Human Race: Robert Crown Center provides accurate information for today's kids
When you think about why you moved to your community, it may not have been for the nonprofit organizations.
But when you consider why you stayed, perhaps it is because of the quality of life that many nonprofits support.
Such assets are felt by the recipients of any nonprofit's services and also by those who offer support through volunteering and leadership. Many people benefit thanks to the nonprofit world.
My personal interest has been in education for many years and specifically in those areas related to youth social and emotional wellness, substance abuse prevention and parenting. Abundant research supports the importance of social and emotional skills as well as up-to-date information about sex and drugs to help students make good decisions in their young lives.
This education, along with awareness and attention from informed parents, can be key to how adolescents learn to navigate their increasingly complex lives.
Robert Crown Center for Health Education, or RCC, in Hinsdale has worked at the intersection of youth, communities and families since 1974 by offering programs to schoolchildren from fourth through 10th grade across Northeastern Illinois. Each year, more than 75,000 students participate in more than 600 Chicagoland schools.
This means more than 6 million students have attended classes over the past 40 years with health education experts who provide accurate and relevant information about puberty, human development, sexual health, substance abuse and brain science.
Recent cultural and commercial influences, such as social media, vaping and sexual consent, are included in these discussions.
No doubt about it, these are tough topics. Robert Crown Center is expert in this field and schools that enlist its services appreciate the meaningful programs.
New digital materials include pre- and post-assessments as well as online graphic narratives that help students consider choices, predict consequences and discuss behavior patterns.
Parents value the opportunity to build on their children's classroom programs and use the center's online resources to support their ongoing conversations at home.
While RCC has an endowment that provides ballast to the organization, many do not know that all of our programs are underwritten. RCC charges schools that have funding for these programs less than 60 percent of the cost to the organization. Schools without funding receive free or reduced-cost programming, which depends on grants and donations.
Funds raised in the Human Race will help RCC close the gap in programming costs for schools.
While I have participated in other athletic races, this is my first "fund-race." One thing I have learned is that our communities provide generous support when asked to help a strong cause.
In the case of Robert Crown Center, it stands out as a unique and needed organization that supports the work of schools, the concerns of parents and well-being of youth. All together, these are impacts that make a difference to the quality of our lives.
• Jeanne Osgood is a board member for the Robert Crown Center for Health Education.