Kimberly K. Parker: NOTHING SHORT OF A CRISIS

It’s 7:30pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012 and you’re probably wondering, “Why is Kimberly giving us time and date information?”  You see, I usually write in the wee hours of morning.  My creative juices tend to flow much better before the cock crows.  However, the exception today is nothing short of a crisis!

I just walked in the house from attending Rev. Jay Cameron’s Debt Free College Degree: The Seminar held at The Life Center.  The goal of the event was to show how to earn a top-quality college education…DEBT FREE.  Mission accomplished.  Due to so much jaw-dropping information shared, my mouth is still out on Route 301.  On a more serious note, Rev. Cameron dispensed tough medicine on the state of student loan debt that left me floored.  It is with his expressed consent that I will share...just a little.

Let’s start with the facts.  According to Fastweb.com:

1. Student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in America and is expected to surpass $1,000,000,000,000 (that’s one trillion dollars) in 2012. 
2. The average undergraduate degree takes 5.58 years to complete.
3. More than $150,000,000,000 (that’s one hundred fifty billion dollars) in financial aid is awarded annually.  Only 3% is in the form of scholarships.

These statistics go on and on.  See for yourself.

Rev. Cameron made it clear that, in large part, College Recruiters are professional sales people forced to make a quota.  Skeptical?  Check out the lies levied by these two for-profit universities and how one woman quit because her conscience, finally, became her guide.  Wait!  There’s more.  Rev. Cameron weaved in another video clip that really drove home his message on our crisis like this video on Looming Student Loans.  Thereto, he strongly encouraged us to watch this documentary called College Conspiracy.  Brace yourself.

Again, this is nothing short of a crisis that is impacting our country in a horrendous manner. Alas, Rev. Cameron offered much hope if we’re willing to change our lethal financial management habits, sacrifice to the bone, where necessary, and develop a plan…NOW! 

Here’s just a snippet:

1. Take a real honest look at your debt and assess your financial picture.  No more running and hiding from those five to six figures.  You can’t “just pray it away.”  There must be deliberate action.  Faith without works is oh so dead!
2. Don’t take on more debt.  Period.
3. Develop a college education plan that will not add to your existing debt.  It’s quite possible to attend college without loans.

I could have sat there all day just ingesting the priceless information shared.  Now, I’m a bit more equipped to map out my children’s college education.  I merely scratched the surface of the seminar in this blog.  Please plan to attend and yourself as well as his stage play College Fever: The Stage Play.  Trust me: your life will forever be changed.

Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). On September 8, 2012, the 2012 Write On! Writing Program participants will release their book entitled Young Voices.  Wise Words: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories at the Spaulding Library.  For more information visit Book Release Celebration.  Kimberly is a publisher, author, and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

Dr. Mike Robinson, Creator of National Men Make a Difference Day for Academic Success to Discuss Fatherhood

Hello Engaged Parents and Dedicated Educators, On Father's Day, June 17, the '2nd Chance' radio broadcast welcomes Dr. Mike Robinson, CEO of Forest of the Rain Productions and Founder of National Men Make a Difference Day for Academic Success (www.menmakeadifferenceday.weebly.com) to discuss the role of fathers and significant male role models in the academic lives of children.  He will also discuss the National Men Make A Difference Day for Academic Success and how fathers can make a difference in the lives of their children. Tune in to www.wjou.org at 2 pm CST or 90.1 FM for an uplifting discussion on fatherhood on June 17. '2nd Chance'...Transforming lives!

Visit Parents and PGCPS at: http://parentsandpgcps.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Five Myths About Community Outreach Educational Institutions Need To Know

 By:

Dr. Mike Robinson

Many

organizations, to include public K-12 schools and institutions of higher

education believe a connection with their local communities is imperative to

their ability to respond to their mission while offering solutions to many of

the systemic needs facing those within their communities. However, there is a

belief among organizational leaders that community outreach is simply a matter

of knocking on doors or passing out flyers at local community events.  Albeit those are several of the methods one

can use to reach their constituents, the fact is community outreach is much

more than that!

Community

outreach requires a strategic approach, a methodology that ensures your efforts

garner the optimal results and that those reached are best able at the time of

your outreach to benefit from your services, desire your services and

understand your services. 

Here

are five myths regarding community outreach every organizational leader needs

to know, as they will assist in creating a more effective community outreach

program with a solid community outreach strategy.

Myth # 1 It Is Community Outreach, It

Cannot Be That Hard: 

Community

outreach can be done over the phone or simply from behind a desk. This is

perhaps the most damaging of all the myths, as it the one typically accepted by

those leaders with the least understanding of the mission of the organization

and what is community outreach.

Truth

is effective community outreach has a strong base of research that does have a

need for a level of office work. But the more effective outreach research is

conducted on the ground within the communities one seeks to serve.

Myth # 2 They Have To Want Our Help:

Communities

are always amenable to organizations entering their neighborhoods promoting

programs, services and opportunities. Organizations that assume, because we are

a high profile institution or because we are addressing a need that impacts the

majority of the residents of this community, therefore they will accept us with

open arms is to discount the unique, distinct and diversity of each

neighborhood that makes up a community.

