July Newsletter

Dear National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition supporter,

Across the country, our member organizations are delivering real results: helping children and families build stronger futures through hard work, community-based support, and local leadership. For decades, their programs have offered vital services like education assistance, food access, career training, housing support, maternal care, and so much more — meeting people where they are and giving them the tools to thrive.

We are united by a shared mission: to strengthen families, uplift communities, and create opportunity for every child. When we empower our communities and the individuals in them, they grow stronger — and so does our country

This month, we’re proud to highlight the incredible work our coalition members have done to serve their neighbors and transform lives. Let’s take a closer look at what July brought!

A quiet transformation has taken place at Fleming-Neon Middle School—one that promises to inspire students for years to come. Thanks to a partnership between the school and Partners for Rural Impact’s Letcher Promise Neighborhood, the school’s long-outdated library has undergone a complete renovation, turning a neglected space into a vibrant hub for learning, collaboration and creativity.

For years, the library remained largely untouched—cluttered with aging books, worn-out furniture and limited space for students to engage with reading or group projects. But that changed after Amon Couch, director of programs for PRI, visited the school and saw the need firsthand. What followed was a shared vision to breathe new life into the space.

Renovating the library wasn’t without its challenges. Tucked into a tricky layout with restricted delivery access, the logistics were tough—but no match for the determination of the renovation team. Together, school staff and Letcher Promise Neighborhood partners brought the plan to life, creating a fresh, student-centered space.

“I envision the library as a place where literacy can be experienced individually, in small groups or as a whole community,” said Safia Sykes, Letcher Promise Neighborhood project director. “It’s a space where students and families can grow together in their love of learning—and where educators can gather to support one another and plan for student success.”

The updates are both functional and inviting. New shelves hold updated materials. Flexible furniture allows for group work and collaboration. A cozy reading nook encourages independent exploration. The space now serves not only as a library, but also as a community learning center for both students and families.

“This renovation has been incredibly meaningful,” said Glatha Hall, early learning integrated service coordinator for Letcher Promise Neighborhood. “As someone who attended school here, seeing the revitalization of this space—and of our community—is deeply personal. Neon may be small, but small can be mighty.”

In 2024, Omega CDC’s Ready4Work program supported 150 individuals on their path to employment, ranging from high school students and college graduates to individuals

reentering the workforce. Of those served, 60 secured jobs.

This year, we’re already on pace to exceed that impact, having served 123 youth and adults as of mid-2025. Participants come from all walks of life, and the jobs they secure reflect that diversity—spanning healthcare, food service, education, finance, and more.

Current employer partners include regional hospital networks, restaurants, childcare centers, and local banks, among others. These partnerships are key to connecting the Northwest Dayton community with real opportunities.

Take Denise, for example. After spotting a flyer in her neighborhood, she stepped into the Hope Center for Families eager to restart her career. With a strong background in finance, she joined Ready4Work to refresh her skills, attend job readiness workshops, and access digital literacy support. Today, Denise is thriving in a new role at a financial institution in her Community.

At a time when workforce readiness is more essential than ever, Ready4Work is building bridges to employment through practical training, meaningful partnerships, and a strong commitment to meet the community where they are.

Delta Health Alliance has partnered with the Mississippi Geographic Alliance, a program funded by National Geographic, to bring hands-on, environmental enrichment activities to incoming 8th grade students at Simmons Middle School in Hollandale.

Led by MGA Director Angie Stallings, the week-long program engaged more than 30 students aged 13 and older in a variety of immersive learning experiences designed to spark curiosity and build environmental awareness. Students participated in interactive sessions focused on local ecosystems, examining native and invasive species in the area while gaining a hands-on understanding of biodiversity in their own community.

Students also traveled from Hollandale to Stoneville to meet and interview scientists. During these interviews, students explored current research projects, discussed environmental concerns, and learned how the environment shapes scientific discovery.

This collaboration between DHA and MGA exemplifies the power of partnerships to expand educational horizons, foster curiosity, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards in the Mississippi Delta.

Just before the start of the 2025 Legislative session, NAZ, along with the 8 other partner organizations within the Education Partnerships Coalition (EPC) got together to discuss data integration in Minnesota and its impact on the prenatal to profession pipeline. While Minnesota had been a leader in data collection and privacy, it became clear that greater cross-sector collaboration, deeper community engagement and ownership of data, and the inclusion of private school data were still needed to drive better outcomes for students and families. In response, work began on drafting a legislative plan to establish a task force charged with examining Minnesota’s educational and workforce data systems and providing recommendations to enhance their usefulness and effectiveness for policy development and implementation.

EPC hosted a community roundtable at the Minnesota State Capitol with over 30 leaders, including elected officials, state agency leaders, CBOs, youth advocates, and data experts.

Insights from this robust discussion informed revisions to potential language and guided ongoing engagement efforts.

While an official bill was not introduced on the floor during this session, we were able to secure a legislative champion, and also gain bipartisan support for the advancement of legislative language. We look forward to building on this momentum in the 2026 Legislative Session and shaping a brighter future ahead for North Minneapolis and beyond.

Mission Promise Neighborhood recently celebrated 10 years of building parent leadership through the AP-OD (Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors) program. This program provides a foundation in early childhood for lifelong leadership skills and positive family outcomes.

MPN co-created an Abriendo Puertas collective strategy to improve school readiness and support families, and the MPN backbone team continues to support this collaboration in a variety of ways. These include funding partners to offer the Abriendo Puertas program, training staff and parents to be facilitators, and creating job opportunities for parents who become facilitators. Mission Promise Neighborhood has also continued collecting and analyzing data to tell the collective story, and offering professional development through the Professional Learning Community (PLC).

The Collective Impact has been incredible. It Includes:

Grew from 2 to 10 organizations offering Abriendo Puertas.
Served 2,272 parents/caregivers in three-month groups.
Certified partner staff and parents as facilitators.
Co-created a PLC (using Popular Education Methodology) to help facilitators grow, shift mindsets, and focus on advocacy/systems change.
This work has contributed to Kindergarten Readiness in the community. Recently, Kinder Readiness in MPN schools went up 9 percentage points (from 41% in '22-'23 to 50% in '23-'24).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AP-OD PROGRAM

MEDA is also celebrating our incredible facilitators and partner organizations who recognize that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. One facilitator shared how transformative the PLC experience was, offering space for self-reflection and affirming the value of the knowledge he already possessed. He said, “This PLC has helped me be a better father, husband, and man who is able to contribute to my community.”

Throughout July, our Promise Neighborhood organizations continued to deliver meaningful results in their communities — just as they have all year long.

Their work proves that when local organizations have the right tools and support, they can drive real, lasting change for children and families. The Promise Neighborhood model shows the power of strategic, place-based investment, and how it transforms lives from cradle to career. Continued federal support is vital to sustaining this momentum and expanding these life-changing programs to even more communities.

Thank you for standing with us as we work toward a stronger future for every child, every family, and every neighborhood.

For information on membership and member benefits, please contact either of the Coalition’s co-chairs:

Karen Matthews

Delta Health Alliance

kmatthews@deltahealthalliance.org

Rachel Ward

Omega CDC

rachel.ward@omegacdc.org

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