Promise Neighborhood Created In Philly
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia school chief Dr. Arlene Ackerman made a huge announcement this morning on Good Day. A Federal Promise Neighborhood has been created out of two of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods: Grays Ferry and Point Breeze.
The ‘promise’ is to create a safe zone for children, from the moment they are born until they enter the job market, with the whole focus on education.
Music man Kenny Gamble has become of the “godfather” of this 209 square-block community.
His goal is to recreate this troubled world, where half the kids drop out of school – and the many cannot even read or write.
There will be new schools, new charters, homes and health clinics. Kids will have safe places to go – from early morning until late at night. This will allow parents to focus on working and raising happy, healthy kids.
Gamble’s Universal Companies, which has changed South Philly one block at a time, is one of 21 organizations throughout the nation to receive $500,000 from the US Department of Education. Universal also matched those funds so this new initiative will see a total of $1,000,000 funneled directly into this zone.
The model for this program is the Harlem’s Children’s Zone, spotlighted in the documentary, Waiting for Superman. In New York, they started with just one block. Now, the zone has expanded to 97 blocks – a true success story – with happy, healthy and successful children.
President Obama liked what he saw in Harlem and decided to create 21 communities like it. Kenny Gamble and his crew, including A Rahim Islam, President and CEO of Universal Companies, heard about these plans and jumped into action. He wanted to bring the program to Philadelphia – and they succeeded!
Fox 29’s Karen Hepp reports that some program will start immediately. Already, the school district is working on a facilities plan in order to close schools that are not working, and create new school that will.
The beauty of this program? All the services will be free – as long as you live in the promise neighborhood parameters. The majority of the programs will roll out in the fall of 2012.