2008-20010 Community Improvement Project

Focus on the Kids

Focus on the Kids is about partnering with our local schools to bring programs to the

children in our communities where the schools either lack the funding to bring the

program in and/or lacks in the human resources, the volunteers, to make it happen. The

CIP steering committee had an initial meeting with the administration of the local schools

just to see if this was a partnership they would be interested in pursuing and the response

was overwhelmingly positive. The administrators had so many ideas for programs they

would like to see; it was amazing how the ideas just kept coming!!! This CIP may

require some fundraising, but would mainly require us to pull our communities into

action, to organize and energize all ages in our communities to work together to help our

future – Our Children. Let’s try to develop a greater sense of service and volunteerism in

our community, at all ages.

An example of a program for High School age would be to obtain the ‘drunk’ glasses and

have these kids simulate driving drunk to get the message across that driving and

drinking do not mix. For the younger children, there is a program where we can learn

more about the ‘different’ kids we see in our schools. We have autistic children, children

with downs, children with cerebral palsy, etc. But no one ever really takes the time to

teach our children what it is like to be ‘different’, or answer the questions these kids have.

Many of us do not know a lot about these diseases and disabilities so we are not in a

position to talk with our children on this topic. So, let’s bring in people who can, let’s

teach empathy, tolerance and understanding!!!