The Future of Fort Bend’s Children Conference was held on February 28, 2011 to introduce the release of CHILDREN AT RISK’s publication on The Future of Fort Bend’s Children. Community leaders from across Fort Bend County convened to discuss the needs of their children. The event, held at Safari Ranch in Richmond, included breakfast and lunch that was generously sponsored by St. Luke’s Hospital. Dr. Bob Sanborn and Mandi Kimball highlighted key findings from topics such as food programs, health coverage, mental health, juvenile justice, school rankings, and dropout rates. The keynote speaker was Dr. Ruth Lopez Turley, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rice University, whose lecture focused on “The Patterns of Social and Education Inequality: Aiming to Close Socioeconomic Gaps in Achievement and Attainment.”
Overall, the event hosted seven presentations from notable speakers consisting of Dr. Andy Hines, on the interests of youth; La Tasha Hinkson, on the importance of immunizations; Melissa Peskin, on teen pregnancy and adolescent health; Dr. Ira Colby, on community investments in education; and Pamela Berger, on combating hunger and food insecurity. We would like to thank all of our presenters who are making great strides in raising awareness of the current and future needs of children.
Once again, we would like to thank our sponsors: The George Foundation, Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, and St. Luke’s Hospital. CHILDREN AT RISK is looking forward to future events and presentations in Fort Bend County which include: School Ranking Conference, May 30; Legislative Update/Summary Conference, August 16; and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Conference, October 28. CHILDREN AT RISK commends leaders and citizens in Fort Bend County for their endeavors in ensuring their community is a safe haven for children.