BREAKING NEWS: Fort Worth, One of the 100 Best Communities for Young People
National Ceremony: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
America’s Promise, ING and Twilight’s Kellan Lutz
Celebrate the 100 Best Communities for Young People
Location: 15th Street NW and Constitution Ave NW
(near the Washington Monument)
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Time: 10:30 a.m.
About the competition:
The 100 Best Communities for Young People, presented by ING, recognizes and celebrates community-wide efforts to improve the well-being of youth and end the nation’s dropout crisis. The communities represent large cities and suburbs, counties and rural towns. Winning efforts are as varied as local needs, imaginations and willingness to work together.
This year, more than 350 communities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., were nominated for the competition. The winners come from 37 states and 30 are first-time recipients of the honor. They were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges that included some of the nation’s most well-known civic, business and nonprofit leaders.
Source: http://15in5.americaspromise.org/Default.aspx
“The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives,” said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America’s Promise Alliance. “Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career.”
The 2010 winners will be highlighted at a ceremony in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC, with Alma Powell, Alliance President and CEO Marguerite Kondracke, and ING Foundation President Rhonda Mims.
Fort Worth, Texas
http://15in5.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Community-Action/100-Best-Communities/2010-Winners/Fort-Worth-TX.aspx
First-time winner Fort Worth is committed to creating a child-friendly and college-bound culture by investigating the problems surrounding local dropout issues, researching and identifying strategies, implementing the solutions and evaluating the effectiveness of those efforts. The Mayor and City Council have budgeted $13.6 million to provide young people with access to programs and collaborate with a number of local, state and national entities to strengthen the city’s offerings.
The city’s many initiatives designed to improve the wellbeing of youth include the Early Childhood Matters Initiative. Through Early Childhood Resource Centers, families learn how to develop their children's social, emotional and pre-literacy skills so that they are successful when entering kindergarten.
The LeaderKids Fort Worth is a program for middle school students ages 11-14 as a collaborative effort with existing organizations and resources, including the Fort Worth Independent School District, YMCA, Because We Care and Tarrant County Youth Collaboration and more. The program introduces students to the City of Fort Worth in two ways: career presentations allow them to visualize personal achievement as adults, and volunteer opportunities allow them to improve the community in which they live now.
Another collaborative initiative that seeks to encourage teens to return to school and graduate is Prevail to Graduation. This joint effort among the City of Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Independent School District, the Fort Worth Chambers of Commerce and others involves a Stay-in School Walk to contact students by phone and home visit to re-enroll in fall classes.
Community Action Teams are composed of eight individual teams: business, faith, government and social service communities along with parents, students and educators. CATs are charged with enacting recommendations, primarily with those outlined in Project Prevail, the FWISD’s comprehensive school completion plan.
The Fort Worth community is also dedicated to securing the afterschool lives of its youth. Eighty-five different school sites, seven Boys and Girls Clubs and the City of Fort Worth’s 19 community centers provide outlets for students. But to alleviate the growing cost of running these programs and provide alternatives, the Fort Worth After School Program was launched. The funds for this program resulted from the Crime Control and Prevention District Tax which was created to provide additional funds for the Fort Worth Police Department for tactical weapons, vehicles and crime prevention. The afterschool program works to improve student achievement, reduce the drop-out rate and assist in the reduction of juvenile crime.
The Fort Worth community supports a number of GO Center projects through its educational and community partnerships. A GO Center is a college and career information, center typically located in high schools, that focuses on creating a school-wide college-going culture and promotes college awareness and accessibility. Ft. Worth was among the first regions in the state to expand this model in order to make GO Centers available in faith and community based locations, thus bringing information about college and financial aid assistance directly to the neighborhoods.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Kid with the Bloody Nose
By Eddie Griffin
Friday, June 11, 2010
The 10-year old kid with the bloody nose is my grandson Little Ed. In the waning days of the school year, a big boy pushes him to the ground, face first. Yet, he smiles with pride as he explains how it happened.
