Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet’s Post

A holiday update, for any connections that may be interested: Having grown from 20 newly minted high school grads and four communities just two years ago to 300 and 60 communities this past summer, the American Exchange Project is rather convincingly demonstrating that there's hope for depolarizing America, one high school at a time. In any case, it's great for the kids who participate in our exchanges, from Little Rock to Anchorage, Montana to Maine, the Bronx to Kilgore, Texas, as our website (https://lnkd.in/dUVpqcK) and the media coverage there attests, particularly the CBS Sunday Morning segment link and this shorter -- please forgive the industry lingo -- "sizzle reel": https://lnkd.in/e7DsqvVv But to scale AEP, we need to fund vastly more exchanges. Yes, we're in 50+ locations, but as I learned when researching the total to be reached, there are 19,500 incorporated communities in America.   We've gotten help from foundations like the Rockefeller Brothers fund and MacArthur, philanthropists like Mike Milken and Steven Spielberg, but we need way more support. And we need a whole lot more people to know about how we're helping communities send and host. So here's the pitch: that you share this and help us get your community involved. host a luncheon, dinner, cocktail party or other event to which you and we can invite people who might be interested. And/or donate, either by check to AEP, 38 Balcom Road, Sudbury MA 01776, or via our website. Remember, we’re a registered non-profit, so folks can contribute directly from their Required Minimum Distributions, reducing the taxable amount. That's what Jan and I do. For those of you wanting more detail on what we need to sign on a new community:  1. An Exchange Manager--a local educator who can run the program 2. The blessing of the principal to work in the high school 3. A community leader--a connected adult who can help us put together a great itinerary and connect to folks in the community 4. A host family coordinator--a local adult, usually a parent, who can recruit and assist with host families 5. A plan to raise funds in the community to help support the program, if possible The relevant contact: Jessica Golden (jgolden@americanexchangeproject.org) Thank you. Paul

If you ever participated in collegiate recovery, had a friend of loved one who was involved with collegiate recovery, or wish you or a loved one had access to a collegiate recovery program at their college or trade school, please consider making a gift to Students Recover. As the first online recovery community specifically for post-secondary students our goal is to expand access to any student in or seeking recovery from substance use and mental health issues. Help us reach our goal of expanding access to recovery. We are halfway to our goal. Every dollar brings us closer to our goal. #CollegiateRecoveryWeek #RecoveryIsPossible #Recovery #SUD #MentalHealth #StudentsRecover https://lnkd.in/dUqBZ8Qr

Did you know that applying for the largest scholarship out there is not the easiest or smartest way to get aid for school? Large corporations offering scholarships are flooded with individuals seeking scholarships that shell out big money, while many smaller, more local scholarships are often overlooked. If you start early and spend time researching places in your own backyard, like your local community foundations, you can often find scholarships available that will help begin closing the gaps. https://lnkd.in/grvPPDtX

Exciting news for charter schools in Nevada! Check out this article from the74 about how the $100M Nevada Facilities Fund is transforming charter schools in the state.

As we approach year end, charitable giving is typically front of mind. Did you know the state of Georgia has some great programs to re-direct state income tax dollars to local non-profits and institutions. Two of them include: Georgia GOAL lets you direct tax dollars to a local school of choice. These funds have to be used for tuition assistance. https://lnkd.in/dyBvKcNd The state also allows you to direct tax dollars to qualified law enforcement foundations. The funds will be used to train officers, purchase or maintain equipment or go towards establishing a mental health co-responder program. https://lnkd.in/dh6RHJ-m For example, if you are going to pay $1,500 in state income taxes, you can elect to make a $1,500 contribution to your local police foundation and/or school and you will receive a $1,500 credit towards your state tax liability. Applications must be in by 12/31. This is a great way to contribute directly to your community- for "free." For more year end planning strategies, feel free to reach out to myself or any of my Fox Rothschild colleagues.

