Austin

To celebrate Light On Afterschool 2007, the Central Texas Afterschool Network (CTAN) and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin are hosting the 5th Annual Breakfast for Champions. This breakfast celebrates the success of afterschool programs in Central Texas and serves to recognize outstanding contributors to quality afterschool programs in the Central Texas community. CTAN is inviting the School Board of Directors and board members to attend and are recognizing them for their support of afterschool.

Fort Worth

Fort Worth After School (FWAS) plans to kick off Lights On Afterschool with proclamations and recognitions from Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees, Fort Worth City Council and Tarrant County Commissioners Court. The main celebration and highlight of the week will take place on the afternoon of October 18th in Downtown Fort Worth. Students will show their community what afterschool means to them by creating “Sidewalk Art” – Artisitic Imagery of Afterschool activities by students. The students will create this art on the spot during the official afternoon of Light On Afterschool and display their talent to everyone passing by! Celebrations and Sidewalk Art will be taking place at all Fort Worth Afterschool sites as well.

Background information on Lights On Afterschool:

Lights On Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America's children, families and communities.

In America today, 1 in 4 youth -- 14.3 million children – are alone and unsupervised after school. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. They provide opportunities to help young people develop into successful adults.

Lights On Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in more than 1,200 communities nationwide. The event grew in 2001 to more than 3,600 events, and more than 7,500 in 2006. This October, 1 million Americans will celebrate Lights On Afterschool!

Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has served as Chair of Lights On Afterschool since 2001.

The Afterschool Alliance salutes the many Lights On Afterschool partners and programs who make this event a success, in particular the After-School All-Stars, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 4-H Afterschool, Junior Achievement, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Young Rembrandts, and the YMCA of the USA.

To host your own Lights On Afterschool event, visit the Afterschool Alliance webpage to learn more. The Afterschool Aliiance offers an event planning kit and other great tools for developing your own local rally for afterschool programs.

Click here to learn about what happened in Texas and across the country during Lights On Afterschool 2006.