"Friends Of" Group Supports Family Engagement at Chester A. Arthur School
On February 2, 2017 Friends of Chester Arthur (FOCA), a community group that supports Chester A. Arthur School in Graduate Hospital, sponsored a Fathers of Chester Arthur Meet and Greet. Chester Arthur's Lead Teacher Victor Hunter and Family Engagement Liaison LuQman Abdullah attended the event, meeting the dads and providing them with literature on the importance of being engaged in their children's education. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Abdullah also shared tips on ways to support academic growth at home.
"Relationships are the building blocks for all community organizing activities,” Mr. Abdullah remarked.
Friends of Chester Arthur is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to support the needs of the principal, staff, students, and parents at Chester A. Arthur School. The group is part of a burgeoning “Friends Of” movement in Philadelphia, wherein community members—many of whom do not have school-aged children—rally to provide needed resources for their neighborhood public school.
While many “Friends Of” members throughout the city do not have a direct link to their neighborhood public school in the form of a student, FoCA demonstrates how community groups can act as catalysts for relationship-building and family engagement.
“Whether you want to organize a volleyball game or get rid of unfair housing practices in your town, you will need lots of good relationships,” Mr. Abdullah explained. “Why? Because the relationships we have with our coworkers, the communities we serve, and even our adversaries are the means for achieving our goals.”
“People don't work in isolation,” he continued. “We need to be working together! It is our relationships all added together that are the foundation of an organized effort for change. We need lots of people to contribute their ideas, take a stand, and get the work done.”
