The U.S. Department of Education's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, in partnership with Livingstone College, will conduct a free grant writing workshop on June 22, 2002 at Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C. This free workshop is designed to give faith-based and community organizations hands-on grant writing experience and information about the new education law, No Child Left Behind.

"In an effort to address one of the greatest barriers facing faith-based and community organizations in receiving government funding for social service programs, the center is conducting a series of free technical assistance workshops across the country," said John Porter, program director. "Many of the giving and selfless people who make up these organizations are eager to do their part to help children be successful in school by providing them supplemental services. Through these workshops, we hope to level the playing field, so they can have the necessary information and same opportunities as other groups that provide these services."

"The No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the important role faith-based organizations and leaders play in America's communities. Whether through tutoring, after-school programs, mentoring, or parent training, faith-based and community organizations have worked for years to leave no child behind."

More than 1,000 people from faith-based and community organizations in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia are expected to attend this free workshop that will include an overview of the CARE Act, ideas for partnerships with federal, state and local governments and a grant writing session.

A representative from the Department of Education's Office of Non-Public Education will also present a workshop on opportunities available for private schools.

Approximately 500 people attended the first workshop, held last month in Pittsburgh, PA. Faith and community leaders from as far away as Illinois and Michigan heard presentations by Gene Hickok, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, David Kuo, deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, representatives from the centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Health and Human Services, Justice and Education, and other local, state and national legislators.

The center is a White House initiative created by President George W. Bush to enlist, equip, enable, empower and expand faith-based and community groups to do their heroic work across America. President Bush signed the executive order creating the initiative on January 29, 2001, and declared that his administration is committed to identifying and removing needless barriers that thwart the heroic work of these organizations. The Department of Education is one of five federal cabinet agencies with a Faith-Based and Community Initiative Center.

The center at the U.S. Department of Education has the unique job of helping to implement the new No Child Left Behind Act by harnessing the abilities of faith-based and community organizations to ensure that every child meets his or her fullest potential.

If you are interested in attending the workshop in North Carolina, please fax your name and address to 704-216-6795 by June 18, 2002. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Deborah Johnson (704-216-6118) or Eldridge Williams (704-216-6222).

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