Dear Readers,

I am Minister Sandy D. Jones from Mount Olive Baptist Church, a member and supporter of Austin Interfaith.  I learned about what Austin Interfaith has been doing for education and child & youth development through the work of volunteers and leaders from congregations all over our growing city.  Our city is a very multicultural city that needs to provide an education that will reach each and all these cultures of children and adults for productive families and lifestyles.  This will bring peace and prosperity for our schools, communities, cities and state as a whole.

I took an interest in this work in thinking about my grandchildren’s education.  I myself was raised in the south, the state of Alabama, during segregation where we as a black race did not have the privileges that others had.  After over 40 years we can still see the same effect of our kids not having the privileges of others because of their race, and their neighborhoods.  

I sincerely believe that child, and youth development programs are necessarily important to our education system in educating our children and parents. We have a very large number of our children being raised by their grandparents, as I myself was, and often the grandparent themselves do not have a high school diploma.  The child & youth developments programs serve to help educate where the grandparents, parents, and single parents do not have the time, due to working long hours and working two jobs in some cases to meet financial needs, or the education to help with homework that they themselves do not understand. It also helps the parent with their own education when they come and sit in and learn with their child in these development programs, helping with homework and reading. The programs help with structure, create habits in studying, reading, and promote self-esteem.  Austin Interfaith makes these things possible.  

It’s a real need I myself had years ago.  If someone would have asked me what was my biggest problem I had about learning, my answer would have been -- then and today -- to have some place and some one to help me with my homework, and reading so I could be the best I could be and to make better choices for my life and future.

The children we support and serve through the child & development programs are our future generation of doctors, lawyers, judges, bankers, city councilmembers, governors, and more.  

We ask you, our general public, to help and support Austin Interfaith with your generous financial donation, so that we may continue to serve the need that is so needed, through continued advocacy for investments in development programs like Primetime, Victory Tutorial Project, Summer Youth Employment and Capital IDEA.

May God Bless You For Your Donations.

Minister Sandy D. Jones

Mount Olive Baptist Church

1800 E. 11th Street

Austin, Texas  78702