Building Safe, Strong, Educated Communities

Resources for Recovery/Gulf Coast Walkabout - the Gulf Coast WalkAbout provides students with opportunities to rebuild many things they lost during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, particularly their sense of being able to help.  Most importantly, however, is that the young people went from being victims of a hurricane to community leaders in the restoration process.

Habitat for Humanity - State Farm is the first national sponsor of Habitat’s Youth Program Department, providing grants and opportunities for youth ages 5-25 to address issues of poverty and homelessness through community volunteerism.

Global Youth Service Day Through State Farm’s sponsorship of Global Youth Service Day, youth ages 5 to 25 use their projects to tutor younger children, engage in disaster relief, register new voters, educate their communities about good nutrition, and meet many more community needs through their service.

Local Incentives Support Corporation (LISC): State Farm® provided funds for a low-interest loan to LISC to get money in the hands of Gulf Coast community rebuilding organizations. (State Farm-LISC Report)

NeighborWorks® America, a national nonprofit umbrella that receives congressional appropriations and contributions from the private sector, provides grants, training and technical assistance to upwards of 240 local affiliates that serve more than 4,400 rural, suburban and urban communities. Through our partnership with NeighborWorks® America, State Farm began promoting community revitalization throughout the country. State Farm provides volunteer support and grant contributions to over 130 local affiliates. (www.nw.org/network/home.asp)

In addition, training and education have emerged as important strategies in NeighborWorks® Gulf rebuilding efforts. In December 2006, NeighborWorks® America had its first community development training institute in New Orleans since the 2005 hurricanes. Nearly 2,000 nonprofit leaders, housing and community development professionals and community leaders, including more than 170 from the Gulf Coast region, attended the institute, which featured more than 90 classes on community organizing and rebuilding.

“Power of 10” State Farm supports the NeighborWorks "Power of 10." This initiative focuses on new housing and financial education to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. In addition to State Farm, NeighborWorks is also working with other State Farm partners -- National Council for La Raza, Habitat for Humanity, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation -- in the rebuilding efforts.

America’s Promise - The America’s Promise Alliance, founded by General Colin Powell, is the largest collaborative effort dedicated to serving and promoting the well-being of our young people. State Farm has been a partner with America’s Promise Alliance since 2005 and is the exclusive sponsor of the Alliance’s landmark research study Every Child, Every Promise (ECEP), which was released in 2006 and measures the presence and impact of the Five Promises in the lives of America’s young people.

Working together with organizations and individuals from all sectors of the community, the alliance dedicates itself to ensuring the success of America’s young people through the framework of the Five Promises (Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education, Opportunities to Help Others).

Recently, State Farm reaffirmed its commitment to the Alliance by donating $5 million as the lead sponsor for the “15 in 5” campaign. The campaign’s goal is to improve the lives of 15 million disadvantaged young people over the next five years, providing them with more of the essential Five Promise resources needed to succeed in life.

National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) - The NCEE, in partnership with State Farm, has undertaken a major new national initiative to improve the economic and financial literacy of the nation’s youth.  Mississippi is the first state to implement the program for all K-12 public schools.

The multi-year effort will combine professional development for teachers (centered around NCEE’s Virtual Economics® CD-ROM program) and advocacy efforts for greater emphasis on economic education and financial literacy in K-12 education nationwide. Over the course of the three-year initiative, the NCEE will offer professional development for more than 14,000 K-12 teachers in seven states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi and Texas. These teachers will reach more than 1.2 million students annually. In Mississippi alone, more than 6,000 teachers will receive training and reach more than 400,000 students annually.