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Summer of Success | August 2015
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Beating the Odds for 25 Years: A Night at the Newseum
Help us celebrate 25 years of the CDF Beat the Odds®
scholarship and leadership development program with some of our alumni and
current scholars, now more than 900 strong, who have followed their dreams of
college thanks to your support. They are doctors and lawyers, teachers and
college professors, engineers and others continuing to give back to
their communities.
Come to our 25th Anniversary Beat the Odds Celebration at the Newseum
on November 5, 2015 for a night to remember with CDF President Marian Wright
Edelman and former and current members of CDF's Board of Directors. Meet and support our
remarkable 2015 Beat the Odds
awardees from the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Please consider
becoming a sponsor or making a donation to support a program that is offering
hope and making a difference in lives every day. Join us for a night at the
Newseum, tickets are now available for purchase.
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Summer Success in CDF Freedom Schools® Program
Summer’s over and so is the CDF Freedom Schools summer program. We are so grateful to all those
who made a difference in children’s lives including our partners in 28 states,
the trainers and site coordinators, and the college students – the servant
leader interns who dedicate their summers to teach and mentor the children. We
are enormously appreciative of all who sponsor CDF Freedom Schools programs around the country. We also give special thanks to
the reporters and editors who write stories on this empowering program and help
us spread the word.
Here is a small sample of what they reported in July and August:
South End Students Bring "Hope" to City Hall South Seattle Emerald (8/3/15)
[Close to 150 children and youth] made their voices heard, calling for
change and sending an inspiring message of hope to Seattle Public Schools
administrators, Mayor Ed Murray, councilmember John Okamoto, and many other
community leaders that joined in solidarity. These students, called scholars, were from the Children’s Defense Fund
(CDF) Freedom Schools at two South-End sites—Rainier Ave. Church and Rainier
Beach High School. ... On Friday, scholars took their voices to the streets as they
marched from the John Stanford Center to City Hall on the Day of Social Action,
protesting Seattle Public Schools 2.0 mile walk zone. (read more)
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Kansas City Church Offers Building, Resources for Freedom School Mennonite World Review (8/17/15)
It’s hard for Rachel
Hostetler to pick a favorite story from her seven years with Freedom
School, a six-week, full-day summer enrichment program held at Rainbow
Mennonite Church. She remembered how several years ago,
special space was made for two children after their family experienced a
tragedy. A few years later, the mother knew two children that wanted to
return to Freedom School but had moved, so she went out of her way to
help them sign up and provided transportation for them all summer. Another year, a mother who wanted to give back to the program offered to design flyers for a Freedom School fundraiser. 'It gave her experience using
the computer,' said Hostetler, executive director of Rainbow’s Freedom
School and the community services coordinator for Rainbow Mennonite. 'She was so proud. It was a big deal.' (read more)
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Blumenthal
Looks to Inspire Freedom School Students by Letting Them Explore Live Theater WFAE.90.7 (7/28/15)
On a recent Thursday in uptown Charlotte, 1,100 Freedom School
students unloaded from buses and trooped into the Blumenthal Performing
Arts Center to see a matinee performance of "Annie," the Tony
Award-winning musical. For some, it was their first time attending a Broadway-style show. Reggie Miller of Charlotte was typical. 'I’m
excited to see all the action,' said the young African American
student. 'I’m really looking forward to seeing the dancing. I never saw
the movie or the play.' In an effort to inspire students who
otherwise might never see a Broadway musical, Blumenthal Performing Arts
has been working with Freedom Schools though a program called "Arts for
All." The partnership began in 2013 when Blumenthal hosted about 1,000
Freedom School students for a performance of "The Lion King." (read more)
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Freedom
School Provides New Hope for Probationary Youth in Alameda County East Bay Express (7/31/15)
When
Monica Vaughan said, 'Good morning,' the group of 32 young men seated in the
sun-drenched auditorium jumped to their feet. 'Good morning — G-O-O-D
M-O-R-N-I-N-G!' they chanted, clapping their hands and stomping their
feet. Some of the young men danced. Vaughan laughed, taking the welcome in stride. ... Vaughn [chief of schools
for the Alameda County Office of Education] was there as a guest speaker at a
special six-week summer reading program at Freedom School at Camp Wilmont
Sweeney, a youth probation camp in the hills of San Leandro. ... 'We’re trying to see what’s going to
get them to think differently, to want to be different, to want to have an
outcome that is different than what the statistics tell them their outcome will
be and help them find the spaces they will fit in and that will get them to be
where they want to be,' [LaDonna] Harris, [Alameda County Chief Probation Officer,]
said. ...The program is organized thematically — this summer, the theme is
making a difference. Each week, the students read books and do projects based
on themes ranging from making a personal difference to making a difference in
the community or the world. (read more)
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Freedom Schools: A
Year Later Ohio Department of Youth
Services (7/29/15)
Youth
D has much enthusiasm in his voice when he talks about the Freedom Schools
program. “It’s fun. It’s motivating. It’s positive,” said the 18-year-old youth
from the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility (CHJCF). Since the program was launched at DYS in
July 2014, a total of 129 youth have completed the six-week, voluntary
program. Many youth are hesitant at
first to attend a Freedom Schools session, but by the last day they are
inquiring about the dates of the next session. “Freedom Schools allows
youth to increase their reading levels by utilizing cheers, chants and team
building exercises to create a high energy learning environment,” said
Cornelius Lawrence, Site Coordinator of Freedom Schools at Circleville Juvenile
Correctional Facility (CJCF). DYS launched Freedom Schools last year in
partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund to enhance existing educational
services. Ohio is the first juvenile justice system to offer the program
statewide. Jennifer Sanders,
Superintendent of Buckeye United Schools, points out that the biggest impact of
the Freedom Schools program is in the area of youth behavior. “We have seen a
significant increase in positive behavior, while acts of violence have dropped
50-60%,” she said. Youth D, who will be released from DYS in a few weeks, has
nothing but praise for the Freedom Schools program. “I’m glad DYS is offering
it,” he said. He is interested in working as a Freedom Schools counselor so he
can help others.
