By Marie Coichy

In these tough times, it is absolutely vital that we raise our voices for afterschool programs, many of which are threatened by budget cuts and shrinking revenues. I've had the chance to hear from so many of our Afterschool for All program partners who are dealing with the impact of the recession. Just a few weeks ago, a program director in Mississippi called to let me know that her town's only afterschool program is in danger of shutting its doors this summer. Sadly, more than 150 kids will be affected.

Stories like these and many others underscore the need for a unified voice in support of afterschool. We cannot afford to lose the critical services that afterschool programs provide to keep kids safe, help them learn and support our working families.

The Afterschool for All campaign is one of the biggest megaphones that advocates can use to make some noise for afterschool. Now, more than ever, we encourage you to leverage the resources and tools that the Afterschool for All campaign offers- from sample petitions to emails and letters- to build support for afterschool with community leaders, funders, elected officials and other decision-makers. Use these tools to inspire everyone in the community including parents, grandparents, teachers, community leaders and youth to make their voices heard for afterschool.

For more information, contact Afterschool for All Project Manager Marie Coichy at mcoichy@afterschoolalliance.org or 646/943-8662.

This story originally appeared in the Afterschool Advocate (Vol. 10, Issue 7).

Click here to read the rest of this issue.