Nationally celebrated event held in Uniontown
Lights On Afterschool hosted by the Private Industry Council

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. (PIC) hosted its third annual Lights On Afterschool rally on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in Uniontown.

The Lights On Afterschool event was held to raise awareness of local afterschool programs and the importance of family involvement in the education of young children. PIC currently operates the Fayette County Enrichment Program in the Connellsville, Brownsville, and Uniontown Area School Districts. The primary focus of this after school program is to address the needs of targeted at-risk students and their families in academic, character, social, and cultural education activities that improve scholastic performance and individual development.

This year's event was a collaborative effort of the Fayette County Enrichment Program, Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County, and Dads Matter of Fayette County. All three programs promoted the importance of family involvement in the cognitive and educational development of young children.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Donald Sheffield, the creator of the DARE2XL curriculum used by the Fayette Enrichment Program, and author of the book "Practice Makes Perfect - Not". He spoke about children earning the right to "chill." Dr. Sheffield believes that giving children chores to do everyday and at an early age, reinforces a strong work ethic. Also, children from the PIC afterschool programs performed a series of character-building skits and motivational raps that were written by Dr. Sheffield.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Article

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