DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 19, 2012

CONTACT: Amanda M. Richardson, 501.912.5722

NEWS: New Commitment to Partnership Targets Youth in Delta Region to Improve

Literacy, Educational Achievement

$200,000 New Investment in Save the Children to Help Young People across Delta Region

DRA Chairman: "Investing in our future generations is critical to building a pipeline of skilled young people prepared to be the future workforce in the Delta."

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Today’s $200,000 commitment to extend the partnership between the Delta Regional Authority and Save the Children targets students in some of the most underserved areas across the Mississippi River Delta region.  Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill joined with Save the Children Senior Vice President for US Programs, Mark K. Shriver, to celebrate the partnership and a new commitment to invest $200,000 in Save the Children.  The initiative helps support training and infrastructure expenses for thirty school-based literacy programs in rural areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Today’s announcement is a renewal of DRA’s past commitments totaling $580,000 and leveraging more than $4.5 million in other public and private funds. 

According to the partnership, the Authority’s commitment to investing in Save the Children will provide:

·       high-level skills training to 180 program employees and at least 180 teachers;

·       books and computers to 30 Save the Children programs; and

·       quality after-school programming at no charge for families living in poverty.

DRA Chairman Masingill said, "Investing in our future generations is critical to building a pipeline of skilled young people prepared to be the future workforce in the Delta. Today’s announcement celebrates that belief and our commitment to improving the lives of the people of the Delta region. This partnership will serve Delta families by investing in the Delta’s youth."

“As America faces historic childhood poverty rates, we must look to education as the most viable way out of this crisis,” said Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs at Save the Children.  “Through our partnership with the Delta Regional Authority, we are giving thousands of children the tools they need to succeed in school.  In addition to helping children, these funds support jobs and provide training to staff in a region hard-hit by the recession.  These investments are critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and we are grateful to the DRA and Chairman Masingill for their leadership.”

Save the Children is a leading independent organization creating lasting change for children by providing high-quality supplemental literacy, nutrition, and physical activity programming to children ages 12 and younger in areas of persistent rural poverty. This model is predicated on Save the Children’s ability to work in close partnership with public schools, local and state governments, and community organizations, to build evidence-based model programs that are scalable, replicable, and accountable. These programs have proven to be structured enough to produce predictably positive results yet flexible enough to meet the unique needs of each community served.

The Delta Regional Authority, a federal-state partnership, is congressionally mandated to identify and provide economic development investments to the 252 counties and parishes of the Delta. Through the Rural Communities Advancement Program, the DRA funds regional initiatives with the guiding principal to build communities and improve lives in the Delta region.

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