MISSION STATEMENT:
Established in 2001, the Dolores Turco Foundation is a charitable trust dedicated to protecting women and children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The foundation has expanded its mission to include serving impoverished families and medical missions in some of the poorest nations in the world.

Child Advocacy:

Over the years, children have increasingly become victims of the multi-billion dollar sex industry and it is all too common that children are exposed to sexual predators. The Dolores Turco Foundation has been a strong advocate in defense of vulnerable children at risk and funds programs that offer healing, advocacy, and support to children victims of sexual, physical assault, or witnesses to violent crimes.

In addition, the foundation is dedicated to educating children as well as involving parents in their children’s education regarding the risks and dangers of sexual activity. According to the U.S. Justice Department, as many as 300,000 American children are lured into the commercial sex trade every year with the average victim between 11 and 14 years old. The US is also the largest producer of pornography in the world, which has normalized violence and the exploitation of children. Currently the age when a US child is first exposed to porn is eleven ,(www.gardenstatefamilies.org).

The Dolores Turco Foundation provides educational programs, as well as resources and referral sources for schools, religious education courses, and other organizations that are interested in protecting children from sexual exploitation and predators.

Teens and young women in crisis Pregnancy:

For almost twenty years, the Foundation has and continues to serve women in crisis pregnancy and their children. We provide the resources and referrals for housing and support services for women and their babies, assisting moms with finishing their education, finding employment, and training to become nurturing and loving mothers. Often girls that become pregnant drop out of school and suffer from addiction, abuse, poverty, lack of medical care, and low self-esteem. The Dolores Turco Foundation offers hope, healing, and the support they need to look forward to a bright future for themselves and their babies.

Teen Sex Avoidance Education:

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates a savings of $11 billion per year if teens refrain from sexual activity resulting in pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Additionally, the CDC findings demonstrate that adolescents who abstain from risky sexual behaviors perform better in school and are less likely to participate in other dangerous activities such as drinking and drug use. Single parenting is one of the greatest contributors to poverty in America today because single teenage mothers are much less apt to complete their education or achieve their career goals. Another negative factor associated with sexually active teenagers is the fact that they are more apt to be depressed and attempt suicide (http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF14D14.pdf).

The Dolores Turco Foundation initiated sex avoidance education programs in Essex and Passaic Counties in New Jersey. We believe that parents have a right to know and participate in the sex education that is taught to their children. The foundation funded LIFENET’s Love and Life Project, which conducted approximately 600 parent empowerment presentations and reached 18,000 teens and their parents in the Archdiocese of Newark. The program touched lives with the truth about the intrinsic value of human life and the beauty of God’s design for love, marriage, and sex.

In contrast, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs (TPP) that promote contraception to teenagers have proven ineffective because they place virtually no value on encouraging students to refrain from early sexual activity. Consequently, in 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended defunding Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Programs at a cost of $930,000,000/year because they were ineffective. Ultimately they found that 80% of students in the TPP program fared either worse or not better than those not in the program (http://www.frc.org/SexuaRiskAvoidance).

Fighting Poverty:
The Dolores Turco Foundation supports programs that offer shelter and provide for the physical, social, and emotional needs of vulnerable men, women and children living in some of the most impoverished conditions in the world.

Emmaus shelter for mentally ill women:
Accommodating over 80 residents, Emmaus provides shelter and rehabilitation for mentally challenged homeless women. In addition to food and clothing, the residents receive proper medication, therapy, and training skills in a state of the art building and cheerful environment that enables them to be productive and self-sufficient.

Assisi Women’s Hostel Marthandam India:
Designed to serve 100 poor insecure women who live in the slums, the Assisi Hostel offers a safe haven for vulnerable women, unwed mothers, women in abusive relationships, and those who are unemployed. At Assisi, these women receive shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and the support necessary for gainful employment.

Homes for Leprosy affected/infected people in Tamil Nadu, India:
Many leprosy infected men and women, often without limbs, beg in the streets exposed to the elements of the hot sun, heavy rain, and cold weather. Some live in huts surrounded by dirty water, drainage, mosquitoes and lacking water or toilet facilities.

With the resources from the Dolores Turco Foundation, those suffering from leprosy and their families are provided a safe comfortable home constructed with concrete walls and clay roof and equipped with water, toilet facilities, and electricity.

Medical Missions:
Lack of prenatal care and shortages of basic medications are among the leading causes of preventable death in Nigeria. Dolores Turco Foundation provides significant resources to offer medical care to under-served patients in Nigeria, who would otherwise never receive medical attention due to inaccessibility or cost. High Chief and Doctor, Iwuozo Obilo, heads the Nigerian Health Care Foundation, a medical mission, which travels to Nigeria annually serving thousands of medically indigent patients. An outstanding humanitarian and pediatrician, Dr. Obilo was honored with the prestigious title of Chieftain in 2016 because of his consistent and tireless contribution to preventing death and promoting health in Nigeria.