RAINBOW VILLAGE IS A WINNER

The Cape Girardeau Civic Center, which has provided countless hours of activity and involvement for hundreds of city youths, is offering a special program this summer called Rainbow Village. The name is based on the theme of "Respect, Attitude, Individuals and their differences, Nurture, Belonging, Order Work ethics." The African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," provides the rest of the name.

Rainbow Village gives 50 children something to do during the summer months and helps them maintain their reading, writing and math skills while they aren't in school. The program is free for the participants and is staffed by 15 teen-age and nine adult volunteers.

Expenses for the program are covered by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Sheldon Tyler, director of the program, is also its founder.

Tyler can take great pride both for making the program a reality and for the impact it is having on the lives of 50 children. It is the sort of program that deserves community support now and in the years to come.