He took a pack of cigarettes from his friend and crushed it. The bigger boy who was trying to entice them to smoke took offense and pushed Little Ed down. That was the extent of the damage.
This is the same tough little kid, who has had a ton of medical problems. He spent his entire summer last year undergoing radiation treatment for colon cancer. Before that, his retina had to be detached and realigned in the socket in order for him not to lose sight in one eye. After all this, he gets pushed off a trampoline, lands face first with his bottom teeth protruding through his lower lip. This injury required seven stitches to mend.
This is the same kid, when I asked how he was going to avoid becoming an alcoholic or drug addict, replied that he was going to be a Christian. I guess that he suppose a Christian is to take cigarettes from his friend, in order to save his life. Whatever his 10-year old thinking, he felt good about himself and what he had done.
It was time for grandpa to teach two lessons: (1) How to choose friends; and (2) How to avoid trouble. These were the same lessons taught to his father, Big Ed.
Choosing Friends
Before choosing a friend, watch them closely. Give them six months to prove themselves. Once you embrace and befriend a person, you inherit their problems.
I made friends with a young man named Hondo. His name literally meant War. He stood about 5’5” and was at war with the world. His enemies became my enemies, and he had many.
Avoiding Trouble
Never go to where trouble exists. If there is a fight on campus, go in the opposite direction. And if trouble must come, let it come to you, not you to it. That way, you can see it from afar, and will have already decided what you will do.
-grandpa Eddie Griffin
Friday, June 11, 2010
The 10-year old kid with the bloody nose is my grandson Little Ed. In the waning days of the school year, a big boy pushes him to the ground, face first. Yet, he smiles with pride as he explains how it happened.
He took a pack of cigarettes from his friend and crushed it. The bigger boy who was trying to entice them to smoke took offense and pushed Little Ed down. That was the extent of the damage.
This is the same tough little kid, who has had a ton of medical problems. He spent his entire summer last year undergoing radiation treatment for colon cancer. Before that, his retina had to be detached and realigned in the socket in order for him not to lose sight in one eye. After all this, he gets pushed off a trampoline, lands face first with his bottom teeth protruding through his lower lip. This injury required seven stitches to mend.
This is the same kid, when I asked how he was going to avoid becoming an alcoholic or drug addict, replied that he was going to be a Christian. I guess that he suppose a Christian is to take cigarettes from his friend, in order to save his life. Whatever his 10-year old thinking, he felt good about himself and what he had done.
It was time for grandpa to teach two lessons: (1) How to choose friends; and (2) How to avoid trouble. These were the same lessons taught to his father, Big Ed.
Choosing Friends
Before choosing a friend, watch them closely. Give them six months to prove themselves. Once you embrace and befriend a person, you inherit their problems.
I made friends with a young man named Hondo. His name literally meant War. He stood about 5’5” and was at war with the world. His enemies became my enemies, and he had many.
Avoiding Trouble
Never go to where trouble exists. If there is a fight on campus, go in the opposite direction. And if trouble must come, let it come to you, not you to it. That way, you can see it from afar, and will have already decided what you will do.
-grandpa Eddie Griffin
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Understanding Our Relative Position in the Time-Space Matrix
By Eddie Griffin
Where we come from, where we are, and where we are headed is the subject of this discussion, because it is evident that we do not all have the same point of origin, we share a mutual presence, and we are all headed towards the future, but in separate directions.
Where are you going?
The reason I ask is because, where there is no vision, the people perish. A leader cannot lead unless he can clearly articulate what he sees for the future. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, and we shared in the optimism of the times.
There will always be a dream. They see it through rose colored glasses and forget about the trials in reaching it. And, each new generation comes into the picture, wearing a new pair of rose colored glasses. They come into the theater in the middle of the picture, while the graying generation is on its way out.
As the old gives way to the new, the newborn takes the baton in order to continue in the race. But if the baton is dropped, the race is lost.
We must look at the picture, from beginning to end, realizing the relativity of our position in the time-space matrix.
