Why Bright Futures?
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."
- John F. Kennedy
There are more than 7,500 students currently enrolled in Joplin Schools. Each one of them has a name, a face, and a story. More than 60% of them live in poverty, but they all have hopes and dreams, and each and every one of them deserves a bright future.
That's where Bright Futures Joplin comes in. By helping support important structures that help kids be successful learners, Bright Futures Joplin is actively addressing high school dropout rates and the future of the community.
One high school dropout, and their ensuing loss of productivity, can have a ripple affect on the entire community. Dropouts are more likely than their graduating peers to be unemployed, living in poverty, receiving public assistance, in prison, unhealthy, divorced, and single parents with children who are more likely to repeat the pattern and drop out of school themselves.
Bright Futures Joplin is a grass roots, community-based program that creates partnerships to utilize community resources for the common goal of helping our kids and strengthening our families and community. It's meant to be a sustainable system of support for our kids via their educators and schools. It's about cultural change and building a community where education is important and valued. All of our students deserve to reach their potential, and we can help.
As a community, we are responsible for supporting Joplin's children. It can be a lonely and overwhelming task when parents, schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, or human service agencies try to respond individually to these needs. But together, we can use our resources to make a lasting impact. Together, we can make a difference.
The future of our community depends on it.
