Operation International Children (formerly Operation Iraqi Children) is a grass-roots program founded in early 2004 by actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, CSI: NY) and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) and joined in partnership with People to People International and its President and CEO, Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Sinise and Hillenbrand created OIC to give concerned Americans a way to reach out to the war-stricken children of Iraq by supporting our troops in their efforts to assist them.  Working directly with troops, OIC has delivered well over a quarter of a million school supply kits, along with more than half a million toys and thousands of blankets, backpacks, pairs of shoes, Arabic-language books, and sets of sports equipment, all of which have been distributed to children.  While we remain committed to our work in Iraq, OIC has expanded its mission, sending school supplies to Afghanistan and other nations, where American troops are distributing them to children in need.  In the future, we will continue to broaden our efforts across the world. 

There are many ways to be a part of our critical effort.  You can make a simple, tax-deductible monetary donation, 100% of which will go to purchase supplies for children and offset shipping costs.  You can build and send school supply kits yourself.  You can start a school supply kit drive in your community.  Whatever your involvement, you will be helping our troops foster goodwill in the communities in which they work, and bringing brighter futures to children in desperate need.  Click on one of the links to the left to see how you can help.