SLIDESHOW: White Center Promise Summer Celebration was gratitude with a goal

The AU LAC VOVINAM Lion Dance Team entertained the crowd at the White Center Promise Summer Celebration Aug. 31. The event featured music, food information about the initiative, and a book bag giveaway. CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Kimberly Robinson

Sat, 09/01/2012

White Center Promise, a long-term initiative "aimed at eradicating poverty in White Center through a continuum of educational results that bring about social change," held it's annual summer celebration on Aug. 31 with the theme, The Road to Successful Action. Hundreds of people attended the event aimed at thanking everyone and helping to inform them about what the "promise" means for them.

It's stated goal is that all children in White Center will graduate from high school and earn a post-secondary credential that leads to a living wage career. WCP's cradle-to-career range of solutions was developed beginning in 2010 with the help of local residents and supported by local core partners Highline Public Schools, Southwest Youth and Family Services and the White Center Community Development Association. A roll-out plan has been created and implementation will take place in phases over the next 5 years beginning in January 2013.

King County Executive Dow Constantine came to the event to kick off the festivities, and newly hired Highline Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield also made a low key appearance.

The event had multi-lingual break out sessions to explain to residents and especially parents, what the purpose of White Center Promise is and what the short and long term goals are.

Mikael Davila of the WCCDA said," White Center Promise is a federally funded effort and the goal is to win a grant which is something like $3 to $5 million for 4 to 5 years. I think a partnership with the schools is great and for the CDA this is going to be great to build on all the programs and connections and how we're working at White Center Heights and Mt. View elementary schools."

They WCCDA just applied for the grant and they will know if they've won the award by the end of December.

Marquise Roberson, Community Builder for WCCDA said, "I think this means a lot of hope for the community in the sense that we're thinking about their educational futures and where we want to go past education in terms of career. We're ensuring we have the resources here in the neighborhood to make sure that people can get to where they want to go."

The White Center Promise website details the "Promise Zone"

"The official White Center Promise Zone centers on a 1.36 mile portion of the unincorporated section of White Center. The schools included are White Center Heights Elementary, Mt. View Elementary and Cascade Middle School. The zone includes a large section of the downtown business district, two Hope VI communities (Greenbridge and Seola Gardens), three parks, as well as many apartment buildings and single family homes. Community organizations both within and outside of the zone are partnering with us on this effort to expand White Center Promise to as many White Center families as possible."

The featured acts included Seattle Kokon Taiko Drummers, Au Lac Vovinam Lion Dance Team and the EriAm Sisters. Book bags were given away to the first 250 K-12 grade students who signed up.

The effort, going forward will be shared by these partners: