According to After-School All-Stars North Texas Executive Director Betsy Orton,
“What was your favorite after-school activity when you were growing up? Art? Dance? Theater? Sports?
“At After-School All-Stars North Texas, we make it possible for low-income and at-risk students to have engaging after-school education and enrichment programs. Our school-based program means that students never have to make a decision whether or not to go to their after-school program and it means that your donation goes toward programming rather than capital expenses. In Dallas County alone, more than 100,000 children between the ages of 5 and 13 are without adult supervision outside of the home after school. While there are numerous programs that support elementary or high school students, middle school students, who are in vulnerable and impressionable years, often slip through the cracks. After-School All-Stars focuses on helping these middle schoolers.
“Our goal is to identify and fuel our student’s individual passions by tying their interests to tailored academic support, enrichment activities and sports. By creating lasting relationships with our students and incorporating service learning, we equip our All-Stars with the confidence and skills to become productive members of their community. After-School All-Stars gives its students a safe-haven during the “danger zone” hours of 3pm-6pm – the time of day when youth violence, drug use, and other delinquent behaviors are mostly likely to occur. We provide effective and thoughtful supports to fight against the high school drop-out and obesity crises and to ready our students for fulfilling careers in the modern workforce.
“Please donate today at www.ASASNorthTexas.org“
-Betsy Orton
* Graphic provided by After-School All-Stars North Texas