We must look at the particular, then look at the general, and back to the particular, in order to see where a particular situation fits into the big picture, and how it affects the broader situation. We must proceed from the micro to the macro, back to the micro, in order to diagnose the overall situation, by understanding its smaller component parts.
In looking at Planet Earth 2010, relative to our position, we see a downward spiral in human intelligence. The species is relegated to only seeing and living for today, not knowing from whence they come, nor where they are going. This mindset is prone to error. The analogy is like trying to hit a moving target in time T (future) by aiming at time T (now). These young men and women fall short of their expectation: Their thinking is static, not dynamic.
Where we come from, where we are, and where we are headed is the subject of this discussion, because it is evident that we do not all have the same point of origin, we share a mutual presence, and we are all headed towards the future, but in separate directions.
Where are you going?
The reason I ask is because, where there is no vision, the people perish. A leader cannot lead unless he can clearly articulate what he sees for the future. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, and we shared in the optimism of the times.
There will always be a dream. They see it through rose colored glasses and forget about the trials in reaching it. And, each new generation comes into the picture, wearing a new pair of rose colored glasses. They come into the theater in the middle of the picture, while the graying generation is on its way out.
As the old gives way to the new, the newborn takes the baton in order to continue in the race. But if the baton is dropped, the race is lost.
We must look at the picture, from beginning to end, realizing the relativity of our position in the time-space matrix.
We must look at the particular, then look at the general, and back to the particular, in order to see where a particular situation fits into the big picture, and how it affects the broader situation. We must proceed from the micro to the macro, back to the micro, in order to diagnose the overall situation, by understanding its smaller component parts.
In looking at Planet Earth 2010, relative to our position, we see a downward spiral in human intelligence. The species is relegated to only seeing and living for today, not knowing from whence they come, nor where they are going. This mindset is prone to error. The analogy is like trying to hit a moving target in time T (future) by aiming at time T (now). These young men and women fall short of their expectation: Their thinking is static, not dynamic.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Stand Up and Be Counted
By Eddie Griffin
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Repeat after me:
I AM SOMEBODY.
Ain’t nobody quite like ME.
I know I Count for something.
No matter what THEY SAY.
When the 2010 Census comes around,
I will let them know that I EXIST.
2010 Census Kickoff
It’s that time of the decade again, U.S. Census time.
We, the underrepresented census, realize there is a potential losing our fair share of the $400 billion in federal allocation money.
Why are we underrepresented?
Do the Census takers actually go into the ‘hood?
Or do they just pass us by?
We Need You
Stand Up & Be Counted
U.S. Census Bureau is Now Hiring:• Census Taker
• Crew Chief
• Assistant Crew Chief
• Recruiter
• Census Clerk
Good Pay: $11.50-$18.25
Flexible Schedule
Weekly Pay
18-yrs, No Experience Required
CALL 1-866-861.2010
VISIT: www.2010censusjobs.gov
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Repeat after me:
I AM SOMEBODY.
Ain’t nobody quite like ME.
I know I Count for something.
No matter what THEY SAY.
When the 2010 Census comes around,
I will let them know that I EXIST.
2010 Census Kickoff
It’s that time of the decade again, U.S. Census time.
We, the underrepresented census, realize there is a potential losing our fair share of the $400 billion in federal allocation money.
Why are we underrepresented?
Do the Census takers actually go into the ‘hood?
Or do they just pass us by?
We Need You
Stand Up & Be Counted
U.S. Census Bureau is Now Hiring:• Census Taker
• Crew Chief
• Assistant Crew Chief
• Recruiter
• Census Clerk
Good Pay: $11.50-$18.25
Flexible Schedule
Weekly Pay
18-yrs, No Experience Required
CALL 1-866-861.2010
VISIT: www.2010censusjobs.gov
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Give A Child A Boost
BOOST UP
http://www.boostup.org/
Now take an active role in helping our kids graduate and excel to higher heights. Send a Boost to a school child.
What is a Boost?
It is a word of encouragement by text, email, or even a pat on the back. A little encouragement goes a long way.
President Barack Obama saw this early on in his administration. This is why Boost Up (dot) org was created. It only takes a minute to give a child a boost.
