Kids Can Save the Children With Valentines

Small hands drop pink-sceptered princesses and red-hearted racecars into valentine bags every Feb. 14. The annual school tradition encourages children to pause mid-school year and recognize the kids around them.

Mark Shriver and Julianne Moore want to extend that simple act, and are encouraging kids to use Valentine's Day cards to reach beyond their classrooms and help the more than one in five American children living in poverty.

Actress Moore, next onscreen this summer in the comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love," spearheads the nonprofit Save the Children's annual card effort. Five winners from a nationwide children's art contest experience the thrill of having their designs bundled with cards created by celebrity teen artists such as Jordin Sparks and Greyson Chance. The 24-card pack sells for a $25 donation to Save the Children.

Shriver, son of the late Peace Corps founding director Sargent Shriver, heads the nonprofit's national efforts. He told AOL News the annual card drive represents more than simply another financial push.

"It's a conscious effort not just to raise money, but also to raise awareness," he said.

If a child receives a Save the Children card in their valentine sack, she and her parents might visit the website, have a conversation about the harsh truths of living an impoverished life and get involved.

"You can see pictures of the kids," he said. "You could talk about the fact that kids can't afford to have piano lessons. There is one book for every 300 kids [in some low-income neighborhoods]. Kids are struggling for heat in the wintertime or air conditioning in the summertime. That makes it real."

Once kids grasp the reality behind poverty, Shriver said, they are often moved to act.

"When kids ... realize that their contemporaries are living in poverty, they want to do something. They want to help out. They want to get involved."

Moore helped inaugurate the campaign four years ago after witnessing some of the nonprofit's efforts in eastern Kentucky. She and Shriver, both parents, talked about the annual scrambling to purchase Valentine's Day cards, and the idea was born. Moore recruited this year's teen heartthrob artists and promotes the program.

Shriver said the money gathered from card donations helps finance Save the Children's broad-based efforts to break the cycle of poverty in America, from early education programs to disaster relief efforts. Last year, the nonprofit helped more than 75,000 children.

"We run literacy programs to help struggling readers get up to grade level, and we work with moms and babies to make sure that those kids are healthy and stimulated, so that when they get to kindergarten, they are ready to learn," Shriver said.

The organization is also the only nonprofit in the country specifically focusing on children in times of disaster. Shriver cited hurricanes Katrina and Rita as examples of disasters during which children were not fully factored into the relief equation.

"A baby would be sleeping in a cot and the mom would take one of the kids to go to the bathroom outside in the parking lot. The 2-year-old is sleeping next to a total stranger. These shelters need to be adequately resourced for children's needs," he said.

In addition to helping relief agencies such as the Red Cross prepare for taking proper care of children, Save the Children also supplies response and recovery help in the wake of disasters.

The organization also conducts extensive efforts on behalf of children around the world.