Rick Outzen July 25, 2025 1 Comment
After this week’s CivicCon, the Pensacola News Journal has become a true believer in the Escambia Children’s Trust, announcing a feature series of profiles on the programs the Trust has funded. The title of the article on the CivicCon presentation is “With 5,000 kids served, Escambia Children’s Trust is ‘absolutely’ making a difference.” Five thousand children in five years, an average of 1,000 annually for its first five years. Wow!
Earworm
But there could be a problem. For me, statistics are earworms, like catchy song lyrics for others (“Oh, Mickey, you’re so fine” or “Never Gonna Give You Up”). They eat at my subconscious when they sound too good to be true.
- According to Escambia School Superintendent Keith Leonard and the Trust, Escambia County has about 16,000 children living in poverty. This means that the Trust is helping nearly one out of every three children living in poverty – 31%. Really?
Maybe the 5,000 stat is true. After all, the News Journal is the nation’s largest newspaper chain and has the resources to verify the statistic, but the taxpayers deserve more objective analysis, which is the point of my Outtakes column, “The Need for Data.”
CivicCon: Inside the Escambia Children’s Trust Impact
I watched the Tuesday evening meeting and saw 10 local nonprofits take the stage to demonstrate how Escambia Children’s Trust funding is making a difference in the lives of children across our community.
Boys & Girls Club
Boys & Girls Club CFO Leslie Mickles emphasized that their program is far from a simple childcare solution. “It’s not a daycare at all’ by far. Kids don’t run around, do whatever they want to do. It’s a very structured program.” The organization employs certified Florida teachers and maintains a legal agreement with the school district to track grades, attendance, and behavior. They have exceeded their proposed enrollment by 240%, serving children from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a comprehensive approach that includes academics, character development, and workforce preparation…