WHY WE EXIST

• http://www.richmond.com/news/special-report/poverty-along-jefferson-davis-highway/

• because the number of households below the federal poverty level in Chesterfield grew by 71 percent in the last 10 years.

• because the number of households with children in poverty doubled over that same timeframe.

• because 89% of all children attending Bensley Elementary live below the poverty line.

• because the Bensley community contains the highest concentration of poverty in Chesterfield County.

• because children born into poverty are 6 times less likely to graduate from high school. And if that child does not graduate, they are 63 times more likely to be incarcerated by the time they are 24.

• because area principals identify after-school programs as key to addressing the effects on children living in poverty