POLITICS, MILK & COOKIES, A TEA PARTY TWIST…LIZA MCFADDEN, OUR CEO & PRESIDENT, TALKS WITH DAVE LAWRENCE, LEADER OF NEW CHILDREN’S MOVEMENT

Q. After many successful years in the journalism profession, you retired and began working on early childhood advocacy. What inspired the change in career and your passion to fight for children’s rights?

A. Then Gov. Lawton Chiles recruited me in 1996 to take on a two-year statewide civic assignment. (I was still publisher of The Miami Herald, and continued to be until my retirement at the beginning of 1999.) The appointment was to join the Governor’s Commission on Education and, subsequently, to chair the School Readiness Task Force. What I learned led me to believe that the very future of community and country depended on investing in high-quality services in the early childhood years when the return on investment is by far the greatest.

Q. You’ve started the Children’s Movement of Florida “Milk Party” campaign. How did the name and movement come into existence?

A: Serendipitously! We were talking about the Tea Party, and our principal strategist Sergio Bendixen suggested – at first really as a throwaway line – Milk Parties. It captured my imagination, and we adopted it quickly (and so are now serving milk and cookies everywhere). Doing right by the future of children is a most serious subject, but a smile about the “Milk Party” designation is worthwhile, too.

Q. Volunteer USA Foundation is proud of its own work to promote mentoring, and we’re proud to see it is one of the tenets of the campaign. What can leaders in our mentoring movement do to support this effort?

A: High-quality, best-practice mentoring is among The Children’s Movement’s first five areas of focus. Florida has been a leader in mentoring programs, and most of all we need to expand significantly the best mentoring programs that already exist in Florida. That means real involvement and leadership from the business, civic, faith community and other leaders in our state.

Q. How do our readers follow the tour, and how this effort unfolds?

A: The best way to follow the tour – in addition to daily print and broadcast journalism — is on the website for The Children’s Movement of Florida, accessible via www.childrensmovementflorida.org. The full “Milk Party Tour” itinerary is there – and much else.

RAYS’ FANS & VOLUNTEER USA HIT ONE OUT OF THE PARK!

~Join the eco-volunteer craze and earn a FREE pass to any State Park!~
Tampa Bay Rays baseball fans are stepping up to the plate to help preserve Florida’s state parkscourtesy of eco-VolunteerUSA(TM). Fans of the Rays, or any fans of State Parks, who sign up as a volunteer for one of our upcoming park projects, can earn a free entry pass to enjoy a Florida state park in the future. See a list of projects here.

The eco-VolunteerUSA(TM) team members help conserve Florida’s most important natural resources through fun and easy park projects including beach cleanups, removal of non-native plants, trail clearing, or building an ADA compliant walkway. The short-term service opportunities are perfect for individuals, families, clubs and groups…anyone who loves the great outdoors.

However, volunteering doesn’t mean all work and no play. Eco-volunteers, please post pictures and comments about your volunteer park experience on our Facebook page. You can also see our current Florida parks project list at www.eco-volunteerusa.org. For more information, call 850-562-5300 or email Christine.Small@volunteerusafund.org.

DOES MENTORING A YOUTH MATTER?

Candace, a 23-year-old college graduate, fought the odds that were stacked against her. She spent 10 years in the foster care system, coming from a large family where she suffered abuse, neglect, and molestation from the very people who were supposed to care most.

Instead of letting her negative environment get the best of her, Candace chose to pursue a college education and today she’s a motivational speaker and plans to get her Master’s degree. So when she heard about Jaleesa, a 17-year-old high school senior, she quickly identified with the foster teen’s tough background. Candace decided to become a mentor to the teen becoming her mentor through a program funded by Volunteer USA and managed by the Family Services of Metro Orlando.

The new comrades have been meeting for about eight months now. Candace say’s she’s seen a definite change in the teen’s behavior and aspirations. Jaleesa now wants to go to college and turns to Candace for guidance. “Growing up in foster care, I had a lot of mothers to replace the mother I lost,” Candace said. “I’m just trying to be a big sister for Jaleesa, and I hope the time I share with her helps another young person.”

Foster youth face an especially challenging road. Sadly, only 54% graduate from high school and just 2% earn college degrees. That’s why, late last year a pilot program was created to mentor foster teens in Central Florida. Data from the first six months indicates significant improvement in academic achievement among the mentored foster youth:

- School attendance improved 400 percent

- 85% percent of the foster mentees passed to the next grade level in high school

- 12% earned a GED

With the early success of the pilot mentor program thanks to supporters like the Darden Foundation several other foster groups in Florida are now interested in starting up a mentoring program and business sponsors are needed to support the need. Please contactliza.mcfadden@volunteerusafund.org about sponsorship opportunities.

Click here to find local contact information about foster youth in your community.

ENTER CONTEST TO WIN FREE CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Volunteer USA joins schools and other nonprofits to observe National Literacy Day in September. So what better way to celebrate literacy and learning then by giving away free books! Thanks to a donation from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, we’ve created a contest for schools, classrooms, libraries and other nonprofit groups to each win FREE books.

The books are great for children between the ages of 4 -8. The five titles include “Monkey and Me,” “Diego’s Wolf Pup Rescue,” “Duck for President,” “When Dinosaurs Came with Everything” and “Romeo and Lou Blast Off.”

Contest Details:On our Facebook page, we want to hear why your school library, classroom or nonprofit really needs the books, what makes you stand out above the rest? Post your idea on our wall by September 30. The first 100 nonprofit folks to post will win 10 free books to add to their libraries.

CAPTAINS OF OUR SHIP….LEADERS & BELIEVERS WHO STEER VOLUNTEER USA’S VOYAGE

We spend a lot of time talking about the great foot soldiers behind this charity…the volunteers, literacy advocates and contributors who support our programs to make a difference in the lives of families.

This month we add Alan Levine, a champion for health. Alan is the senior vice-president of Health Management Associates. He has previously worked in Governor Bobby Jindal’s Cabinet as Secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals as well as Secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration during the administration of former Governor Jeb Bush. Alan is also a passionate volunteer and youth mentor making time as a “big brother” Boy Scouts and as a Guardian ad-Litem, advocating for children in the foster care and child welfare system. Welcome Alan Levine.

Volunteer USA Board of Directors

Jeb Bush, Honorary Board Chair Jeb Bush and Associates, LLC

Barney Bishop, Board Chair President/CEO Associated Industries of Florida

Gwynn C. Virostek, Board Vice-Chair Senior Vice President, First Federal Bank of Florida

Tim Gage Vice President, Comcast Cable

David Griffin President/CEO David Griffin Consulting, Inc.

Alan Levine Senior Vice-President, Health Management Associates

Liza McFadden President/CEO, Volunteer USA Foundation

Bill Simon President/CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, US