VRP Program Reaches 23 Schools in Miami-Dade and Over 12,000 Students Every Month
WHO: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer, City Year Miami Executive Director Keith “Fletch" Fletcher, and elementary students at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center for the Visual and Performing Arts.
WHAT: To celebrate the National Education Association’s American Education Week, Director Fletcher and U.S. Attorney Ferrer will read to students as part of the Violence Reduction Partnership’s monthly readings to more than 1,200 pre-kindergarten and elementary school students in 23 schools across the Southern District of Florida. The joint effort brings books and the joy of reading into the lives of students in many of Miami’s highest-need schools, in order to combat the potential correlation between low literacy levels and poverty, crime and unemployment. Following each reading session, the children receive books to take home - often the only books they have ever owned. Since 2014, the program has distributed more than 11,000 books.
WHERE: Charles R. Drew K-8 Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
1775 NW 60th St.
Miami, Fla. 33142
(Media, please meet in the front lobby of the school)
WHEN: Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15th
9:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
About City Year:
City Year is an education-focused organization, founded in 1988 dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. City Year partners with public schools in 26 urban, high-poverty communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and Johannesburg, South Africa. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide high-impact student, classroom and school-wide support to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school and prepare for college and career success. A member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is made possible by support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, school district partnerships, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals. More information about City Year is available at www.cityyear.org/miami.
To learn how you can partner with the VRP, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office Community Outreach Team at (305) 961-9134 or usafls.vrp@usdoj.gov.
To partner with City Year Miami and sponsor a Miami-Dade County School, you can contact Keith “Fletch" Fletcher at (305) 778-5579 or kfletcher@cityyear.org.
Interviews are available after the event. Photograph and video opportunities are available before, during and after the event.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
