry.

“If I had a compassionate program leader in my life who listened and understood me—a person who helped me face and overcome the challenges I was dealing with daily—I think my school experience would have been vastly different,” Twain shared.

True to the vow she made as a child to someday find a way to give back to kids like her, Twain created Shania Kids Can (SKC), a nonprofit organization supporting children living in similar circumstances to those she faced as a child. Through one-on-one consultations, academic support, group activities, and nutritious snacks and meal programs where needed, SKC offers a safe environment where children can feel supported. “I promised myself that one day I would help kids who are facing crises and economic hardship in their young lives, as I did,” Twain explained. “SKC programs are fulfilling that promise every single day. We continue to see improvement year over year in social and emotional behaviours, mental health, and academic achievement. This assures me that our programs are working.”

Even before founding SKC, Twain was a well-known and outspoken advocate for disadvantaged youth. In 1996, she donated all Canadian profits from her single “God Bless the Child” to the Canadian Living Breakfast for Learning program. All U.S. profits were donated to the Feeding America food banks. Twain also provided funding closer to home to support nutrition programs at schools in Timmins and Dwight, ON, long before breakfast programs were widely implemented— these became the basis of SKC.

Now, with locations in Timmins, Dwight, Thunder Bay, and Brampton in Canada and Las Vegas in the U.S., the SKC Clubhouses are a safe space for kids where they know they can go for help every single day. Thanks to a new partnership with Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School has joined the SKC family.

“I am so excited for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to join the SKC Foundation family,” said Twain. “I’m rooting for all the students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School who have so much potential to succeed in school and in life.”

Across all SKC locations, program leaders work with the kids on social and emotional learning, providing access to academic support and a sympathetic ear. The kids know they can count on a caring adult to be there for them and help them through their daily struggles.

“Sometimes it takes just one caring adult to change the direction of a young person’s life,” Twain said. “By supporting these children, teaching them to become responsible, confident, proactive members of their school community, they will have a much better chance at personal success in the future.”

QUEEN OF FUNDRAISING

Shania Twain is behind the many fundraising initiatives for SKC, but her shows and tours are the biggest revenue generators. With every ticket sold, $1 supports SKC initiatives and fundraising. In addition, sweepstakes will be running throughout the tour for a chance to win VIP experiences; now is your chance to meet Shania in Hollywood by visiting winshania.com. A private meet-and-greet with Shania, round-trip airfare, swanky hotel accommodations, a guided tour of Hollywood, and dinner backstage are all included. You'll also walk away with autographed “Queen of Me” merchandise and more!