New York City's Empire State Building Will Be Lit in Yellow and Blue Tonight for Lights On Afterschool; Other Landmarks Around the Country to be Lit This Week
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, as America rallies for Lights On Afterschool for the 21st consecutive year, landmarks across the country are lighting up in yellow and blue to support the afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and support working parents. Lights On Afterschool this year will include thousands of events, many of them virtual, that showcase the skills students gain and the talents they develop in their afterschool programs and the many ways these programs have stepped up to support students and families in the pandemic.
Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is America's only national rally for afterschool programs. Among the many landmarks that are lighting up for Lights On Afterschool this week:
- In New York City, the Empire State Building will light up in blue and yellow beginning at sunset tonight.
- In Florida, Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg.
- In Hawai'i, the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.
- In Indiana, the Indianapolis Power & Light Building.
- In Louisiana, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
- In Massachusetts, Boston South Street Station.
- In Michigan, the Arch in Flint.
- In Missouri, the Branson Ferris Wheel, St. Louis Planetarium and the fountains in Kansas City.
- In New Jersey, Edison Memorial Tower.
- In Ohio, city hall and several downtown businesses in Delaware.
- In Pennsylvania, the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, and stadiums from three school districts, the courthouse, and the Poconos visitor center in Honesdale.
- In Rhode Island, the Statehouse and Pawtucket Bridge.
The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool to underscore the need to invest in afterschool programs, which in normal times provide help with homework; skilled mentors; art, dance and music; healthy snacks and meals; computer programming; opportunities to think critically, collaborate and communicate with peers and adults; job and college readiness; sports and fitness activities; robotics; and opportunities for hands-on, team-based learning. During the pandemic, programs have provided virtual educational activities, delivered meals and enrichment kits, helped families bridge the digital divide, checked in with children to ensure their social and emotional needs are being met, connected families to social services, cared for the children of essential workers and first responders, and more.
The America After 3PM household survey found that, for every child in an afterschool program today, two more are waiting to get in. One in five students in the United States is unsupervised after the school day ends.
Learn more about Lights On Afterschool 2020 here.
SOURCE Afterschool Alliance
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