Rene Howitt

Youth & Family Welfare

Rene is the founder of the nonprofit child advocacy organization COPE24… Changing Our Parenting Experience. Beginning in 2003, she and her husband found themselves fostering two children on and off for four years. This experience opened her eyes to what many children face. COPE24 seeks to make parenting education a priority within our school systems. Currently, she is working to pass legislation in Missouri making “Health and Family Education” a requirement for graduation. She has authored three books and produced four documentary videos utilized in high school classrooms across the country. This work can be viewed at cope24.com.