Kalamazoo Takes Stock in Children

Twitter and Wall Street may have had Sir Patrick Stewart (he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and has a twitter following of 729,766) to ring in its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange but CIS and the kids of Kalamazoo had an even more impressive lineup to ring in the public phase of its Promise Me campaign.

1. It was KPS Parent, Audrey Seilheimer, who helped us come up with the theme of Promise Me and served as creative consultant in the development of the Promise Me video featured on our campaign website. Audrey has recently been hired as Marketing and Fund Development Assistant for Girls on the Run. (You go, girl!)I can’t do any better than Yvonne Zipp of The Kalamazoo Gazette/mlive or Sonya Hollins of Community Voices in capturing the public launch and highlights of the Promise Me campaign. Nor can I strike so poignantly at the heart as to why CIS exists, as Mickey Ciokajlo did in his column that ran in Sunday’s Gazette. (Be sure to read their pieces and check out the fabulous photos that accompany them—links below.) But, I can share with you a few behind the scenes facts:Brief, yet thoughtful remarks were made by: Promise Me Campaign Co-Chairs Carolyn H. Williams and Janice M. Brown, Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael F. Rice, Western Michigan University President John Dunn, Kalamazoo Valley Community College President Marilyn Schlack, Kalamazoo College Provost Michael McDonald, CIS National President Dan Cardinali, (in town to serve as keynote speaker at the PromiseNet Conference), Kalamazoo Central High School student Dominique Edwards, El Sol Elementary student Juan Carrillo Betancourt, and KPS parent Meghan Wineka. (We thank each of you for your presence and lending your voice to the campaign. We are grateful for your support.)

2. The music that played before and after the kickoff included the Promise Me song, an original piece written just for this campaign by our students. Our fabulously talented partner, Bangtown Productions, worked with a number of students, and, as part of their CIS after school programming, wrote and produced Promise Me. You can listen to the song here. (You kids rock! And so do you, Pharlon!)

3. With a goal of $4.5 million, Promise Me is almost half-way there and is seeking the support of the greater community in reaching it. Okay, so that’s not a behind the scenes fact anymore but it allows us the opportunity to thank those of you who have already made it your business to invest in CIS and the students of Kalamazoo. (Thank you!)

4. Missed the launch? You can catch the whole thing here thanks to CIS volunteer, Howard Tejchma. (Thank you, Howard!)

The many events of last week got me thinking about how and where we choose to put our hope in the future. When it comes to Twitter, investors believe that the company will figure out how to make a profit from its 200 million or so monthly active users. When it comes to the Promise Me campaign, investors believe that CIS and the students of Kalamazoo are a good and worthy investment. As our freshly minted mayor, Bobby Hopewell tweeted on November 6, “No better way to start my new journey as Mayor of the city of promise than to be at an event supporting our promises.”

We have gone public. And we need your support. If you think that it’s important for every child to graduate from high school on time, prepared for post-secondary education and employment, please give us your support. Already given to the campaign? Tweet about it. (Heck, why not tweet the link to this post to Sir Patrick Stewart. Maybe he or one of his many followers will be moved to give.) If you’re not a tweeter, that is fine. Talk about it. After you’ve donated, encourage your neighbors, friends, and family members to donate as well. Let them know you have given and encourage them to give to the campaign as well. CIS and the kids of Kalamazoo need you. Do it now. Promise?