Village of Boys Town Celebrates ‘100 Best’ Honor
As you’ve entered the Village of Boys Town, you may have noticed the ‘100 Best Communities for Young People’ seal that dons the lampposts near the entrance. But what you might not know is that this seal honors the hard work and dedication of the Boys Town community to the future of youth – an honor the Village of Boys Town has received from America’s Promise Alliance four times. Watch a video of the celebration from KPTM.com.
Established in 1997 by General Colin Powell, America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance) is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth. The Alliance’s priority is to ensure that young people have the resources they need for high school graduation and beyond. The ‘100 Best’ award is one element of their campaign to end the drop out crisis.
Across the nation, more than 7,000 students drop out of school each day. These individuals are statistically more likely to live in poverty, be unemployed, depend on public assistance and go without health insurance. The Alliance is working to stop this perpetuating cycle and honors those communities, like Boys Town, who are committed to creating a brighter future for America’s young people. A complete listing of the winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org
Marguerite W. Kondracke, America’s Promise Alliance president and CEO, said, “Boys Town serves as an example to inspire and educate other communities across the nation to tackle the challenges facing their city and children and to implement initiatives that give them the essential resources they need to succeed in life.”
The ‘100 Best’ designation however, is best understood from an essay written by a Boys Town youth, “Boys Town is a great community because of the loving people. People actually care about you here. People here refuse to give up on you.”