June 2013

Dear Readers,

Do you remember the Gershwin song that begins "Summertime, and the livin' is easy"?

ummer is anything but easy for at-risk children in Chicago. Too much idle time away from school can take its toll. Kids can easily get into mischief, or trouble can just as easily find them. Summer is also a grave concern for low- income working parents, who often have no recourse other than to let their children be.

Enter the Summer Works drive at the Midtown Center for boys and the Metro Achievement Center for girls. For nearly 50 years, Midtown Educational Foundation has offered a solution to aimless summer days for at-risk children and their parents alike.

Beginning June 24 for seven full weeks, Midtown and Metro will be home to nearly 800 disadvantaged kids from neighborhoods across Chicagoland. They'll spend half their time in our classrooms and the other half enjoying fun extracurricular activities. Teachers and instructors will reinforce what they learned in the last school year and help them be better prepared for the year ahead. Coaches will teach them how to be good sports. And college-age advisors will spend time each week with every single child, becoming a friend and someone they can trust.

In short, the staff at both centers will not only provide a safe, enjoyable and enriching environment for the kids, but some peace of mind for the parents.

Midtown Educational Foundation can provide this level of support for low-income families only with the generosity of friends and donors like you. The cost to support one child this summer is $1,025, but a gift of any amount will make all the difference in the world between a summer filled with anxiety or one filled with hope and joy for an urban youngster. Parents can only afford to pay a fraction of the cost. Will you kindly consider a donation today?

In advance, thank you for your generosity. May you, your family and friends have a summertime where the "livin' is easy!" Please know that you've made it more comfortable for the kids we serve, too.

Sincerely,