ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 29, 1996 TAG: 9612300014
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
FutureWorks' efforts need support
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of FutureWorks, we would like to thank you for the wonderful article on our program which appeared in the Dec. 11 Current.
Our program needs community support. FutureWorks was founded three years ago as a nonprofit organization as a result of several community meetings about the number of public school dropouts. The visionaries involved believed that an organization that combined resources from the public schools, the private sector, and community-based groups could best assist teen-agers who had exhausted their options in the public schools.
As noted in the article, our budget is indeed small. We have relied upon the goodwill of a few supporters for donations to supplement the part-time teaching position funded by Montgomery County Public Schools. Likewise, most additional work must be done by volunteers. The parishioners of St. Thomas Episcopal Church have been most generous in opening their doors to FutureWorks for three years.
However, we are at our limit in being able to serve these very deserving young people. We cannot expand the class size because of the individualized attention necessary for the students to succeed. We need a permanent location to establish a classroom. Volunteers are needed as mentors and to serve on committees or the board itself. The program desperately needs donations until it can establish long-term financing through other sources.
We hope the article will inspire readers to extend their support. FutureWorks is a worthwhile endeavor - but there is so much work yet to be done.
Patty Ryan and Steve Cochran, co-chairmen
Paul Little, vice chairman
LENGTH: Short : 39 linesby CNB