ST. LOUIS (Nov. 2, 2006) SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center Foundation has made a lead gift in support of the Vision for Children at Risk/St. Louis Children’s Agenda stakeholder forum series on public education in the City of St. Louis.
            The $17,700 gift will help to cover expenses associated with conducting “A Public Dialogue on Public Education,” a year-long series of bi-weekly forums initiated to promote constructive community dialogue and develop effective strategies to improve public education in the city.
            Organizing the forums is the St. Louis Metropolitan Children’s Agenda, a broad-based coalition of some 300 child advocates and children's services agencies, in conjunction with Vision for Children at Risk, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing community action to improve the well-being of children.
            The Cardinal Glennon gift was announced at the November 2 forum, the fourth in the series that began in September. From 50 to 90 community leaders have attended each forum, representing a broad base of stakeholders including the school administration, school board, teachers, parents, businesses, funders, government, nonprofit organizations and the community as a whole.
Forums this fall are presenting the perspectives of these stakeholders along with research data on the schools. In the second phase of the forum series, starting in January, stakeholders will work toward development and implementation of effective strategies to address priority issues. The overall goal is to build an informed community coalition committed to understanding and improving public education in the City of St. Louis.
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“As a pediatric healthcare institution, we strongly believe that the global health of children is a composite of physical health, family, socioeconomic status, educational opportunity, and environment,” said Douglas A. Ries, Cardinal Glennon president. “The availability of quality education is essential to enabling our young people to develop strong health literacy skills and become healthy and productive citizens of our community.”
            Richard Patton, director of Vision for Children at Risk, said, “We are most appreciative of Cardinal Glennon for their continued leadership in support of the children of St. Louis. Assuring a strong future for public education in the City of St. Louis is perhaps the most urgent issue facing children in the city. Through this forum process, we hope to create a citizens’ coalition that will support education and the best interests of children on a permanent basis.”
            Ries said this gift also is intended to challenge other businesses and funding organizations in the community. “It is essential that business, government, foundations and community organizations not only participate, but financially guarantee the continuation of this vital effort,” he said.
            Vision for Children at Risk mobilizes people and organizations to work regionally and strategically to improve the well-being of St. Louis-area children. It coordinates and facilitates the St. Louis Metropolitan Children's Agenda, through which some 300 agencies and organizations collaborate on strategic initiatives addressing priority needs of children in health, family support, early childhood, youth development, education and other areas. It also produces the Children of Metropolitan St. Louis report providing comprehensive data assessing the health and well-being of children in the region.
For more information on “A Public Dialogue on Public Education,” contact Vision for Children at Risk at (314) 534-6015 or visit www.visionforchildren.org.
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