Myth # 3 Community Outreach Cannot

Contribute To The Bottom Line: 

Community

outreach is not a major avenue to create a revenue stream or provide fiscal

opportunities for an organization.  While

many organizations, especially community colleges have come to understand that

an effective community outreach program, grounded in research and an

understanding of community norms can create increased enrollment, expand the communities’

educated workforce and serve as the economic engine of the community have come

to understand the revenue generating potential of the an effective community

outreach program.

Myth # 4 Strategy Not Needed:

Community

outreach does not require a strategic assessment and implementation and can be

effectively conducted via a willy nilly approach. In these times of fiscal

challenges, tight budgets and competing initiatives, failure to take a

strategic perspective on how best to reach those who can and will access your

programs or services can result in a waste of revenue, manpower, and other

organizational resources.

Myth # 5 Staff Departure:

Community

outreach staff are not really performing outreach, but they are out looking for

a job. This is one of the most ridiculous myths in the industry of community

outreach.  Effective community outreach

staff will meet and network with countless community and business leaders and

on a few occasions they will be offered opportunities to work with other

organizations.  While staff turnover is

not good for any organization or a department it does negatively impact a

community outreach division. However, the possibility of staff finding

employment elsewhere does not justify unprofessional scrutiny and mistrust by

leadership. When this occurs the effectiveness of an organization’s community

outreach is doomed for failure.

Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Dr. Mike Robinson is the

creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the

host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental

engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet

communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about

education.

Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">To contact Dr. Mike

Robinson, visit www.forestoftherain.net

or email at forestoftherain@gmail.com

How To Keep Black History Alive After Black History Month Is Over

In just two days, we will bid farewell to a month full of celebrating the accomplishments of people of African descent. The kente cloth will be stored, the old Negro Spirituals will be shelved, and the lecturers will shift their focus to what we’ll celebrate next. As grateful as I am for the extra day this month to enjoy the exhibits, theatrical productions, and chorales, 29 days is merely a drop in the bucket. It’s just not enough time to consume the contributions of those African American’s who have changed our nation and even the world.

My passion to instill a sense of self worth, value, and dignity in my children is ever at the forefront of my mind. One of the ways I’ve chosen to do that is by incorporating black history into their everyday lives. My children are greatness in motion and I desire not the validation of social media websites, hip-hop moguls, and the latest pair of sneakers. Those by products, if you will, are temporary and fleeting. However, teaching them from where they came is lasting and will certainly propel them to where they’re going.

In his book, Brainwashed: Dispelling the Myth of Black Inferiority, author Tom Burrell quoted these words spoken by Haki Madhubuti, a nationally known educator, poet, and editor:

“You can’t minimize the importance of cultural knowledge…you cannot build a healthy child – most certainly, he or she will not have a healthy world view – if he or she does not see himself or herself directly involved creatively in the development of civilization, culture, industry, science.”
Upon my return from Egypt in the summer of 2010, a trip that has forever changed my life, I pledged to make the sacrifice of my mother and other ancestors redemptive through my conscious and committed resolution to keep black history alive after Black History Month and all year long.

Here are three ways I’m honoring that pledge:

1. Read a daily black history fact: Dr. Carl B. Mack, the Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers, authored Black Heritage Day, the most comprehensive and unique perpetual calendar boasting 365 days of black history. Taking turns, we dive into the life of a phenomenal human being and walk away just a little more enlightened.

2. Visit museums and other points of interest. As I anxiously await the ribbon cutting ceremony in 2015 for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I make it a point to visit the African Art Museum, the “American I AM” exhibit hosted by Tavis Smiley, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial on the national mall.

3. Create fun and engaging activities. Grow a sweet potato as you explore the life of George Washington Carver. Take a walk through the woods and imagine it’s the trail of Harriett Tubman. Put on some music and pretend you’re sharing the floor with Sammy Davis, Jr. In so doing, you and your children are sure to understand their lives just a little bit better.

Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). To date, she has written three books and has helped nine children between the ages of nine and nineteen write and publish books of their own. Leave a comment about this blog below and visit Kimberly’s website at http://www.writingmomma.com/. Kimberly is a professional writer, author, publisher, and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children

Education The Root of All That Is Good

Let us face the facts; education is the root of all that will make our Good county GREAT, to steal a line from County Executive Rushern Baker. The future of Prince George’s County Maryland does not rest in the arrival of the County’s first state agency to call Prince George’s County home, albeit, this is a good thing.

The future of Prince George’s County Maryland rests squarely on the shoulders of our K-12 public school system and its ability to prepare students to compete academically nationally and more importantly globally. The County’s aspirations, the hopes for a booming economy, and a community which is viewed as the beacon of innovation and a cradle of artistic creation is dependent upon an educational network. A network where its K-12 public school district, its community college with its various satellite campuses and its multiple 4-year public and private colleges and universities work to establish a seamless network of educational opportunities. The opportunities must be grounded in high academic standards, open access and affordability.

