The problems facing youth in our community are frightening. But through Saginaw County’s Promise, every child has the opportunity to become a child of promise.
“The little red wagon. A symbol of childhood.
It could be filled with a child’s hopes
and dreams or weighed down with their
burdens. Millions of children need our help
to pull that wagon along. Let’s all pull together.”
-Founding Chairman, Colin L. Powell
Saginaw County’s Promise, an initiative of the Saginaw Community Foundation, is a multi-faceted, comprehensive, community-wide initiative of the business, government, nonprofit, and religious communities, along with youth and community volunteers, who are working together to improve dramatically the lives of children in Saginaw County.
It is an effort to mobilize our community to build the character and competence of Saginaw County’s children and youth by fulfilling the Five Promises of America’s Promise. America’s Promise is a national initiative founded by General Colin Powell, who served as chairman until he was named Secretary of State, seeking to ensure that at-risk youth across the country have access to the five fundamental resources necessary for them to get a good start in life. The five resources of America’s Promise are:
| 1. A caring adult | |
| 2. A safe place | |
| 3. A healthy start | |
| 4. Marketable skills | |
| 5. Opportunities to give back |
Saginaw County’s Promise is not about reinventing the wheel, raising money for another new program or duplicating existing efforts. It is about strengthening and expanding those efforts, and filling in any gaps. Saginaw County’s Promise works with businesses and other non-profit organizations to ensure that youth in Saginaw County are learning what they need to succeed. We are making sure that America’s Promise initiatives are being fulfilled in Saginaw County.
Saginaw County’s Promise is one of the communities helping America’s Promise Alliance achieve its goal of 15 in 5. We are helping to introduce promises to 15 million kids in the next 5 years. We are doing that by focusing on the National Action Strategies of America’s Promise Alliance. Those strategies include Ready for the Real World, Where the Kids Are, All Kids Covered and Dropout Prevention.
For more information on Saginaw County’s Promise, contact Stephanie Wirtz, the Youth Initiatives and FORCE Coordinator, at stephanie@saginawfoundation.org or at (989) 755-0545.