Visit Boost Up.
I did and sent a Boost to three struggling students. Please help.
Sincerely Endorsed by Eddie G. Griffin,
Child Rights Advocate
http://www.boostup.org/
Now take an active role in helping our kids graduate and excel to higher heights. Send a Boost to a school child.
What is a Boost?
It is a word of encouragement by text, email, or even a pat on the back. A little encouragement goes a long way.
President Barack Obama saw this early on in his administration. This is why Boost Up (dot) org was created. It only takes a minute to give a child a boost.
Visit Boost Up.
I did and sent a Boost to three struggling students. Please help.
Sincerely Endorsed by Eddie G. Griffin,
Child Rights Advocate
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Surmounting Classroom Technology Needs – Fort Worth ISD?
From: Eddie Griffin, Child Rights Advocate,
Fort Worth Independent School District, Community Action Team, Parent Team Leader
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
RE: Making the Classroom Seeable, Comprehendible, Rigorous, Engaging, Challenging & Entertaining
We have reached the 4G Multimedia level of communications and innovations for new modes of teaching and learning in the classroom. It is a new delivery system that can be effectively used to fulfill our purpose in education.
POSTULATE: People progress at an arithmetic rate. Technology progresses at a geometry rate.
ASSUMPTION: The general trend in mass public education inhibits intellectual growth. Impeding forces are old modes of thinking, and old production and education models.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
“Bill Gates Unplugged” is an open door to the exciting future in technology that can be applied in the classroom. This is not theory, but actual research in process. In other words, classroom teachers will not be able to dictate the new modes of learning. In fact, teachers are already woefully behind this generation of multimedia-hungry babies.
Following the Lead
Excerpts from a Texas teacher’s request:
I teach twenty-two energetic third graders at a public school in a very high-need community.
My students, who are accustomed to television and video games, need entertaining, engaging lessons to hold their attention and peak their interest.
Therefore, the prerequisite of any lesson in my classroom is it has to be engaging. The most engaging lessons need materials and technology. Technology is definitely scarce.
There are not enough LCD Projectors available at my school
She has requested help to purchase a “SAMSUNG SPL220 MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR”.
Total Project Cost: $826.82
Current Balance: $611.17
http://www.thenerds.net/SAMSUNG.SP_L220W_Multimedia_Projector.SPL220W.html
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Phone: +1.206.709.3400
Email: media@gatesfoundation.org
DonorsChoose.org
Jeremy Robinson-Leon
Phone: +1.212.784.5702
RE: Fort Worth ISD Research identified Needs
The FWISD CAT FAMILY Team includes a representative of Alcon Laboratories Corporate Giving program.
Current research reveals that 70% of those incarcerated, never were able to learn in school, because of poor eye sight.
We have seen a number of classroom requests for “projectors”, in order to enlarge the traditional blackboard.
The second discovery is the mode of delivery of learning materials. The multimedia generation is bored with the slow learning process.
We discovered this impediment in our Texas classroom. The state school system is moving away from hardback books to more online and multimedia software-driven curricula.
We were the first to introduce computers into inner city school classrooms, to make technology more accessible to the poor. We expanded computer placement through the FWISD school system, and are in process of placing online accessible computers in community GO Centers.
What is happening in cell phone technology and social online media has thrown us into a new teaching arena.
We have yet to catch up in the classroom, by making lesson content “seeable”, “comprehendible”, “rigorous, engaging, and challenging”, and “entertaining”. This is the type of delivery system we need in education for today’s generation.
The FWISD is the largest school district with whiteboards in every classroom. But not all teachers have explored or mastered its infinite multimedia features. There are still teachers who will do barely enough to get by.
We need to identify teachers who are hungry to teach and use innovative techniques in the classroom. The best vehicle to encourage teachers to supply their classrooms needs is through DonorsChoose.Org. A teacher can go there and convey their classroom needs to potential donors, for specific projects of all sizes.
