Community leaders Oscar and Cathy Munoz and United Way Board of Trustee Chair Travis Storey recently announced the couple’s $1 million donation to establish an “Achievers for Life” (AFL) initiative at
Eugene J. Butler Middle School. This will be the seventh AFL initiative created in Duval County, and the first in the New Town Success Zone.
Achievers for Life is a United Way-supported initiative which works to identify sixth-grade students who are at risk of failing and eventually dropping out.
“This very generous gift from the Munozs not only benefits Eugene J. Butler, but it also benefits hundreds of families in the New Town Success Zone,” said Connie Hodges, President of United Way of Northeast Florida. “We are proud and excited to welcome Eugene Butler to the Achievers for Life family, and we look forward to further expanding this great initiative to other areas in our community and continuing to improve Northeast Florida’s graduation rate.“
AFL is now operating in six schools in the Jacksonville area. With the help of United Way’s Community Impact Fund, grants and private donations, it provides four key components:
- Family Advocates: They help families to address family obstacles to the student excelling in academically;
- Achievement Advocate: These individuals work with 6th grade students to identify and address academic obstacles to on-time grade promotion;
- Parent Engagement: School principals implement research-based Parent Engagement Projects, which are school wide strategies to keep students and their families interested in learning; and
- Counseling: Qualified counselors provide assistance and help.
“We are very excited to expand this proven program to another neighborhood in Jacksonville,” said Superintendent Pratt-Dannals. “With the help of Achievers for Life, we are identifying those at-risk students early in their educational journey and increasing Duval’s graduation rate by keeping them on track to graduate and contribute to the community. “
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