John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary Awarded $1,000 to Lead a Service-learning Campaign for Global Youth Service Day
By Christina Wessell
State Farm Companies Foundation Supports Service-Learning Projects in St. Paul, MN and Across America St. Paul, MN– April 25 and May 12 – Thirteen students in a service-learning class at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary (JAJ) will receive a $1,000 award to launch a service-learning project for Global Youth Service Day on April 25, 26 and 27, 2008.  JAJ is one of 100 State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award winners chosen by Youth Service America and funded by State Farm Companies Foundation. During the months of March and April, the service-learning class studied water quality issues and how rain gardens can help to improve water quality. The students utilized science, math, reading, and language arts skills as they engaged in a variety of activities, including: learning how pollutants affect water quality, creating models of watersheds, calculating the infiltration rate of soil, and helping to create a power point about how rain gardens benefit water quality. On April 25, the students will present the rain garden power point at a school-wide gathering. Over 300 students and 30 adults will attend the presentation. Elected officials, including St. Paul City Council and school board members, are invited to attend the presentation as well. On May 12, the students will assist with planting a rain garden in their community at a Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Service apartment building. Following the installation, there will be a celebration to acknowledge the students accomplishments. When asked about her experience with the rain garden project, one youth participant said, “I think the project has helped me show my creative side, and that I can listen. I think building a rain garden in the community is a good idea because we are the service-learning group and we’re helping the community look nicer.” “The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning grant winners demonstrate unprecedented global caring and initiative, showing the world that young people can be leaders today, not in some distant tomorrow,” says Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. “By combining the dynamics of leadership, service and learning, the grant recipients build some of the most valuable skills— academic achievement and workforce readiness.” "State Farm is proud to partner with Youth Service America.  As our partnership has grown so has our respect for YSA’s work. Through its strong leadership, young people around the world are experiencing fundamental necessities of democracy - the ability to serve and give back to their community - while gaining academic and workplace readiness skills that are valued by State Farm. We share with YSA the common belief that our young people are not tomorrow's leaders, they are leaders today,” says Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman and CEO, State Farm   Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world. Global Youth Service Day is a year-round effort to expand the impact of the youth service movement. The initiative launches new service organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged youth. State Farm Companies Foundation is the presenting sponsor. More than 120 national partners and 75 lead agencies throughout the United States organize campaigns. Overseas, national lead agencies in more than 100 countries participate. Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries and is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1986, Youth Service America’s mission is to expand the impact of the youth service movement with communities, schools, corporations, and governments. For more information: www.YSA.org. State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®. # # # Contact:    Christina Vetter John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary 651-793-7300 christina.vetter@spps.org
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