Glass half empty post, but hear me out, because I/we/schools need you... So many needs are going unmet, and it pains me every day. In my role, I need people power and a semi-truckload of funding power every day, but today I/my team needs it STAT to further our reach. Activate Good received THIRTY applications for The eLOVEate Schools Project (nearly double the number we received last year!). It pained me to close the application when today's deadline came. Many moons ago I was a teacher in the lowest performing district of SC, and I KNOW the vastness of the needs of public schools and still aim to be a champion for them. As I review these applications, I am blown away by the sheer volume of needs that is detailed within them.  Due to this being the last year of our funding for this project and our small but mighty capacity, we can only select SIX schools for the next cohort. This also really pains me. Currently this program brings volunteer support and community resources to under-resourced schools in Wake County, and countless impacts have been made over our two years of this heart driven work. Other counties have reached out to inquire about expanding this program. We DREAM of broadening our reach and are filled with ideas, but we would LOVE to talk through them with the people who can really care and can HELP us expand our efforts. We need more staff on our team, we need more sponsors for transformative projects, and we need it all right now to help meet the needs in our schools and beyond. If you're passionate about education, we need you to volunteer. If your company, church, university, or group can financially support transformative projects, we need your support. If you're still reading my soapbox rant, know that I appreciate you more than you know. As you ponder how to help our scappy team with its efforts, let these quotes from the applications sink in: "Everything is old and feels trashed." 💔 "We need to have a building that screams a welcoming, positive, and clean environment for both staff, students and families." "We want our students to SEE themselves in our building and feel like this is a place they want to be (attendance is hovering around 51% missing 6 or more days a year). School should be a place of JOY, and we need help getting there!" EVERY school community should have this and SO MUCH MORE.

https://lnkd.in/eMtV9TtY Many of Pennsylvania's community colleges continue to take costly measures to prevent the delay in state funding from impacting students and employees, including drawing on limited reserves or expensive lines of credit. But time will run out.   Community colleges remain the only public higher education institutions in Pennsylvania still awaiting funds authorized in the state's 2023-24 budget.-- funds that over 245,000 students are counting on for their education. Tell Your State Lawmakers Not to Leave Harrisburg Without Ending the Delay in State Funding for Pennsylvania's Community Colleges

NEW STUDENTS 👋 If you’re starting uni or a new course and want to apply for a Snowdon Trust grant, don’t forget you’ll first need to: ✅ get in touch with DSA to find out what support they can provide ✅ contact your uni/college's support services for reasonable adjustments 👉 We can support you with your extra disability-related study costs that aren’t covered elsewhere. We know this can take time, so don’t worry if you miss our first panel - we’ll be holding another in the autumn Find out more about our grants via the QR code or at https://lnkd.in/eTNgG_36 🔗 #DisabledStudents #InclusiveEducation #DisabilityInclusion #FurtherEducation #HigherEducation #funding

Are we helping or hurting? That is a question many residents of San Francisco ask ourselves in the midst of a stark and increasing equity gap. As a parent, community member, and incoming board member of the Horizons at San Francisco Friends School, I’m keenly aware of the potential learning loss our public school students in the Mission District experience in the summer months without our support. Our city is undergoing another crisis - looming budget cuts threaten vital programs like Horizons at SFFS that provide equitable learning for Mission youth. We urgently need your support to secure bridge funding and ensure our summer enrichment continues. Our scholars and families are relying on Horizons' high-quality academics and social-emotional growth.  Horizons has been successfully leveraging the months when students are out of school to stem summer learning loss for children in San Francisco for ~10 years. The program has also intentionally increased impact by supporting their scholars through their educational journey during the school year and into High School. Last year, Horizons impacted 150+ scholars with targeted small classroom instruction, confidence-building, and joyful community enrichment experiences- thanks to our dedicated summer education workforce. But we can't continue without you. Please join me in supporting Horizons at SFFS today to expand partnerships, engage more crisis-impacted families, and grow our supportive community stronger. In past years, the SF Department of Children, Youth and Families has been a partner to increase access to education for our students. This summer, as we face a potential 40% loss to our summer program due to DCYF funding cuts that have impacted so many vital programs in our city, we’ve decided to celebrate Horizons Giving Day, the whole month of May. Please join me in our movement - your gift saves the summer for San Francisco scholars and helps bridge the educational equity gap in our city. Let’s help together. In gratitude, friendship and community, Aneesha #GiveTheGiftofSummer #SparkPassions #HorizonsGivingDay https://lnkd.in/gJAYnibC Links for reference: Horizons at SFFS: https://lnkd.in/gfsdugDX Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/gZc2jn85 Press Release on DCYF Loss of Funding: https://lnkd.in/gNprpSyB

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