Community Engagement Archives - Page 2 of 5

Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, with Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City, at the FUEL launch event at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn. Photograph courtesy Office of the First Lady, New York City.

Robin Hood FUELs the Future for Children

Shares Brain Science, Strategically Partners to Create an Early Learning Metropolis

Linda Shockley·Jul 16, 2019·6 min read

The greatest city in the world. More than 100,000 children 0-3 growing up in poverty. Two facts that are painful to reconcile. This is a job for Robin Hood. Unafraid to challenge the seemingly intractable, the grant maker and all-around poverty fighter combines rigorous data and strategic partnerships with powerhouse fundraising. Here’s the story behind the $50 million, five-year Fund for Early Learning (FUEL) .

Bird by Bird: Mya-Rose Craig’s Campaign for the Planet

Mark Swartz·Aug 7, 2019·4 min read

Mya-Rose Craig, 17-years old, has followed her passion for birds and the environment to create and galvanize a community of activists of all ages. In the process, as a young Muslim woman, she’s been trolled on social media. Not an insurmountable problem, though, as Mya-Rose is keeping her eye on a larger issue: saving the planet.

Beth Duda reads to an adorable toddler in a laundromat

Mobilizing Communities So All Children Make the Grade

Pop Up Neighbor events, community, collaboration, mobilization

K.C. Compton·Aug 8, 2019·9 min read

Even without advance promotion, when word got out that the SuperMatt Laundromat in Sarasota, Florida, was offering free laundry all day, neighborhood residents formed a steady stream of customers. Not only was laundry-and-all-the-fixings free—a boon to low-income families who can ill afford the $35 to $50 a week they spend trying to keep their kids in clean clothes—the food bank was there with abundant food to restock their pantries. Best of all, there were books—lots of books—and plenty of volunteers to read to children while the adults did as many loads of laundry as needed. When the children left, books went home with them.

Teacher-Coordinator Autumn Bevins reads aloud to children and mentors.

Why Don’t We Just Do That?

Over Cocktails, Restaurateurs Hatch a Plan for Literacy

K.C. Compton·Aug 8, 2019·4 min read

Three years ago, Amanda and John Horne, owners of Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Bradenton, Florida, heard that 51 percent of children in their local Manatee County school system couldn’t read at grade level by third grade. They were appalled. “This was horrific,” Amanda says. “We had no idea that this was an issue.” Over cocktails one night, Amanda and John wondered what they could do. Their clientele is largely composed of older “grandparent-type” people. They have four restaurants and a mailing list of more than 24,000 customers. What if they could pair children up with a grandparent figure or somebody who cares about them, read with them and maybe instill them with a love of reading?

Molly of Denali takes a selfie with her friends

PBS’ “Molly of Denali” a Hit with Kids and Parents

Young, Indigenous Vlogger Introduces Life in Rural Alaska

Kim Baca·Sep 6, 2019·5 min read

Molly Mabray is a 10-year-old of three Athabascan tribes, Gwich’in, Koyukon, Dena’ina, who lives in a small Indigneous village in rural Alaska. She’s also PBS’ newest character in the slate of children’s animated shows and the first Native American lead in history. So far “Molly of Denali” has been a hit not only among its target audience of ages 4 to 8 but with their parents and those who have grown enamored with Molly.