ASC announces new fund supporting CMS schools

In yesterday’s Charlotte Observer, I was very happy to read an article about a new fund to help provide field trips and other cultural activities for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School students. As we all know there have been many cuts in place to the schools and the libraries and the children are the ones who lose out. Many businesses are pledging millions of dollars to help support these children. According to December 13th Charlotte Observer article, “ASC launches $1 million fund for schools,”

The council has $600,000 pledged to what officials hope will be a new $1 million education fund, which will supplement the annual campaign that starts Jan. 19. Bank of America and the Wells Fargo Foundation have each pledged $200,000, while the Duke Energy Foundation and the C.D. Spangler Foundation have pledged $100,000 each.

The new drive strives to plug a hole left by cuts in public money, as well as a fund-raising slump and dwindling endowment earnings. The ASC now spends about $500,000 to provide opportunities for CMS students, compared with $1.5 million in previous years, said President Scott Provancher.

The result: CMS students are missing chances to visit new uptown arts museums and the newly renovated Discovery Place…

We are excited to hear about this fund, and it is also coming at a time when we ourselves are striving to begin our Beyond the Classroom initiative. We are hoping to raise money in order to send our abused and neglected foster children to one week of camp, or any extracurricular activity of their choice. Many children are going without these opportunities as their schools begin to end field trips, and art classes and choir or band classes are disappearing from our schools. In my personal opinion, children need these activities in order to raise their self-esteem and help them realize that they are talented young individuals. With such an emphasis being placed on academic grades lately, these activities are sure to help children feel better about themselves and their abilities. In order for our children to reach their full potential they need these opportunities.

We are very excited about the ASC fund for schools, and our own Beyond the Classroom initiative. It is great to see that our local corporations, and our citizens, recognize the importance of art, science, field trips and extracurricular activities.

Proposed Closure of CMS Schools

This post is from a colleague at the Guardian ad Litem Advocacy Foundation, Anamita Gall.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commission motions to close down E.E. Waddell High School, and make significant changes to many other schools and Charlotte Mecklenburg School system programs. What does this mean for children in foster care, another move? Another loss? It is estimated that every time a child is moved they fall behind 6 months in school. On average, children in the Mecklenburg county foster system move between 2-3 times per year. The Guardian ad Litem Advocacy (GALA) Foundation urges the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community to take notice and strive to improve the social structures that we all rely on.

The heated protests, the public demonstrations by concerned students, officials and parents, and debates throughout Charlotte, clearly reflect this community’s concern for the future of its children. The NAACP involvement in this situation points to issues of race involved. The Charlotte Observer reports some interesting facts “Most speakers were critical of the plans crafted by Superintendent Peter Gorman and hashed out after five months of board meetings and public forums. Many noted that closings and other major changes would land disproportionately on schools serving minority and low-income students. Only about 5% of students in the schools slated to close are white, compared with a third district-wide.” Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/09/1824769/more-than-100-will-address-cms.html#ixzz14u1kjyw2

There is a disproportionate number of minority children in the Mecklenburg County foster care system who may be affected by these decisions. We may not be able to influence the number or backgrounds of children in care, but we can effect their experience in the system. The GALA Foundation challenges you to also consider the effect this has on children who have no one to be their voice in these systems.