Singer and actress Ashanti and children from the Edwin Gould Services visit Planet Hollywood in Times Square on December 8, 2008 in New York City.

Mission of the Edwin Gould Services:

As defined by our founder, Edwin Gould in 1927, “…to reach directly the needy children of the present generation and contribute to their health, physical and educational development until they can be returned to a proper home environment or can be self-supporting…”

and as it might be said today, “…to protect and nurture those children whose families are unwilling or unable to care for them and to strengthen families so that every member has the opportunity to help themselves toward a better future…”

(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)