Where is the Beginning?
Where Does One Start?
Originally: 06/24/2009, Revised: Sunday, May 10, 2009, Re-revised, August 16, 2009
Where does one start when they see the destination but the path is blurred? A dear friend reminded me that by only focusing on the destination and not watching where you step along the way, you will almost certainly follow a path straight into trouble. That trouble could be a bump in the road that causes only a minor stumble, it could be a freshly deposited pile of poo poo, or it could be a ditch, not a nice ditch but a nasty, slimy ditch!
Before giving details on minor stumbling, smelly, messy stepping and falling into slimy ditches, (yes I have experienced all of these) I will start at the beginning. The beginning is SPAN the GaP! Parent ~ Student Assistance Network focusing on Guidance and Prevention. This is the name of the non-profit community-based agency that we are creating. Our mission is to SPAN the GaP between at-risk children & families and the education, resources & services that they need to believe in a bright, successful future. Believe? Only believe you might ask? Yes! Believing in yourself, being willing - being daring enough to think of the future beyond tomorrow or this week is something that many in our community can't do!
For some of us, our futures were planned from the day we were born. Our parents saved for college, for the education that in some cases had eluded them. For some children today, a college fund is a reality, but for more than 43% of the children in my community, qualifying for Free or Reduced lunch is their reality. Do these children know that they are living in poverty? If we do our jobs as educators, they don't know and neither do their friends but there are still their parents. These parents know all too well that a future is only as far as this week's pay will reach.
SPAN the GaP is focused on providing and facilitating Educational assistance and Resource and Services searches for at-risk children, youth and their parents. For the children and youth, the focus is the development of social and communication skills, self confidence and academic content mastery. For the parents and families, the focus is the development of family and community responsibility, communication and parenting skills along with information on resources and services available to them.
Where does one start? This "one" is starting with faith and a purpose focused on Hope, a talented and exceptional counselor and a school psychologist with talents and skills too numerous to list. Are you excited yet? Are you the least bit curious? Stay tuned as my next post will introduce the team!
Before giving details on minor stumbling, smelly, messy stepping and falling into slimy ditches, (yes I have experienced all of these) I will start at the beginning. The beginning is SPAN the GaP! Parent ~ Student Assistance Network focusing on Guidance and Prevention. This is the name of the non-profit community-based agency that we are creating. Our mission is to SPAN the GaP between at-risk children & families and the education, resources & services that they need to believe in a bright, successful future. Believe? Only believe you might ask? Yes! Believing in yourself, being willing - being daring enough to think of the future beyond tomorrow or this week is something that many in our community can't do!
For some of us, our futures were planned from the day we were born. Our parents saved for college, for the education that in some cases had eluded them. For some children today, a college fund is a reality, but for more than 43% of the children in my community, qualifying for Free or Reduced lunch is their reality. Do these children know that they are living in poverty? If we do our jobs as educators, they don't know and neither do their friends but there are still their parents. These parents know all too well that a future is only as far as this week's pay will reach.
SPAN the GaP is focused on providing and facilitating Educational assistance and Resource and Services searches for at-risk children, youth and their parents. For the children and youth, the focus is the development of social and communication skills, self confidence and academic content mastery. For the parents and families, the focus is the development of family and community responsibility, communication and parenting skills along with information on resources and services available to them.
Where does one start? This "one" is starting with faith and a purpose focused on Hope, a talented and exceptional counselor and a school psychologist with talents and skills too numerous to list. Are you excited yet? Are you the least bit curious? Stay tuned as my next post will introduce the team!
