“We have been trying to create magic in each child’s life, who has been touched by a parent who has been incarcerated.”

President/CEO, Daniel P. Johnson, MSW

“Do what is RIGHT, Not what is EASY”

Meet Mr. Daniel Pledge-Johnson, MSW

President/CEO of Children of Promise Mentoring Program
Mr. Daniel P. Johnson, also known in the community as “Mr. Johnson”, is a native Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a teen and young adult, Daniel found ways to get into plenty of trouble with the law, which one day landed him behind bars without anyway out, but with plenty of support and perservance, Daniel as an adult with a conscience to change, turned his life around. In 2004, he was approached by many to develop a program to aid children with incarcerated parents. While he had personal experience, he wanted to offer his young clients a program that would encompass the total child. So, he reached for a goal that would not only satisfy him personally, but one that would help him build a sustainable program. After deciding to go “all in”, in 2012 he earned his BA in Social Work. In full committement, in 2013 he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with his Masters in Social Work Administration.
He is committed to making sure every child feels valued. Toward that end, the program matches each child with a mentor that has been hand picked especially for them based on their indivual personalities, situation and needs. He works tirelessly to find ways to expose them to new and varied experiences personally, educationally and culturally. By doing this, he is equipping children who have been disenfranchised with the necessary tools to become productive and responsible members of their community.

Dream it.

It all began in 2004, when the Dept. of Correctional Services obtained a federal grant for a brand new program that helped kids who had incarcerated parents in the Cedar Rapids Wellington Heights neighborhood. The community desired for one of its own to create, build and establish what now is COP. Naysayers gave the project 2-3 years lifespan.

Build it.

Mr. Daniel P. Johnson, MSW was hired for the start of the program. Being from the Wellington Heights community, he had already the connections nescessary for the program to be created to serve the youth. At this time, there wasn’t a cookie cutter for a new program of this caliber. So, he went out to look and found what he was looking for. Johnson School is where he recruited his first 15 kids.

Grow it.

Well beyond it’s original federal funding of 45k and 45 mentee/mentor matches, Mr. Johnson, with his undying passion for kids with incarcerated parents was able to build partnerships with many local companies secure funding to COP. Birdies Who Care, a Zach Johnson Foundation, Greater Cedar Rapids foundation, Rockwell and others to name.

Some Heart Breaks

Bitter sweet, that after its over ten year run, September 2004 to June 1, 2015 Children of Promise was dissolved and cut ties with its mother partnering agency. It seemed to be an end of an era. There would be lots of kids who needed the kind of love and attention Mr. Johnson gave each individual family.

A Glimmer of Hope

Between 2015-2017 COP was unfunded, but because this is a cause near, dear and personal to Mr. Johnson, he kept in touch with each family and filtering them thru other community services until he was offered the opportunity to partner Children of Promise under the Tanager Place umbrella.

Triumph!

In 2015, Mr. Daniel Johnson and Tanager Place partnered and help obtain funding for the families of COP. As of July 1, 2020 COP will be formally known as Children of Promise Mentoring Program or COPMP, and partnering independently as it’s own entity, continuing to serve the children of families who have an incarcerated parent!