DonorsChoose.org, Gates Foundation and Stephen Colbert Team Up to Support Teachers and Promote College Readiness for All
"Double Your Impact" program to fund 50 percent of teachers’ classroom projects aimed at promoting college readiness
NEW YORK -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and DonorsChoose.org, the online charity that connects individual “citizen philanthropists” with classrooms in need, today announced a landmark grant that enables DonorsChoose.org to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of individual classroom projects developed by teachers to promote college-readiness among students in high-need and underserved urban and rural public schools.
TV personality Stephen Colbert, a DonorsChoose.org board member, moderated the event where the announcement was made. “Double Your Impact” will be funded with a $4.1 million investment from the Gates Foundation and is expected to support more than 17,000 classroom projects, touching more than 300,000 students across the nation. By enabling DonorsChoose.org to contribute half of the required dollars, the grant helps to incentivize individual “citizen philanthropists” to donate and accelerate the process of fully funding projects. DonorsChoose.org enables teachers to describe specific educational projects for their classrooms and individuals to choose which projects to fund. This approach has been effective in funding projects in high-need and underserved schools.
“Teachers across the country are creating classroom projects and lessons that engage kids in creative and innovative ways. Generous citizen philanthropists, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s invaluable support, are making sure they have the materials needed to spark the passion for learning,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “This grant helps us drive attention and contributions to projects aimed at preparing kids to succeed in college.”
“DonorsChoose.org supports teachers in a truly powerful way—engaging the public in support of teachers and the innovative energy they bring to the classroom,” said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education at the Gates Foundation. “We hope this partnership will give citizen donors an added incentive to support projects that empower public school teachers to help prepare students to graduate ready to succeed in college and beyond.”
Today’s event was held at Manhattan Bridges High School in New York City, which has benefited from three teacher-submitted projects funded through the “Double Your Impact” initiative. Manhattan Bridges serves new immigrants and English Language Learners–historically academically-challenged demographics–and has consistently posted graduation rates significantly higher than the city average, in part due to its tailored programming for students.
“DonorsChoose.org allows people from all walks of life to help specific classrooms directly,” said Stephen Colbert. “As I endeavor to protect our children from bears, DonorsChoose.org is protecting public school kids from classrooms that lack the materials necessary to rigorously prepare them for college.”
While many organizations raise funds for basic school supplies, the DonorsChoose.org model supports specific classroom projects that are submitted and designed by any public school teacher in the U.S. to further defined educational goals. Under the “Double Your Impact” initiative, the requests eligible for 50 percent funding from DonorsChoose.org through the grant from the Gates Foundation are those that promote college-readiness. Such projects include student trips to college campuses as well as classroom books, SAT/ACT preparation materials, and other resources that strengthen the learning experience.
“DonorsChoose.org has helped provide the additional materials, such as college essay prep books, that can help teachers like me create programs that are targeted to the unique needs of our students and get them really excited about learning,” said Elizabeth Smith, a teacher at Manhattan Bridges High School. “My goal is to create opportunities for my students to learn in innovative, inspiring ways. This has made all the difference in what our students believe they can achieve.”
DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and student thank-you letters.
To date, 88,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $30.3 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through www.DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 1.8 million students from low-income families.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
SUPPORT: H.R. 1064
Youth PROMISE Act
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act:
To provide for evidence-based and promising practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention to help build individual, family, and community strength and resiliency to ensure that youth lead productive, safe, healthy, gang-free, and law-abiding lives.
Current Status:
The Committee voted to report the bill favorably to the whole House of Representatives by a vote of 17-14.
Fort Worth Independent School District, Community Action Team, Parent Team Leader
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
RE: Making the Classroom Seeable, Comprehendible, Rigorous, Engaging, Challenging & Entertaining
We have reached the 4G Multimedia level of communications and innovations for new modes of teaching and learning in the classroom. It is a new delivery system that can be effectively used to fulfill our purpose in education.
POSTULATE: People progress at an arithmetic rate. Technology progresses at a geometry rate.
