~~MENTOR ~~  PROTECT ~~  NURTURE ~~  PREPARE ~~  SERVE~~
     
    Welcome to
    Pam Petty's Information Site
    for
     
    America's Promise
    Based on
    The Presidents' Summit
    Five Key Resources for Youth
     
    America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth . . .
    is a not-for-profit organization led by General Colin Powell,
    dedicated to mobilizing the nation to ensure our children and youth
    have access to the fundamental resources they need to become
    successful adults.
    Follow these links for information on the Internet:

        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 following is taken from a presentation made by Pam Petty at the Prevention Summit,
    Joining Hands for Our Children's Future,
    held in Cookeville, Tennessee on October 22, 1998.
     
     

    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.
     


    I Trust You
    by
    Pam Petty
     
    Being born into this world
    Weak and dependent on your help,
    I trust that keeping me well will be your plan.
    I trust you with my health (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Without a friend or guide,
    I trust that in your friendship I can stand.
    I trust the strength in your shoulders (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Knowing not my spiritual self,
    I trust you will tell me of a higher land.
    I trust you with my soul (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Easily tempted into harmful ways,
    I trust you to tell me the good from the bad.
    I trust you with my head (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Looking for guidance in your words,
    I trust you through my whole life span.
    I trust my family (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Feeling a need to grow and learn,
    I trust you to use a guiding hand.
    I trust you with my future (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Fragile, unable to defend myself,
    I trust you to keep peace in this land.
    I trust you with my safety (and you can).
     
    Being born into this world
    Knowing you hold my future in your hands,
    Knowing there is a common good for man,
    Knowing we must try and try again,
    Knowing you will help me if you can . . . (AND I CAN.)
     

    When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
    Author:  Unknown
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake just for me, and I knew that little things are special things.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is God I could always talk to.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night, and I felt loved.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
    When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked ... and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.
     

    If I Had it all Over Again
    If I had my child to raise all over again....
    I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.
    I'd finger-paint more and point the finger less.
    I would do less correcting and more connecting.
    I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
    I would care to know less and know to care more.
    I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
    I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
    I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
    I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
    I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
    I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
    I'd model less about love and power, and more about the power of love.
    Dianne Looman-

     
    Link to Pam Petty's Homepage
     

    Hughs, Ina.  A Prayer for Children.  William Morrow and Co., New York, 1995.
    ISBN  0-688-14034-3

    Questions or comments regarding this site
    should be directed to
    Pam Petty: pam@pampetty.com

 

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