About the Touch of Life Foundation

The Touch A Life Foundation is a non-profit organization with offices in Dallas, Texas and Washington, DC devoted to the rescue, education, and advocacy on behalf of exploited children.

The goal is to elevate children out of poverty and provide leadership skills that they need to better their communities and the world.  The foundation focuses its work primarily in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ghana.

Touch A Life began working in Ghana in 2006 after the New York Times published an article detailing hte life of six-year-old Mark Kwadwo, a boy sold into slavery on the waters of Lake Volta.  Within six weeks of the article's publication, Pam Cope rescued not only Mark, but also six other children who became known as the Magnificent Seven.  Pam had 'found her Mark,' and she had also found her purpose.  She realized that as much as she had rescued these children, the children also rescued her.  Today, the program was grown to over 70 former exploited child laborers who are free from a life of slavery and now enjoy attending school--some for the first time in their lives!

Touch of Life was created by Pam and Randy Cope in 2000 after the death of their son, Jantsen, who died of an undetected heart defect.  They used Jantsen's memorial fund to start the Foundation.  Pam Cope is the co-author of the newly published book.  jansten's Gift: A True Story of Grief, Rescue and Grace (Grand Central Publishing, 2009).