ASSUMPTION: The general trend in mass public education inhibits intellectual growth. Impeding forces are old modes of thinking, and old production and education models.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
“Bill Gates Unplugged” is an open door to the exciting future in technology that can be applied in the classroom. This is not theory, but actual research in process. In other words, classroom teachers will not be able to dictate the new modes of learning. In fact, teachers are already woefully behind this generation of multimedia-hungry babies.
Following the Lead
Excerpts from a Texas teacher’s request:
I teach twenty-two energetic third graders at a public school in a very high-need community.
My students, who are accustomed to television and video games, need entertaining, engaging lessons to hold their attention and peak their interest.
Therefore, the prerequisite of any lesson in my classroom is it has to be engaging. The most engaging lessons need materials and technology. Technology is definitely scarce.
There are not enough LCD Projectors available at my school
She has requested help to purchase a “SAMSUNG SPL220 MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR”.
Total Project Cost: $826.82
Current Balance: $611.17
http://www.thenerds.net/SAMSUNG.SP_L220W_Multimedia_Projector.SPL220W.html
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Phone: +1.206.709.3400
Email: media@gatesfoundation.org
DonorsChoose.org
Jeremy Robinson-Leon
Phone: +1.212.784.5702
RE: Fort Worth ISD Research identified Needs
The FWISD CAT FAMILY Team includes a representative of Alcon Laboratories Corporate Giving program.
Current research reveals that 70% of those incarcerated, never were able to learn in school, because of poor eye sight.
We have seen a number of classroom requests for “projectors”, in order to enlarge the traditional blackboard.
The second discovery is the mode of delivery of learning materials. The multimedia generation is bored with the slow learning process.
We discovered this impediment in our Texas classroom. The state school system is moving away from hardback books to more online and multimedia software-driven curricula.
We were the first to introduce computers into inner city school classrooms, to make technology more accessible to the poor. We expanded computer placement through the FWISD school system, and are in process of placing online accessible computers in community GO Centers.
What is happening in cell phone technology and social online media has thrown us into a new teaching arena.
We have yet to catch up in the classroom, by making lesson content “seeable”, “comprehendible”, “rigorous, engaging, and challenging”, and “entertaining”. This is the type of delivery system we need in education for today’s generation.
The FWISD is the largest school district with whiteboards in every classroom. But not all teachers have explored or mastered its infinite multimedia features. There are still teachers who will do barely enough to get by.
We need to identify teachers who are hungry to teach and use innovative techniques in the classroom. The best vehicle to encourage teachers to supply their classrooms needs is through DonorsChoose.Org. A teacher can go there and convey their classroom needs to potential donors, for specific projects of all sizes.
DonorsChoose.org, Gates Foundation and Stephen Colbert Team Up to Support Teachers and Promote College Readiness for All
"Double Your Impact" program to fund 50 percent of teachers’ classroom projects aimed at promoting college readiness
NEW YORK -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and DonorsChoose.org, the online charity that connects individual “citizen philanthropists” with classrooms in need, today announced a landmark grant that enables DonorsChoose.org to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of individual classroom projects developed by teachers to promote college-readiness among students in high-need and underserved urban and rural public schools.
TV personality Stephen Colbert, a DonorsChoose.org board member, moderated the event where the announcement was made. “Double Your Impact” will be funded with a $4.1 million investment from the Gates Foundation and is expected to support more than 17,000 classroom projects, touching more than 300,000 students across the nation. By enabling DonorsChoose.org to contribute half of the required dollars, the grant helps to incentivize individual “citizen philanthropists” to donate and accelerate the process of fully funding projects. DonorsChoose.org enables teachers to describe specific educational projects for their classrooms and individuals to choose which projects to fund. This approach has been effective in funding projects in high-need and underserved schools.
“Teachers across the country are creating classroom projects and lessons that engage kids in creative and innovative ways. Generous citizen philanthropists, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s invaluable support, are making sure they have the materials needed to spark the passion for learning,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “This grant helps us drive attention and contributions to projects aimed at preparing kids to succeed in college.”
