Reach Out To Drop Outs

[editor]

Mayor Bill White and First Lady Andrea White once again are asking for your support to reach out to Houston's high school dropouts. Last year, members of the community volunteered to walk along with Mayor White to support Houston Independent School District's efforts in the "Reach Out to Dropouts" Day, a citywide effort to increase graduation rates.

The volunteers visited the homes of students who did not return to class when the 2004-2005 school year began for eight Houston high schools. They encouraged the students to return to school to complete their education and referred students to community resources to address specific obstacles that may have prevented them from returning to school. On the day of the walk, volunteers convinced 41 students to return to school, and another 61 students returned to school shortly after as a result of the door-to-door effort. Due to this success, 16 high schools will join in this year's walk.

We are asking you to take the time to walk with us, knock on doors, and at the end of that day, know you have changed many lives for the better. We encourage everyone to participate in this year's event, and please share this volunteer opportunity with your coworkers, friends and family. HISD and Houston A+ Challenge, an incredible non-profit organization that partners with the district to host this event, need over 1,000 volunteers to help find students and recruit them back to school.

Mayor Bill White needs your help to make "Reach Out to Dropouts" 2005 a greater success than it was last year.

Logon to the City of Houston website at www.houstontx.gov

where you will find a link to online registration and online training underneath "City Highlights."

"Reach Out to Dropouts" 2005 will take place at 8:00 am - 12:00 pm on August 27, 2005 at 16 participating high schools. We hope to see you there.

For more information, please call Houston A+ Challenge at (713) 658-1881.