MINNEAPOLIS — More than 650 individuals representing the Twin Cities area faith-based and community organizations attended a free conference designed to give a 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."

So far, more than 1,700 people from faith-based and community organizations have attended these regional workshops, held the past two months in Pittsburgh and Salisbury, N.C. Faith and community leaders from all over the country have heard presentations by Gene Hickok, undersecretary 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 local, state and national legislators.

The center is a White House initiative created by President 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 Jan. 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 is 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.

Conference attendees included faith and community organization representatives, public, charter and private school administrators and local and regional government officials. During the daylong event, they learned about new opportunities for partnerships under No Child Left Behind Act and about federal grants and grant-writing techniques.

Joining the Department of Education were representatives from the other federal agencies with centers for faith-based and community initiatives to provide information on grant opportunities in the Departments of Labor, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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