I really had a faith in something bigger than myself. So I always knew from the time I was about 4 years old that the life I was living in rural Mississippi with my grandmother was not going to be my future.

Don’t ask me how I knew. I wasn’t a dreamer as much as I was a reader. That allowed me to see from an early, early age that there was a world beyond my backyard, literally – there was a world bigger than I could imagine. I’d never been anywhere any farther than the church that was down the road, which you could see from the front porch. I guess where the words took me was to let my imagination flow. When I was reading, that was my escape.  –  Oprah Winfrey

Education is the key that unlocks a world of choice for each of us. Whether it is through reading, learning about adding and subtracting, listening to music, playing ball with a team, discovering the properties of soil, speaking in front of other people, leading a group of kids through a difficult exercise or finding one’s way through a series of puzzles, education unlocks the hidden potential in each of us. Millions of children around the world miss out on going to school. They lack the resources necessary to attend school.

Children here are more fortunate. Children in our community have schools to attend. But they need more. They needs supports to maximize their education experience. They need tutoring. They need help with their homework. They need encouragement to explore new ideas at their own pace. They need more than they can get from the public schools. CEM operates a program for kids during out of school hours. Here the kids  get to explore who they are, make friends, get help with adding and subtracting, reading and spelling. They have fun while doing this and begin to develop a dedication to and love for learning.

Think about your own education. Has it ever ended or are you still learning? I know I am. Let’s support kids in our community on their journey to becoming life-long learners.