CHOICES Champion
The CHOICES Champion brings you news and information about the CHOICES program, management tips, case studies and more. We welcome your suggestions, submissions and comments, which can be sent to info@choices.org or to your primary CHOICES contact.
CHOICES NEWS:
Foss Maritime Contributes $5,000 to CHOICES…Again!
Foss Maritime has for the second time in two years made a $5,000 contribution to CHOICES Education Group. Best known for their tugboats and barges, Foss provides a wide range of maritime services and project management to customers across the Pacific Rim, Europe, South America and around the globe. They also strongly believe in helping kids succeed in life, and have supported educational efforts in a big way over the years. As Gil Graham, Vice President of Human Resources, says, “Foss believes in education, and we feel that CHOICES does a great job of supporting teens and helping them see the value of their education so they can succeed. We want to see our funds used well, and that’s why we support CHOICES.” Thanks to Foss Maritime for their commitment to the future of our children and communities!
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CHOICES MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE MONTH
Plan now for your mid-year CHOICES Rally!
Now is a great time to plan a mid-school-year get together for your CHOICES Presenters, key school staff and your organization’s leadership. Plan a rally for mid-December and give it a holiday theme with refreshments. Have some presenters share their CHOICES experience from the fall, hear from teachers and others about the value of CHOICES in your community, and give some certificates for exceptional commitment by presenters and teachers (the “CHOICES Fall Guy/Gal Award,” for example). For more ideas and resources please contact your CHOICES representative.
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CHOICES FIELD REPORT
Independence Chamber Approaches 15,000 Students Served with CHOICES
The Independence (MO) Chamber of Commerce stands as one of the strongest chamber-based CHOICES programs in the nation, and with this year’s renewal will serve another 1,650 students, bringing their nine-year total to a whopping 15,000 students served. The schools here like CHOICES so much it has been integrated into their high school curriculum. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center was so impressed that in 2006, as a result of its work with CHOICES, the Independence Chamber was named as a top-five finalist for a Corporate Citizenship Award in the category of U.S. Community Service. Through their CHOICES efforts they had seen their dropout rate decrease by 26%. The Independence Chamber was the only finalist in all categories that was not a major US corporation. Their direct competition was Arvin Meritor, McGraw Hill, Morgan Stanley, and Union Pacific Railroad. Congratulations to the Independence Chamber for their longstanding commitment to make a difference in the lives of their students and their community!
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The Dropout Epidemic
- 7,000 teens become high school dropouts every school day
- High correlation with being jobless, homeless & in prison
- Earn $260,000 less than H.S. graduates over lifetime
- Cost nation $209,000 each for healthcare, welfare and crime
- We incur $1.5 billion in future losses every school day
The CHOICES Response
- Personal empowerment & personal responsibility
- Connect school to the future
- Nearly 1,000 teens served every school day
- 1,800 community volunteers in 46 states
- Cost of less than $5 per teen
The CHOICES Impact
- Over 5 million served since 1985
- 88% approval rating from students
- 97% approval rating from teachers
- 9% increase in positive engagement coincident with CHOICES
- 9% decrease in negative or non-engagement
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