However, this path we call the future, begins with a high performing K-12 public school system, that embraces innovation, provides transparency, and builds parent and community trust through sound fiscal management, all with the goal to creating an educational environment envied by others and desired by all.

Prince George’s County Public Schools have many, if not most of the ingredients to become one of the best school districts in the nation. The system has some of the most qualified teachers in the state of Maryland, hundreds of the most experienced school based and central office administrators in the nation, and there are thousands of top ranked students sitting in classes across the County. The would be scholars are meeting the demands to challenge themselves academically and they are demanding more of their teachers. When you aligned these strengths with the most engaged group of parents and community stakeholders in the state of Maryland, you have the foundation to move the academic needle beyond a mere smidgen.

Now it is time to match all our strengths with educational leaders who desire only the best for our children, our families, our communities and our county.

Kimberly K. Parker: THE POWER OF ONE WORD

Time was of the essence this morning as I prepared for work. I knew that in order to make it out of the house chop-chop (quickly, right away), I had to pick up the pace. There was literally not a moment to spare because tardiness brings about a bit of anxiety (uneasiness, concern).

It took me a moment to accept my outfit. Although I was not convinced I chose the right two-piece for the day, I gave myself a big “high-five” and celebrated the final touches. I smiled, looked in the mirror, pointed to myself and said, “You’re not going to be late today, Queen!”

Just as I turned to exit the bathroom, there stood my baby boy, Kalonji. It was obvious he had just arisen (got up, awakened); he appeared to be a bit transfixed (motionless, awe struck). I could not tell if he was partially sleep, in a heavy day dream, or asking himself, “What is Momma wearing today?” Before I had an opportunity to inquire (ask, investigate) if he was well, he simply said “Wow!” as he took note of my jewelry matching my outfit.

What a nice way to enhance my day…especially since I had second thoughts about my attire just moments before. With just one word, Kalonji added a little bit more pep to my step. I gave him a tight hug, grabbed my purse, and made my way out of the house. Oh — did I mention I arrived to work on time? Sometimes, all it takes is just one word to put a smile on a persons face. If I may, I’d like to offer a list of words…from A to Z…that is laced with lots of power:

Awesome
Beautiful
Courageous
Dynamite
Excellent
Fabulous
Grand
Helpful
Ingenious
Jubilant
Kind
Lovable
Magnificent Nice
Outstanding
Pretty
Quintessential
Radiant
Sweet
Terrific
Unique
Vivacious
Wonderful
Xenodochial
Yes
Zestful

What one word will you choose to add a little pep to someone’s step? I’d really like to know. Let’s keep it moving and make their day!


Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). This past summer, her company published three books for young authors age nine to nineteen! This fall, she will host “Write On!” an eight week writing program for youth and she is currently looking for a few young writers who want to participate. Visit www.writingmomma.com for more information. Kimberly is a ghostwriter, author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

The Power of One Word

Time was of the essence this morning as I prepared for work. I knew that in order to make it out of the house chop-chop (quickly, right away), I had to pick up the pace. There was literally not a moment to spare because tardiness brings about a bit of anxiety (uneasiness, concern).

It took me a moment to accept my outfit. Although I was not convinced I chose the right two-piece for the day, I gave myself a big “high-five” and celebrated the final touches. I smiled, looked in the mirror, pointed to myself and said, “You’re not going to be late today, Queen!”

Just as I turned to exit the bathroom, there stood my baby boy, Kalonji. It was obvious he had just arisen (got up, awakened); he appeared to be a bit transfixed (motionless, awe struck). I could not tell if he was partially sleep, in a heavy day dream, or asking himself, “What is Momma wearing today?” Before I had an opportunity to inquire (ask, investigate) if he was well, he simply said “Wow!” as he took note of my jewelry matching my outfit.

What a nice way to enhance my day…especially since I had second thoughts about my attire just moments before. With just one word, Kalonji added a little bit more pep to my step. I gave him a tight hug, grabbed my purse, and made my way out of the house. Oh — did I mention I arrived to work on time? Sometimes, all it takes is just one word to put a smile on a persons face. If I may, I’d like to offer a list of words…from A to Z…that is laced with lots of power:

Awesome
Beautiful
Courageous
Dynamite
Excellent
Fabulous
Grand
Helpful
Ingenious
Jubilant
Kind
Lovable
Magnificent Nice
Outstanding
Pretty
Quintessential
Radiant
Sweet
Terrific
Unique
Vivacious
Wonderful
Xenodochial
Yes
Zestful

What one word will you choose to add a little pep to someone’s step? I’d really like to know. Let’s keep it moving and make their day!


Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). This past summer, her company published three books for young authors age nine to nineteen! This fall, she will host “Write On!” an eight week writing program for youth and she is currently looking for a few young writers who want to participate. Visit www.writingmomma.com for more information. Kimberly is a ghostwriter, author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.