By Lisa Sorensen
Los Angeles, CA - Jim Brown, NFL Legend and Founder of "The Amer-I-Can Foundation," recently received two honors in recognition of the social change his non-profit organization has been dedicated to over the past 20 years.
On Thursday, March 6, The Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio and on Tuesday, April 15th, The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) in Washington, DC honored Jim Brown and "The Amer-I-Can Foundation."
Both organizations have recognized the positive impact The Amer-I-Can Foundation has had on the community.
The Call and Post "W.O. Walker" award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions through their work and volunteerism to improve the quality of life for others in and throughout the Cleveland community. Other 2008 "W.O. Walker" award honorees include: Gerald Levert, national recording artist, (awarded posthumously), Dr. C. Jay Matthews, Senior Pastor, Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland and Stephanie McHenry, President, ShoreBank.
The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), now in its 36th year, is one of the nation's most prestigious non-profit organizations devoted to furthering the academic success for children - particularly children of African descent.
NABSE boasts an outreach to more than 10,000 preeminent educators including teachers, administrators, superintendents as well as corporate and institutional members. Founded in 1970, NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance and overall achievement.
The Institutional Supreme Excellence Award, presented to The Amer-I-Can program, is gifted to a non-profit organization or institution that has made an indelible contribution to public education, (particularly in the minority community), social empowerment, and advancing and motivating achievement and equity in education.
Quinton Lawson, Executive Director of NABSE states, "we want applaud Mr. Brown for putting forth the effort and energy to help families, individuals and youth by providing a service that otherwise would not be provided. We are pleased to have The Amer-I-Can Program as the '2008 Institutional Supreme Excellence Award recipient.' "
Both The Call and Post Newspaper and The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) have embraced "The Amer-I-Can Program", which is a 60 to 90 hour, 15-chapter life management skills curriculum that is designed to empower individuals to take charge of their lives and achieve their full potential.
Since its inception in 1988, over 500,000 youth and young adults have successfully completed the Amer-I-Can training. Students who complete the Amer-I-Can curriculum experience on average a 60% decrease in disciplinary incidents, a 38% decrease in absences and a 35% increase in their grade point averages. The program is changing lives nationally in over 16 states and internationally in the United Kingdom, Belize and South Africa.
The program has had an extraordinary impact on communities across the country. Recent graduates of "The Amer-I-Can program" in Brevard County, Florida have said the program boosted their self-confidence, re-energized their spirits and propelled them toward a bright future. Palm Bay senior Daniel Hayes, 17, traded his bad-boy behavior for the straight and narrow. He earned straight A's last semester for the first time since he was in elementary school. Another student was quoted in the Florida Today Newspaper as saying, "It (The Amer-I-Can Program) was critical in helping me replace my negative thoughts with positive ones."
For more information on The Amer-I-Can Program please visit www.amer-i-can.org or call 310-652-7884.
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