Weekly News Roundup - Aug. 4, 2010

Educators Looking for Ways to Increase After-School Programs (KSL-TV, Utah)
“A growing number of Utah families want options to help their children use time outside of school more productively. The subject was the focus of a statewide conference Tuesday on after-school programs.”
 
Help End Child Hunger in U.S. (Times-Union, New York)
Read what celebrity chef Rachael Ray has to say about the importance of a child nutrition bill. The House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee recently passed the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act, which includes a key expansion of the afterschool meals program from the current 14 states and District of Columbia to all 50 states.  Advocates are calling for a final vote on the legislation this summer. To take action and to learn more about afterschool and child nutrition reauthorization, click here.
 
Man Runs Barefoot Across North Carolina to Raise Awareness of State Budget Cuts to a Boone After-School Program (Asheville Citizen-Times, North Carolina)
Twenty-nine year old Matt Jenkins began a 760-mile journey across the state of North Carolina last month to raise awareness about the impact of state budget cuts on programs for youth. He was in the Asheville area last weekend, and is expected to finish the trip on August 8. Jenkins works at a Western Youth Network afterschool program in Boone.
 
Youngsters Get on the Beat With Music Program (Chicago Tribune, Illinois)
Intonation Music Workshop, an afterschool program for at-risk youth in Chicago, teaches goal-setting, discipline and cooperation through music lessons and performance. "I know what music means in my life and the role it has played in my search for identity," program director Michael Simons says. "Unfortunately, many (youths) find that sense of belonging in a gang, but we can supply that need through music."