Pura Vida for Children is a non profit organization, founded by New Canaan resident Sharon Knechtle in 2005, that seeks to raise awareness and inspiration to help children who are starving, orphaned, abandoned or sex trafficked. Pura Vida mobilizes financial resources to meet the most urgent needs. At this time, Pura Vida supports children in the United States and abroad through Feed My Starving Children, Love 146 and Roblealto.

 

The Pura Vida Club provides opportunities for high school students to raise awareness and financial resources for children in need. The students meet throughout the year to plan and host events to accomplish their goals, including the town wide Holiday mailbox fundraiser. The FMSC food packing event has become the club's signature event and in 2019 will host the 10th annual food pack where together with volunteers of all ages have packed and boxed over 2 million meals that have been sent to malnourished children.

In years past, Pura Vida students went annually to Costa Rica to work hands on with children at Roblealto. Hopefully, the trip will resume soon. The students also ran a sports camp that helped get Pura Vida for Children known and valued for their care of children locally as well as modeling the value of caring for those less fortunate.