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Unequal Lives
A new report “Unequal Lives: The State of Black Women and
Families in the Rural South” details startling new findings. More than 1 in 4 children and nearly as
many women live in poverty; the poverty rate is more than double for Blacks and
Latinos compared to their White counterparts. The report was produced by the
Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative that is administered by the Children’s
Defense Fund-Southern Regional Office. This should be required reading for all
political leaders, philanthropists, and advocates who want to level the playing
field for all, particularly for our most vulnerable women and children.
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#EndYouthSolitary
Even
if social media is beyond you, we wanted to share CDF’s leadership and
coalition partnership work on the vital lifesaving reform of ending solitary
confinement in the juvenile justice system. CDF’s work in Ohio has helped to restrict the use of this harsh
disciplinary practice that can severely damage youth mental health and
sometimes lead to suicide. This month CDF-California joined with the Ella Baker
Center for Human Rights and the Youth Justice Coalition to host a
#EndYouthSolitary Twitter Chat to educate and advocate for California
legislation that would do just that. Ultimately California’s bill did not pass, but CDF never gives up. Please support these lifesaving efforts to end youth solitary in
your state.
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Do Something Grand
Did you know millions of children across our country rely on
their grandparents to provide a safe home and to keep their families together? More than 5.7 million children are living in
households headed by a grandparent or other relative, often three generations
sharing scarce resources. These grandparents and relative caregivers are
providing vital care, stability and continuity. Close to a million children live with a
grandparent with no parent in the home. Join us on September 13, National
Grandparents Day, in celebrating these amazing grandparents. Plan something Grand, share success stories
of those raised by grandparents and support policies and programs that assist
“Grandfamilies” in your community. For action ideas and resources visit www.grandparentsday.org.
Learn more about the work CDF is doing to
support kinship families.
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No Hungry Children in America
Rich
America should have no hungry children and critically important federal child nutrition
legislation, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, needs to be reauthorized this year. Congress is expected to work on these vital supports for poor
and low-income children including the School Breakfast, National School Lunch,
Summer Food Service and Child and Adult Care Food programs when members return in September. CDF will closely monitor congressional activity to ensure adequate
funding for these lifelines. Stay tuned for information and requests for
action. Read CDF President, Marian Wright Edelman’s written
testimony submitted to the Congressionally-mandated National Commission on Hunger for
recommendations on the effective use of these existing programs and funds, and
how together these supports provide a safety net for America’s most vulnerable
children.
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Early Learning Opportunity
Join the Children’s Defense Fund, the Educational Testing
Service and Sesame Workshop for an inspiring and provocative day of learning
and discussion at the National Press Club on September 18, 2015 in Washington,
D.C. “Success Starts Young: Closing
Achievement Gaps Where They Begin – A National Symposium on Early Learning
Standards, Kindergarten Readiness, and Technology and Early Learning” features
thought leaders and expert panels with opportunity for robust discussion with
participants to foster learning and offer solutions to help close achievement
gaps among young children. Register
today for this free learning opportunity open to the public.
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Summer Interns
We are grateful for the difference all the CDF summer
interns made for children over the past three months. Their important
contributions helped make our CDF Freedom Schools® national training for 2,000
college students, educators and juvenile justice officers;
our Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry for 500 faith
leaders, seminarians and child advocates; and many additional CDF policy and
communications efforts a huge success. We
have high expectations for the newest members of the CDF family and their
advocacy for children today and tomorrow.
Mackenzie Cate – James
Madison University, Senior
Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® Program Intern
Interning with CDF
Freedom Schools program has empowered and inspired me to continue in my path as
a child advocate, I was able to directly serve the scholars in the program and
learn effective ways to stand for all children.
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Wendy Briggs –
Juniata College, Senior
Children's Defense Fund Communications Intern
I’ve heard a lot about
America’s problems, but the CDF is one of the few places where I’ve heard about
solutions.
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Julia Yao – Columbia
Mailman School of Public Health, MPH Candidate
Children's Defense Fund Policy Intern
CDF’s amazing staff
gave us the gift of inspiration – after a summer of invaluable learning and
conversations, they affirmed that we can truly help shape the world.
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Sara Esposito – State
University of New York at Geneseo, Senior
Children's Defense Fund Policy Intern
Within the walls of 25
E Street and beyond the rolling grass of Haley Farm, the love, dedication, and
compassion that the Children’s Defense Fund embodies makes it a family.
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Thank you for your continued dedication to CDF's Leave No Child Behind® mission.
Please share this message with your networks. Encourage them to support our work or join our mailing list.
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