AFSA is a member of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a coalition of nearly 80 organizations representing the broad spectrum of education initiatives, programs, and stakeholders. CEF's newly enstated Executive Director Joel Packer was recently quoted in several press publications. commenting on the current state of federal education and the policies that need to happen in the future for Congress to elicit beneficial education reforms.

The National Schools of Character Awards identify exemplary schools and districts to serve as models for others, and helps schools and districts improve their efforts in effective character education. Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility: To be eligible, a school must have been engaged in character education for a minimum of three full years, starting no later than December 2006 for the 2010 awards. Districts need to have been engaged in character education for a mini mum of four full years, starting no later than December 2005. Smaller administrative units that maintain a separate identity within a large district may apply in the district category, e.g., a school pyramid or cluster. Deadline: December 1, 2009. For more details go to the Character Education web site.

The NYSE Financial Future Challenge asks kids to come up with new ways to teach their peers about finance, money management, and investing in the stock market. Entries may include games, books, websites, videos, and other media that would help illuminate the fundamentals of the stock market, enhance financial literacy, and make it easy for young people to learn and even participate in the markets. Maximum award: $2,500 to invest in stocks, as well as special media attention at the NYSE. Eligibility: youth between the ages of 6 and 19 who reside in the United States, District of Columbia and U.S. territories and possessions. Deadline: August 31, 2009. For more details go to the BKFK website.

The Student Conservation Association's Green Your School Contest stimulates and/or identifies conservation service projects designed by high school students that improve, restore, beautify, or conserve their high school environment. Entries will be judged according to the following criteria: the project has or will improve the environmental health of the school; the project is sustainable; the project is initiated by students and engages other students, teachers, and school administrators; the submission itself is of high quality; and the project engaged the community. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: projects must have been begun after August 1, 2008 and be student-designed. Deadline: October 9, 2009. For more details go to the SCA website.

The Council for Unity (CFU) needs your help! After 34 years of promoting unity and safety in schools and communities, of pulling at risk kids out of gangs and turning them into tax-payers and of fighting discrimination in all its forms -- it may all come to an end after $300,000 in budget cuts. CFU has helped thousands of at-risk kids who might otherwise have gone to prison. Considering the $60,000 per year cost to incarcerate a youth and the mere $1000 cost to keep that same child in the Council for Unity, the savings are clear. CFU also has a steady 90% high school graduation rate with at-risk populations with an almost equal percentage going to college. Robert J. De Sena, Founder and President of CFU is asking for your contribution: adopt one or more of CFU’s kids for one year for $60 or more, or adopt an entire chapter for $1800. Please go to the website www.councilforunity.com and click on the category Mission for more information.