Youth club members to pledge academic improvement

Cape Girardeau youths will make academic pledges to succeed in school this year.

The Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau will host an "I Can Achieve" academic pledge rally at noon Saturday at the J.C. Penney Co. Inc. wing of the Westfield Shoppingtown West Park Mall. The rally is free and open to the public.

The rally's purpose is to encourage youths ages 6 to 15 to pledge to improve their academic performance during the school year.

Featuring motivating words from community education leaders and performances by local Boys and Girls Club members, the rally is co-sponsored by the club and the local J.C. Penney store.

"We want every young person in our community to succeed, and that's why we're thrilled to sponsor this pledge rally," said Donna Miller, J.C. Penney assistant store manager.

Academic pledge rallies like the one planned for Saturday are part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America's Goals for Graduation curriculum sponsored nationally by the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund. The local event received a $1,000 grant from the fund.

Goals for Graduation introduces academic goal-setting to club members by linking their future aspirations with present actions to make learning more personally rewarding.

NaTika Rowles, chief professional officer of the local club, said the event helps fulfill the Boys and Girls Club mission to help youth achieve their full potential.

"We know from research and first-hand experience that without support, many of our members will accept lower standards of academic achievement," she said. "Low achievement in school generally leads to unrealized potential, locking young people into limited options for employment and life in general."

The Boys and Girls Club has worked to support local schools and youth development in the Cape Girardeau community for three years. The club services over 350 young people by providing access to programs that emphasize education and career enhancement, character and leadership development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation.

The Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau operates from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at 731 Broadway. For more information about the "I Can Achieve" pledge rally, club programs and services, or the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund, contact NaTika Rowles at 335-7141.