Greetings from TKWF President Deborah Wilson Gadsden

With great pleasure, I greet you as the president and chairwoman of The Kris Wilson Foundation. This foundation has chosen learning and literacy as its cornerstones for the work that will be done on behalf of disadvantaged youth in the Lancaster area.

Many scholars discuss what they believe to be the downfall of the American educational system and many politicians expound on what needs to change or who is at fault. I believe we need to embrace the reality that we all have a role in the educational process of our children and in increasing the literacy in our community.

The saying is sometimes passed off as being trite, but it really does take a village to raise a child, and all of the members of the village must feel that their roles are important. Many challenges face children today. Distractions pull them away from educational pursuits. The most devastating can come from negative peer relationships and issues like sex, promiscuity and diseases. We also have a lot of concern about video games, lack of physical stimulation, and certain interactions on the Internet. However, I believe the greatest challenge for children is the idea that being smart is just not cool. We have to engender in our children a "joy of learning".

The challenges facing families are just as daunting. These challenges include the struggle to meet economic needs, the plethora of influences on our children, and the quest to find quality time to share in relaxing and edifying experiences. And families struggle to make education the source of pride it once was for our children and our society.

We have reached a crossroads where families need to refocus their attention on the education and literacy of their children. Families need to reclaim cherished time to spend with their children by capturing their attention with books and other educational experiences.

My hope is that The Kris Wilson Foundation can develop new programs and partner with other established organizations to show the children of Lancaster and their families that learning is always a new adventure. Join us as we move forward in this venture.