Pair of crutches = mobility, opportunity, dignity & hope!
Founder's Story
The concept of Crutches 4 Kids (C4K) crystallized after months of thought and dozens of conversations with health care professionals, orthopedic professionals, and African relief workers. Once it clicked, I was amazed by the idea’s simplicity and power. I hope you are too.
C4K’s mission is to give the world’s most physically disadvantaged children the opportunity to walk aided by crutches that we provide. Our goal is to collect, transport and distribute crutches. We will do this by organizing hundreds of teams of students to collect used crutches in their communities, as well as to partner with hospitals and crutch manufactures for donations. Our efforts are giving the gift of mobility to children who otherwise would be without the ability to walk. This gift will foster greater independence and hope, and enable these children to attend school.
C4K also aims to show children engaged in crutch drives the value of social service and the power they have, working with their peers, to help disadvantaged people of their own age around the world. C4K can play an important role in teaching these lessons to children of any background and in any community, also demonstrating that they do not need to be wealthy to give something valuable to others. This ability was evident and motivating based on our successful contribution to Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January 2010.
You might be wondering how I came up with this idea. It began in 2008 when I became fascinated with Kenneth Cole’s book, Awearness. The book is a compilation of 86 essays about people making a difference in our world. From the famous to the unknown, each individual wrote about their personal journey of helping others in creative and inspiring ways. Awearness is both entertaining to read and enables those who want to become involved in a worthwhile cause to develop a base of valuable information.
I became increasingly excited about the opportunity to combine my background in medicine and business with the increasing power of social networks. In today’s interconnected world, networking tools have the unique ability to reach out and harness people of all ages and stages. We start small but together we can achieve unimaginably big things.
We greatly appreciate the support of our patrons and are actively seeking ways to increase our donor network and recipient base. C4K is fulfilling a dream and I hope you’ll join us on this exciting and fulfilling journey!
Ken Shubin Stein
Meet Crutches 4 Kids' Board of Directors
Our influential Board or Directors is passionate about helping us bring mobility to those in need.
Christopher S. Ahmad, M.D.
Christopher Ahmad is an Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and an Associate Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He is the Head Team Physician for the New York Yankees and a member of the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association. Dr. Ahmad serves as the Chief of Adolescent and Pediatric Sports Medicine and as the Director of Biomechanics Research at the Center for Orthopaedic Research. He has authored more than 100 articles and book chapters related to shoulder, elbow and sports medicine and has given over 100 lectures nationally, and internationally. Dr. Ahmad has received many awards for outstanding research in the field of sports medicine.
James E. Burtson
Mr. James E. Burtson oversees Time Warner’s mergers and acquisitions efforts, as well as the development of optimal capital allocation strategies for the company. In this role, Mr. Burtson has overseen such transactions as the spin-offs of Time Warner Cable, AOL and the minority investment in Central European Media. Under his leadership, Time Warner Investor Relations was the highest ranked program for the media sector according to Institutional Investor magazine’s ranking. In 2006, Time Warner was one of only six companies named by Institutional Investor on its inaugural list of Most Shareholder Friendly Companies. Mr. Burtson received an M.B.A. degree in finance from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University in 1994, and a B.A. degree in history from Columbia College in 1991.
JeMe Cioppa-Mosca, PT, MBA
Ms. Cioppa-Mosca is the Vice President of the Rehabilitation Department at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, New York. Ms. Cioppa-Mosca oversees the vision, strategic planning and development of the 200 FTE multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Department and its sub-specialities (Acute Care Orthopedics, Joint Mobility Center, Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center, Hand Therapy, Pediatrics, Motion Analysis Laboratory, and Prosthetics and Orthotics). She is the Director of the Integrative Care Center, affiliated with HSS, the Founder and Director of the HSS Rehabilitation Network, a preferred provider organization of 123 independently owned and operated therapy practices throughout the tri-state area and Florida. Ms. Cioppa-Mosca earned her M.B.A. from Pace University and her B.S. degree in Physical Therapy from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York.
Neil Cole
Neil Cole is an innovator in the licensing and brand management industry and the Chief Executive Officer and President of Iconix Brand Group, Inc.
Cole began his career at El Greco, Inc., the footwear company that launched the globally recognized junior brand, Candie’s. In July of 2005, Cole made a strategic decision to leverage the Company’s licensing and marketing expertise by divesting itself of its operating businesses and Candie’s, Inc. became Iconix Brand Group, Inc.
