History and Accomplishments

Organizational Founding

Just after Congressional hearings in 1984 that focused on financial child support problems, several individuals, most of whom had undergone custody battles, decided that a national non-profit organization needed to be established to focus on emotional child support.

They met in the lobby area of a building in northern Virginia, and decided to launch the organization.  Attendees at the meeting in late 1984 included Michael L. Oddenino, who became CRC’s General Counsel, John Bauserman Sr., who has been a longtime board member, Elliott H. Diamond, a real estate owner, Carl Friedman, David L. Levy, an attorney with the Library of Congress, Ellen Levy whose background was in early childhood education, and Paul Robinson, who operates a parents’ support group in northern Virginia that most of the organizers had been actively involved.

It was decided that the group would be gender-neutral and focus on the needs of the at-risk children whose parents were separated, divorced or never-married.  The group designated David L. Levy to run the organization on a day-to-day basis, which he continues to accomplish to this day.

On March 2, 1985 the initial organizers prepared the first Bylaws of The National Council for Children’s Rights to operate exclusively for the charitable and educational purposes of ensuring the rights of children to the benefit of both parents.  Filing Articles of Incorporation in the District of Columbia, the organization was issued a Certificate of Incorporation as a non-profit corporation on April 30, 1985.

Taking the next important step to operate under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, The National Council for Children’s Rights filed IRS Form 1023 in Application for Recognition of Exemption on September 15, 1985.  Five months later, the IRS issued a Letter of Determination dated February 7, 1986 exempting the organization from taxes as a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3).  Based on recommendations from public funding authorities and our private membership constituency, on August 24, 1992 The National Council for Children’s Rights formally changed its name to the Children’s Rights Council.

• Initiated legislation to authorized Congressional establishment of access (visitation) staff throughout the country to informally help children gain access to their non-custodial parents.
• Hosted the first of 16 national conferences bringing together researchers and writers, CRC members, and policymakers from around the U.S. and abroad, and representatives from the Courts, Congress, and the White House.

CRC testified for the first time before a Congressional committee, an act which was followed 20 more times in Congress.  In concert with oral testimony, CRC submitted the first of 40 written statements for the record in other Congressional hearings in favor of access (visitation) policies and programs, joint custody (shared parenting), and welfare reform, that would encourage two-parent families, mediation, and implementation of the Hague Convention Against International Parental Kidnapping.

Highlights of Accomplishments