America's Promise Alliance Honors Parramore Kidz Zone with Powell Legacy Award

NEW YORK, April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On April 18, 2017, America's Promise Alliance, the nation's largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth, will honor Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) with the Powell Legacy Award at its annual Promise Night Gala in New York City. The gala will follow Recommit to Kids | The Summit for America's Future, a daylong convening of business, philanthropy, nonprofit, government, education and faith leaders aimed to refocus the country on the needs of America's children and youth. 

The Powell Legacy Award recognizes an organization that is transforming a community and the lives of the young people and families who live there.  PKZ in Orlando, FL is a collaborative, holistic initiative that works to level the playing field for young people and their families in Orlando's Parramore community.

"When a city invests in local communities, young people can be put on a path toward a brighter future," said America's Promise Chair Alma J. Powell. "We applaud the City of Orlando and the Parramore community for their collaboration on behalf of young people and recognize the program as an example of what is possible when communities pull their resources, ideas, and talent together to create positive community impact."

Since 2006, Parramore Kidz Zone has been investing in research-tested ways to make a difference in children's lives, including early childhood education, afterschool programs, mentoring and tutoring, access to health care, parenting education, youth development programs for teens, college access assistance, jobs, and more. To date, the community has seen a 63 percent decline in juvenile arrests, a 73 percent decline in teen pregnancies, a 48 percent decline in child abuse cases, and across-the-board increases in the percentage of Parramore students performing at grade level in math and reading. The on-time high school graduation rate is now 100 percent, and there are 85 students who are either in college or have graduated.

Additional awards, including Promise of America, People of Promise and Powell Legacy, will be presented separately. These awards will recognize longtime individual champions of young people, next generation trailblazers and community leaders, respectively, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of young people.

To learn more about the 20^th anniversary events, please visit www.Recommit2Kids.org.

Media Credentials
Members of the media who wish to attend the Promise Night Gala and/or the Recommit To Kids Summit are encouraged to register in advance. If you would like to speak with someone from America's Promise ahead of the 20^th anniversary, please contact Rae Robinson Trotman or Dominic Hawkins.

About America's Promise Alliance
America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. Together with more than 400 national organizations and thousands of community leaders, America's Promise focuses the nation's attention on young people's lives and voices, leads bold campaigns to expand opportunity, conducts groundbreaking research on what young people need to thrive, and accelerates the adoption of strategies that help young people succeed. GradNation, its signature campaign, mobilizes Americans to increase the nation's high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020. For more information visit www.AmericasPromise.org.

SOURCE America's Promise Alliance

Related Links

http://www.americaspromise.org