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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION HONORING DISTRICT U-46's BROTHERS RISE UP and LEAD PROGRAMS
WHEREAS, School District U-46 serves families in 11 communities across 90 square miles within Chicago's northwest suburbs, including Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood and Wayne and portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago; and
WHEREAS, The Living Elegantly, Ambitiously, and Dauntlessly (LEAD) Enrichment Program is centered around supporting and mentoring 5th through 8th grade girls of African American heritage. The LEAD program aims to help girls develop their self-esteem, cultural awareness, leadership, and conflict resolution skills; and
WHEREAS, The Brothers Rise Up (BRU) program provides mentoring and support to third through 8th grade African American male students across School District U-46. This is a multi-year program that focuses on monitoring and improving the students' academic performance, attendance, and behavior and offers a curriculum with character development, social skills, leadership, academic excellence and career development; and
WHEREAS, in 2019-20, the LEAD program served 150 girls across eight schools; three elementary and five middle schools; and
WHEREAS, the LEAD program is led by Jocelyn Ashford Yarbrough and a group of LEAD volunteers/staff members currently facilitate the program; and
WHEREAS, Jim Cook, a Dean's Assistant at Kenyon Woods Middle School, founded Brothers Rise Up in 2019 as a program of the non-profit Midwest Sports Academy. Mr. Cook worked with administrators across the District to identify students who might need and be open to additional support; and
WHEREAS, in 2020-21, the BRU program is serving 130 boys from 3rd-8th grade in 17 schools on a weekly basis while also continuing to provide mentoring and support to students who have moved on to high school; and
WHEREAS, these programs participate in a variety of programming including college vis...
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