Citizen Brand

Children and Books go together

Imagine your childhood without books.  Too many children among us don't have to imagine.  And that is where First Book comes in.

I have had the opportunity to become more familiar with this great organization this week.  I had long heard about it and the work they do to make sure that children from low income families have the same access to new books that my kids had when they grew up.

First Book has had incredible results.  Consider this excerpt from their website:

Noted pollster Louis Harris has conducted an independent study to determine the effectiveness of the First Book model. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Education, surveyed 2,564 individuals over a 14-month period. The results of this study are compelling:

• First Book works for children. More than half of the children -- 55% -- reported having an increased interest in reading. Additionally, the number of young people demonstrating a "high interest in reading" nearly tripled (increasing from 23% to 61%) after receiving books from First Book.
  
  
• First Book works for local programs. 78% of the mentors, administrators and professionals running community-based tutoring and mentoring programs estimated that the "impact of First Book books on a child's desire to read" was "very important."
  
  
• First Book works for the community. The members of the First Book Local Advisory Boards surveyed were also overwhelmingly supportive of our efforts in their communities. 98% of them state that their community was "better off" because of First Book's work.

 There are so many ways to get involved with First Book.  If you know of companies that need a good cause, this is certainly one worth consideration.  Or if you just want to buy some new books yourself, the folks at First Book can help you find a good home for them.

Cats update

The first precincts are reporting and my cats and I are in the top five vote getters in the Fuzzyfotokc photo contest raising money for two great causes - the Kansas City Free Health Clinic and No More Homeless Pets.

Tell your friends and your family and total strangers to go to Fuzzyfotokc.com and cast your vote for me and my cats!

I promise I will write about other things or I could do like some public radio stations and offer to quit writing if you vote enough to put me in first place.

Okay, I will rest for now.

A Shining Light

It feels good to make a difference.  And some of our partners at Barkley Evergreen can feel very good today.

We have been working with an outstanding organization in Kansas City.  Higher M-Pact is not your usual nonprofit organization.  The heart and soul of the program is its founder, Tyrone Flowers and his wife and the administrator of the organization, Renee.  But the spirit of their efforts to help high risk, urban youth is spreading throughout the corporate and nonprofit sectors of Kansas City.  That was evident today as Higher M-Pact conducted its second annual Inspired M-Pact Community Luncheon.

Almost 500 persons attended the luncheon which featured former University of Pittsburgh and Dallas Cowboys star running back, Tony Dorsett.  Before the luncheon, Dorsett spent the morning at Higher M-Pact's community center meeting with some of the youth with which Tyrone and Renee and other volunteers work.  He said he told them he had always been told he was too small to play in high school; too small to play Division One; and too small to play in the National Football League.

Fortunately, this small guy didn't pay any attention to his doubters.  And that is the message and the mission of Higher M-Pact to the high risk youth of Kansas City:  don't listen to the people who will tell you your options are limited; that you will end up dead or in jail before you turn 18; and that there is no hope.

Higher M-Pact is our pro bono project for 2006.  We are helping to spread the message about how we can all help make a difference in the lives of our high risk youth.  And I could not be prouder of how our group has taken this on.  What was nice for all of them today was to actually be thanked for their efforts by many people.  It doesn't happen often enough.  And the thank you's today were heartfelt.

Here is one more thank you team.  Thank you from a very proud boss!