From Executive Director Jodi Grant: Every Effort Counts for Afterschool

Recently the Associated Press featured an article that brought tears to my eyes.

The piece is an inspiring reminder of how a dedicated community member can make a difference in the lives of children. 
I wanted to share this story with you as you gear up for your Lights On Afterschool celebrations whether they are big or small. 

More than 7,500 Lights On Afterschool celebrations are happening around the country this week and next and I’m looking forward to celebrating in Keystone, South Dakota; Laramie, Wyoming and Chicago, Illinois.  From an open house in Alberton, Montana to a harvest party in Boca Raton, Florida more than 1 million people will participate in Lights On Afterschool this year.  It’s the season to recognize all of the hard work that is done to make sure that afterschool is available to all children.

And the release of America After 3PM: From Big Cities to Small Towns reminds us that we need to make some noise for all of the kids that have no where to go after school.  We know how hard you work and your work changes lives. 

Take a moment to read it and give yourself a pat on the back for being part of an important movement for America’s children.

Associated Press
October 11, 2010

Teacher set on helping Thoreau kids in crisis

THOREAU, N.M. (AP) - When Juliana Ko was advised to go back home and
forget about the crazy idea of starting a nonprofit to help the Thoreau
community, she considered returning to her parents' house in Florida and
- perhaps - with the support and care of her family, heal her broken
heart.

Ko was a math teacher at Thoreau Middle School when one of her
13-year-old students committed suicide two years ago. She was young,
too, and fragile: A 22-year-old Christian who had recently graduated
from college and was living the Teach for America dream in rural New
Mexico.

But going back home was not going to erase the memories of the young boy
contemplating suicide outside the classroom, where she had talked to him
for a last time in an effort to understand why he was being rude to
other kids and not trying his best in class anymore.

Ko remembered that tragic week in Thoreau, still fighting the tears.

There was a flyer against suicide posted on the wall outside the
classroom with the picture of a hanging rope that said: "It's not a
game," she said.

"He was starting at it. I asked him if he had been thinking about
suicide. He said, 'Maybe.' I took him to a counselor because that's what
you are supposed to do."

Ko said the boy was taking a remedial math course with her, in addition
to the regular daily math class, but she "saw a lot of potential in him.
He wanted to learn. I think all the kids want to learn. You just have to
find a way to get through all the layers."

That young boy had issues with alcohol and drugs and had also been
involved in domestic disputes at home. He had no place to go after
school, Ko said, like most of the boys and girls that committed suicide
that school year and the following year.

The numbers are staggering - in the past nine months, 15 suicides have
been reported in the eastern Navajo Nation, according to the Navajo
Nation Unified Command Response to the Crisis.

"I was devastated, angry, mad at the world," Ko said. "I even questioned
my faith. But the idea of giving the kids a reliable place outside
school, where they can go, kept coming back to me. I prayed a lot and
felt stronger about my faith, feeling that I was here for a purpose. I
decided I could not leave until I gave this my all."

The idea of a community center hit Ko during the period following the
crisis. She had engaged her students in various activities to give them
incentives to try to take control of their lives and look at the future
with excitement, rather than fear.

One of the activities was the Rebuilding Thoreau math project, she said.

Using basic mathematics and geometry, the kids designed plans of their
ideal community, which included parks, shopping centers, gyms,
basketball courts, movie theaters, a day care, social services, fast
food restaurants and many other amenities that Thoreau lacks.

"One group had solar panels on everything," she said.

She saw in their works, and the look in their eyes, that they needed a
place to hang out after school, where they could relax, play sports, get
support with their homework, and, after graduating from high school, get
help with building a resume and conducting job searches.

Many members of the community had already envisioned a community center
like that, says Thoreau resident and president of the McKinley County
Parent Adviser Committee Priscella Marianito. But nobody took action.

Chapter officials and community leaders embraced Ko's ideas and
enthusiasm during two chapter meetings in June. Ko attended with the
middle school secretary, Merna Roan. While Ko presented in English, Roan
translated for the elderly in Navajo.

"I could not believe it when she approached the chapter and told us she
quit her job in the school to focus on our community," Marianito said.
"We have members that have lived here for years and they have never
taken the time to do something like this. And here comes this lady that
wants to do it for our children. I told her, 'I thank you so much for
getting the ball going.'"

Ko has a bachelor's degree in economics and three minors: political
science, Asian studies and Spanish - all from Principal College in
Illinois.

A soft-spoken young woman of delicate looks, she is articulate, polite
and very well versed in what the community needs, says Tom Trujillo,
McKinley County manager.

Her education and commitment to the Thoreau community made it easy for
the county to support her project when she requested permission to lease
their old and then-vacant 2,700-square-foot co-op building, located
behind Thoreau's post office.

"I was really blown away when she approached me and said she wanted to
do this," Trujillo said. "I asked her, 'Why would you leave a successful
teaching career to start something new?' She said she really cared about
the community."

In less than two months, the old building was repaired with running
water and electricity. The county installed a shower for Ko in one of
the bathrooms so she could live there until the project starts bringing
in money through grants and she can pay herself a salary.

Meanwhile, the county has compromised to pay $6,000 a month through the
Liquor Excise Tax to run the operation for 10 months, Ko said.

Ko has turned one of the back offices into a bedroom and her family came
from Florida to help her clean and get organized. Her mother helped her
draw blueprints and her boyfriend, a young lawyer, has been helping file
forms to legalize the nonprofit.

The community center's grand opening is scheduled for November.
Initially, Ko plans to offer fitness, dance and cooking classes and
movie nights. As money comes in, she plans to fill a room with computers
and offer mentorship and internship programs.

"We need the whole community involved," said Marianito, who has become a
member of the center's board of directors. "We want all the kids in the
community to use this facility."

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Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com