Giving Circle To Offer Workshops Aimed At PreventingHigh School Drop-out s12:00AM / Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Pittsfield – Mayor James M. Ruberto today announced that the Women of Color Giving Circle, in collaboration with the City of Pittsfield, and the Pittsfield Public Schools, is sponsoring two workshops to address the issue of student dropouts, designed to train and support parents to help their children succeed and flourish in school.
This announcement represents the Circle’s first cycle of grants that includes funding of this particular program, entitled: “Advocating for Our School Age Children.†The program was designed and will be led by Dr. Stephen D. Sneed, the Associate Dean of Williams College, who has a distinguished background in education and minority studies. The workshops are scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Monday, March 26th, 2007 and 7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 5th. Both will be held at Conte Community School, 200 West Union Street, Pittsfield.
“I am so pleased that the Women of Color Giving Circle has chosen to address this issue, as ensuring that all our children have the opportunity to succeed is critical,†said Ruberto. “This is not simply a school issue, it is not just a city issue. We have to recognize that keeping our kids in school is something that the entire community must treat as a top priority.â€
Founder of the Women of Color Giving Circle, Shirley Edgerton, said that keeping young people in school, particularly among the city’s minority population, has been discussed in Giving Circle meetings as a key issue.
“The purpose of this particular project is to help kids have a successful experience in the schools, because we’re very concerned about the dropout rate, and the rate for kids of color is even higher,†said Edgerton. “This is to help provide hope for the future.â€
The Women of Color Giving Circle was organized two years ago in Pittsfield to “be a resource which will inspire and mentor young girls and women of color to enhance their lives through education, social and spiritual development, while fostering dignity and confidence through self-respect, self-reliance and resilience.â€
The Circle is an affiliate of The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, and similar to the Fund, serves as a grant making entity to support projects and initiatives that reflect the mission of the Circle. Funds are raised from membership pledges, donors, and the Women’s Fund.
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