All-America City projects: Doing it ‘Little by Little’ in Kinston, N.C.
June 15, 2009 at 2:16 pm by Wayne Garcia
Officials with the National Civic League are arriving in Tampa today to begin prepping for the opening of registration on Tuesday night for the 2009 All-America City Awards conference. We’re highlighting one nominated project from each of the 30 competing cities (10 will be named AAC’s). Here is Kinston, N.C.
Kinston, North Carolina
Little-by-Little
In 2007, a local financial institution, the “little bank,” partnered with Partnership for Children along with Lenoir County and Southeast Elementary School to meet the challenge of providing a long-term mentoring program for elementary school children, and the “Little-by-Little” program was born. Each student is partnered with a mentor, or Buddy, from the community that nurtures their education and encourages them to dream big. Every nine weeks, the students are given specific goals in comprehension, behavioral, and accelerated reading. If the students meet their goals, $50 is put aside for the student’s college tuition. Students are also awarded a $50 end of year bonus if all four, nine week goals are met throughout the year. This money will build over time and if students continue to work hard, excel, and meet their goals, they could have up to $3000 to use for college tuition or books. The intention of the program is to work and follow these children until they have finished high school. Other partners in the program include local attorneys, business owners, District Court Judges, Assistant DA, and local churches. Southeast Elementary and its collaborative partners believe that “little-by-little” is a way to provide support and teach children the value of setting and achieving goals both personal and educational.
Thirty cities, towns, neighborhoods and communities are vying for recognition as an All-America City at the June 16-19 conference at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel. Each will give a short presentation on three public-private civic projects they undertook before a panel of judges names the best. Tampa is one of the finalists.
Former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman is the president of the National Civic League this year and a big proponent of these kinds of partnership projects. During her tenure, in 1990, Tampa was named an All-America City. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason is also involved, as a member of the Host Committee.
