AN OPEN LETTER TO SOUTH BEND: PUT KIDS FIRST
Updated: 5 days ago
There are moments when a community is called upon to say, plainly and publicly, what it values most. We believe this is one of those moments.
The leadership of the Michiana Academic and Recreation Alliance (MARA) is urging parents, educators, neighborhood leaders, businesses, churches, nonprofit organizations, public officials, and concerned citizens throughout South Bend to join us in a simple but consequential commitment: Put Kids First.
“Kids First” is a statement of our civic priorities and a measure of who we intend to be as a community. Amid sweeping budget cuts and a deepening economic crisis, our most vulnerable families, schools, and neighborhoods are drowning. In this hour of need, we must stop and ask ourselves one fundamental question: How are the children?
How are the children who go home after school without access to tutoring or enrichment? How are the children whose families cannot afford summer camps, sports leagues, or other developmental opportunities? How are the children who are struggling to read proficiently, who need more time, more encouragement, and more caring adults standing beside them? How are the children living in neighborhoods without safe, structured places to learn, play, and belong?
MARA believes that the answer must begin with a commitment to a community-wide “Kids First” Initiative—a sustained effort to place the well-being, development, and future of our children at the center of our public conversation and our civic participation.
Our first opportunity to demonstrate that commitment is the City of South Bend's “Build the Budget” process. Please write to Mayor Mueller and your Common Council representative urging that this year's strategic budget allocations put a priority on supporting children and families by increasing investments in after-school programs, summer learning, tutoring, academic enrichment, recreation, youth development, and other initiatives that provide children with safe places, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to grow.
Keep in mind, however, that the city’s budget cannot come close to meeting our children’s needs. In order to meet the current crisis, MARA asks you to join us in launching a massive volunteer and fund-raising campaign to meet this crisis head-on. By acting together, we will send a message to our most vulnerable children that we are behind them and will do whatever it takes to support them.
In the future, when we ask, “How are the children?” let us answer with pride: they are learning, playing, growing, and thriving -- because today, we chose to put them first.
Respectfully submitted,
Executive Board
Michiana Academic and Recreation Alliance
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