Program Seeks To Give Children Hope

Published: May 7, 2007
By Bob Loring

With summertime fast approaching, it is time to communicate our The American Dream plans for 2007.

On June 13, TAD will convene our sixth Congress of the American Dream Practitioners. TAD is an assembly of Pasco community leaders and concerned citizens seeking to alleviate the plight of children living in abject poverty.

This year, our congress will be held on the west campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College in New Port Richey. Delegates will consider how communities can work together to become more self-sufficient and self-sustaining.

We will look at two practical programs that work toward that purpose. Pasco's own "Morning Star Fishermen" project and Miami's "Roots in the City" project will be fully examined.

Our keynote speaker will be Ardian Zika, a vice president of Wachovia Bank. He will share his highly personal experience of achieving the American dream.

The congress, as in the past, is open to the public. We anticipate that most of our child care agencies will send a delegate to represent their program. As always, there will be ample time for delegates to network, exchange ideas and discuss workable solutions for many of our current child care challenges.

Note: We are most pleased to announce that Wachovia Bank will be our corporate sponsor for this year's TAD Congress.

Again this summer, we will be collecting school supplies for many impoverished children. We hope to provide needed supplies to many of our Toys for Tots children. After the main school supplies distribution, we will distribute the remaining items to various Title I schools in Pasco County.

Toys for Tots of East Pasco, meanwhile, will again attempt to exceed the number of needy children we assist at Christmastime. We will distribute toys, food and other essential items to the children of fully registered families.

With the valuable assistance of many organizations, groups and individuals, we aim to serve more than 3,500 needy tots in five areas throughout east and central Pasco.

In the fall, we shall again be offering a class for high school students: Community Organization: Theory & Practice. It will be offered at PHCC's east campus in Dade City. The course is designed for community-minded Pasco students. And again this year, we will be asking groups and organizations to assist these students by paying their fees.

Here, we will seek to train our future community leaders in the art and science of how communities are organized and how they operate. This course was our first step in creating an educational component for the TAD model.

Finally and most importantly, we shall be circulating a "needs assessment" document to all participating delegates. We will ask their support for establishing a Pasco-based center for community studies.

After eight years of examining the problems facing families of impoverished children, it has become clear to me that we need to augment the education of our youth to include the study of how communities are built and operate. The proposed center for community studies would hold awe-inspiring implications for the future of Pasco students and others. This year's TAD agenda involves seeking funding to study and establish such a center.

We gratefully welcome any feedback from our neighbors and friends. The American Dream is the birthright of all our American youth. Please consider attending the sixth TAD Congress and join us in empowering our most prized possession - our children.

See you on June 13 on the west campus of PHCC. Registration will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

The writer, a Zephyrhills area resident, started The American Dream (TAD) initiative in Pasco County and is the lead organizer for Toys for Tots of East Pasco.

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