On December 7^th, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana is hosted Be Great: Graduate!, a forum designed to engage its key constituents on the devastating impact of the high school dropout crisis, as well as initiatives and collaborative efforts underway to address the issue.

Leading the panel discussion was Honorable Bob Wise, who served as governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005, and now leads the Alliance for Excellent Education. Governor Wise shared his new "game-changing" research that shows that the U.S. economy would grow significantly if the number of high school dropouts was cut in half. He will also share Louisville-specific data on the effect of the dropout epidemic on our local economy.

Governor Wise was joined by Mary Gwen Wheeler, Mayor Abramson's Senior Advisor for Education and Youth, who discussed local collaborative efforts to reduce the drop out rate and improve college-readiness and create a college-going culture; Brodrick Clarke of the Muhammad Ali Center, formerly of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust who shared lessons learned from his experiences in Washington, as well as the importance of advancing youth development; and Caroline Heine, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, who discussed the strategic efforts her organization is implementing to address the local dropout crisis.

"Kids spend 87% of their waking hours out of school," said Caroline Heine, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana President & CEO. "As an out of school time provider, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana is uniquely positioned to be a part of the solution to the dropout crisis. Our Clubs can help increase graduation rates of members by employing strategies that address common risk factors and target youth who are most vulnerable to dropping out."

The impact of this issue is recognized by business and government leaders alike. "It is great to have former Gov. Wise in town to share the dramatic research on the economic gains our community could make by graduating more students from high school," said Metro Louisville Mayor Jerry E. Abramson. "This provides incentives for policy and community investments in dropout prevention and creating a college-going culture."