“DonorsChoose.org supports teachers in a truly powerful way—engaging the public in support of teachers and the innovative energy they bring to the classroom,” said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education at the Gates Foundation. “We hope this partnership will give citizen donors an added incentive to support projects that empower public school teachers to help prepare students to graduate ready to succeed in college and beyond.”
Today’s event was held at Manhattan Bridges High School in New York City, which has benefited from three teacher-submitted projects funded through the “Double Your Impact” initiative. Manhattan Bridges serves new immigrants and English Language Learners–historically academically-challenged demographics–and has consistently posted graduation rates significantly higher than the city average, in part due to its tailored programming for students.
“DonorsChoose.org allows people from all walks of life to help specific classrooms directly,” said Stephen Colbert. “As I endeavor to protect our children from bears, DonorsChoose.org is protecting public school kids from classrooms that lack the materials necessary to rigorously prepare them for college.”
While many organizations raise funds for basic school supplies, the DonorsChoose.org model supports specific classroom projects that are submitted and designed by any public school teacher in the U.S. to further defined educational goals. Under the “Double Your Impact” initiative, the requests eligible for 50 percent funding from DonorsChoose.org through the grant from the Gates Foundation are those that promote college-readiness. Such projects include student trips to college campuses as well as classroom books, SAT/ACT preparation materials, and other resources that strengthen the learning experience.
“DonorsChoose.org has helped provide the additional materials, such as college essay prep books, that can help teachers like me create programs that are targeted to the unique needs of our students and get them really excited about learning,” said Elizabeth Smith, a teacher at Manhattan Bridges High School. “My goal is to create opportunities for my students to learn in innovative, inspiring ways. This has made all the difference in what our students believe they can achieve.”
DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and student thank-you letters.
To date, 88,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $30.3 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through www.DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 1.8 million students from low-income families.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
SUPPORT: H.R. 1064
Youth PROMISE Act
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act:
To provide for evidence-based and promising practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention to help build individual, family, and community strength and resiliency to ensure that youth lead productive, safe, healthy, gang-free, and law-abiding lives.
Current Status:
The Committee voted to report the bill favorably to the whole House of Representatives by a vote of 17-14.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Family Information Night
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 2009
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Martin Luther King Center
5565 Truman Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76105
Find what services and basic resources are available for you and your family and the steps you should take to access these services.
YOUR TEXAS BENEFITS will be available from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm to provide information and assist families in signing up for CHIP, Children’s Medicaid, Food Stamps, and TANF.
FREE DINNER will be provided at 6:30 pm
DOOR PRIZE drawing will take place at 8:30 pm
Please call to register or obtain additional information:
Call (817) 457-3911 or Email gocenter@abchrist.org
In collaboration with the Fort Worth Independent School District Family Resource Centers (FRC) and Stop Six Community GO Center
Please bring with you:
• You photo ID
• Everyone’s Social Security card
• Children birth certificates
• Proof of income
• Resident verification (copy of lease, mortgage papers, letter from whom you stay with)
• Copy of Assets (utility bills, medical bills, child care, etc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR TEXAS BENEFITS:
Call 817-569-4778
Thursday, November 19, 2009
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Martin Luther King Center
5565 Truman Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76105
Be Informed!
Find what services and basic resources are available for you and your family and the steps you should take to access these services.
YOUR TEXAS BENEFITS will be available from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm to provide information and assist families in signing up for CHIP, Children’s Medicaid, Food Stamps, and TANF.
FREE DINNER will be provided at 6:30 pm
DOOR PRIZE drawing will take place at 8:30 pm
CHILDREN ARE WELCOME!
Please call to register or obtain additional information:
Call (817) 457-3911 or Email gocenter@abchrist.org
In collaboration with the Fort Worth Independent School District Family Resource Centers (FRC) and Stop Six Community GO Center
Please bring with you:
• You photo ID
• Everyone’s Social Security card
• Children birth certificates
• Proof of income
• Resident verification (copy of lease, mortgage papers, letter from whom you stay with)
• Copy of Assets (utility bills, medical bills, child care, etc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR TEXAS BENEFITS:
Call 817-569-4778
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