Within a few years of creating Wednesday's Child, it became apparent to Marci and me that institutions and agencies dealing with special needs children were vastly under funded. In 1984, we created the Jack Williams Ski Race for Wednesday's Child. That same year also saw the first of four Walk for Wednesday's Child events. We have put on dinners, dances, family events and public appearances, with all the proceeds going to help special needs adoption. Over the years the segment has helped more than 650 special needs children find loving homes.

Wednesday's Child is coordinated by Corina Hopkins, Director of Communications at the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange.

Friends have made donations. Others have named us in their wills or asked that money be given to Wednesday's Child in lieu of flowers.

The efforts have produced over four million dollars over the years. Almost three million has been given to the Mass. Adoption Resource Exchange. Other donations have gone to St. Ann's Home in Methuen (home of many Wednesday's Children) and the Walker Home (also doing a tremendous job with hard to adopt children), and the Italian Home for Children in Jamaica Plain.

The "Win a Volvo, Help Wednesday's Child" campaign has raised hundreds of thousands. And Wendy's yearly Wednesday's Child promotion, where customers are asked if they want to buy a coupon book for one dollar, with the proceeds going to Wednesday's Child. This has raised more than one million dollars.

We operate the Jack Williams Endowment for Wednesday's Child (a 501 © (3), IRS approved charity with little overhead, no employees (Marci and I donate our time) and an office in our home. Our object is to use grants to support successful programs that lead to adoptive homes for their children. We found money is one of the best ways to shape attitudes toward special needs adoption-financially support certain programs, and those programs are usually continued.

Jack Williams Biography

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