Mark Your Calendars for September 22: FAN to be featured on American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen

Please mark your calendars for September 22, 2012 and tune into your local public television station for the airing of a critically important program, titled American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen. The Florida Afterschool Network will be featured at 5:53 p.m.

American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen is a multi-year public media initiative, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), to help local communities identify and implement solutions to the high school dropout crisis. We know that Public Broadcasting has a long history improving educational outcomes for high-need students and communities. The dropout crisis demands attention now, and Public Broadcasting has risen to the challenge to address this national problem.

In Tallahassee, WFSU will showcase 10 local organizations and the work it is doing on a community level to help students stay in school until graduation. In addition to the Florida Afterschool Network, others in the include Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend, 211 Big Bend, 50 Large of Leon County, The United Way of the Big Bend, Communities in Schools, The Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend, Distinguished Young Gentlemen, The Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend and Take Stock in Children program.  Each of these organizations strives to engage children and families with the goal of helping them live successful productive lives.  In order to do that, these organizations need ongoing community support whether it be financial or volunteer and mentoring.

Kim Kelling-Engstrom, Director of Educational Services, WFSU TV, and a Florida Afterschool Network Champion, was kind enough to include (FAN) as a partner agency. The FAN segment will air at 5:53. Please take some time out of your day to watch this important and timely program.

With special guests including Michael Powell, representing America’s Promise Alliance, and PBS NewsHour senior correspondent Ray Suarez, the national television broadcast will air live on public television stations from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST on Sept. 22 on WFSU-TV.  The event will feature 20 national organizations that are working with local public media stations to help young people stay in school and on track for on-time graduation, segments about local community groups, compelling stories from students themselves, and highlights from PBS national and local content – from PBS NewsHour and Need to Know to Jim Glassman’s Ideas in Action and Tavis Smiley Reports: Too Important To Fail. The broadcast will also include the premiere of a new student film from Reel Works New York and a preview of the upcoming FRONTLINE documentary, Dropout Nation.