http://www.americaspromise.org
        Follow this link to find the following information (plus more):
        * More than half a million American teens belong to gangs.
          * 3 million American children are abused each year.
          * 1 in 5 is poor.
          * 1 in 7 has no health insurance.
          * 1 in 8 is born to a teenage mother.
          * 1 in 8 never finishes high school
          * 1 in 9 between the ages of 12 and 15 is the victim of a crime.
          * 1 in 610 will be killed by a gun before reaching the age of 20.

    http://www.citizenservice.org/
            America's Promise Home Page
              What is a Community of Promise?
              What is a School of Promise?
              What is a Commitment?
              General Colin Powell's Corner
              VICA and America's Promise

The five fundamental resources that create opportunities for children's success as outlined in America's Promise are as follows:

Mentor - An ongoing relationship with a caring adult:  mentor, tutor, coach.

Protect - Safe places and structured activities during non-school hours.

Nurture - A healthy start.

Prepare - A marketable skill through effective education.

Serve - An opportunity to give back through community service.

Perhaps at no other time in the history of this country have we witnessed such an emanate threat to our children.  Considering that each of the five resources is of equal importance, it is understandable that having access to one of these resources in isolation is not enough.  The ultimate goal of the five fundamental resources is to bring together the efforts of governmental agencies, state and local communities, political leaders, corporations, communities of faith, and interested citizens; that the combined effort behind this 5-part formula will equal success in creating opportunities for every at-risk child in the United States.

The symbol of America's Promise is the Radio Flyer little red wagon.  I like the symbol of the wagon.  I imagine a barefoot child walking down a dirt road pulling the wagon behind him.  If we look at that walk as a trip through life, what things would we want the child to be able to collect and put into his wagon on his way down the road of life?

Things every child should have in his/her wagon:

    1.  A family.  It might be a traditional family of a mother and father, it might be a single-parent household, a grandparent, or a foster family.  Everyone needs people who care for them and provide them shelter from the world.

    2.  At least one friend.  Someone who makes you laugh and lets you cry.

    3.  Nourishment.  Enough good food to keep your healthy and enough cake and ice cream to  let you celebrate.

    4.  Shelter.  From the rain, snow, and sleet.  A safe place that keeps the world out when you need to recover, regroup, or regenerate.

    5.  Literacy.  To be able to read is to be in charge of your destiny.  To be able to write is to effect the destiny of others.

    6.   The ability to share everything in his wagon with those who don't have a wagon at all, or with those whose wagons were stolen, or with those who can't fill their own wagon, or with those who have filled their wagons with useless things.

It is important to fill your wagon with the big stuff first, for if you fill it with the little stuff, there won't ever be a way to get the big stuff in.