Iconix Brand Group has a diversified portfolio of fashion, home and character based brands. The Company licenses its brands to a network of leading retailers and manufacturers that touch every major segment of retail distribution from the luxury market to the mass market in both the United States and worldwide. Under Cole’s leadership, the Company creates consumer awareness and equity for its 30 iconic consumer brands including: Candie’s, Bongo, Badgley Mischka, Joe Boxer, Rampage, Mudd, London Fog, Mossimo, Ocean Pacific, Danskin, Danksin Now, Rocawear, ZOO York, Cannon, Royal Velvet, Fieldcrest, Charisma, Starter, Waverly, Ed Hardy and Sharper Image. In addition, Iconix owns an interest in the Artful Dodger, Ecko, Marc Ecko, Material Girl, Peanuts and Snoopy brands.
Forbes Magazine has credited Iconix Brand Group as one of “The Best Companies In America” and License Magazine has listed Iconix for two consecutive years as the second largest licensing Company in the world, following Disney Consumer Products.
In 2001, Cole founded The Candie's Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to educate America's youth about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy and creates a national dialogue on the issue. Teen pregnancy rates are down 35% - a 40 year low. He supports numerous philanthropic organizations including the Ronald McDonald House New York and HELP USA. Cole is a member of Board of Directors of The Candie's Foundation, The Mount Sinai Children's Center Foundation and Crutches 4 Kids and He is the Chairman of the Iconix Board of Directors and a member of Governor Cuomo's SAGE Commission.
Sabine Feldmann
Sabine Feldmann was named Publisher of MORE in January 2012. Previously Ms. Feldmann was VP & Publisher of Teen Vogue Magazine. Sabine joined Teen Vogue as Associate Publisher, Advertising in April 2010. Prior to Teen Vogue, she was VP/Publisher and Chief Brand Officer of Shape magazine since 2004. Under Sabine’s leadership, Shape achieved #1 share of market in the active lifestyle category for the five consecutive years of her tenure. She is a member of The Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and sits on the Board of Governors of Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW) and the Circle of 7 (governing board) for the philanthropic women’s organization Lingerie Miami and was honored on Folio magazine’s 2008 “40 Under 40” list. She is a graduate of The Stern School of Business (BS) and The Wharton School of Business (MBA).
Louis A. Shapiro
Louis A. Shapiro joined Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) as its President and Chief Executive Officer in October, 2006. With over 25 years of healthcare experience, Mr. Shapiro oversees all strategic and operational aspects of HSS across all segments of its mission including patient care, teaching and research. Mr. Shapiro previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. Mr. Shapiro is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the Regional Policy Board for the American Hospital Association, a Board member at the Greater New York Hospital Association and a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Mr. Shapiro earned his B.S. and M.H.A degrees from the University of Pittsburg.
Beth Shubin Stein, M.D.
Dr. Beth Shubin Stein is an Assistant Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery, fellowship trained in Sports Medicine and shoulder surgery. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Her research interests include the investigation of common knee problems and other injuries that predominantly affect active women. Dr. Shubin Stein trained at Columbia College and University for both her undergraduate and medical degrees as well as her orthopaedic residency.
Ken Shubin Stein, M.D.
Dr. Shubin Stein is the Founder and Portfolio Manager of Spencer Capital Management, LLC and the Chairman of Spencer Capital Holdings, LTD. He is a graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he completed a 5-year medical and research program with a focus on molecular genetics. He graduated with a B.A. degree from Columbia College with dual concentrations in Premedical Studies and Political Science. Ken holds the CFA designation and is an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Ken is also Chairman of the Manhattan Chapter of YPO and Founder and Chairman of Crutches 4 Kids.
Beth Steinberg
Ms. Steinberg is the Director of Investor Relations for MTS Health Partners, one of the preeminent healthcare merchant banks. Prior to joining MTS, Beth worked as an independent financial and business development consultant for various early stage companies. She helped young entrepreneurs to develop their business strategies and seek funding. Previously, Beth spent nearly five years as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Financo where she focused on client coverage and deal execution. Beth graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. Philanthropically, Ms. Steinberg has been active in numerous charitable organizations. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Venture Fund, which helps women entrepreneurs start, build and grow their own businesses as is involved with the Citizen’s Committee for Children, the leading New York based child advocacy organization.
Board of Advisors
Staff
Melody Woolford, Director/Chief Operating Officer
As Director of Crutches 4 Kids, Melody merges her passions for humanitarian relief, international development, environmentalism and children's rights. Previously, Melody worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Mission to the U.N. (USUN), and the National Democractic Institute (NDI). Melody is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she received a Masters in International Affairs. She received her BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Melody is proficient in Arabic, and has an introductory knowledge of French, Italian, Hebrew and Spanish.
