APPLETON - “Grow Our Own: Helping the Next Generation Find Success” will air at 9 p.m. Thursday and 12:30 p.m. April 23 on Pioneer Public Television. The program is a collaboration between Pioneer Public Television and Southwest Initiative Foundation to raise awareness about the fact that one in six southwest Minnesota kids lives in poverty.
In December 2016, employers, community leaders, elected officials, educators and students gathered in Marshall for a summit featuring nationally known experts like Robert Putnam, Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and author of “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.”
Putnam points out that people saying "our kids" used to mean all kids in the community, not just their own children, and we must get back to that in our society. "Our sense of 'we' has shriveled," he said. "This is a big deal for all of us."
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"Pioneer has made a commitment to serving the children of working families with quality educational programming for more than 50 years," said Pioneer General Manager Les Heen. "This partnership with SWIF in broadcasting this vital information is at the core of our mission."
Additional videos, including full presentations from summit speakers, will be available online at www.pioneer.org/growourown after the broadcast.
"We're excited to share the ‘Grow Our Own’ message with the help of such great regional partners," said Southwest Initiative Foundation President/CEO Diana Anderson. "These kids sit in our classrooms today and will come to work in and run our businesses tomorrow. They will need to fill the many roles that keep our communities strong and vibrant. We must give all kids the best possible start."
