Community leaders join Stewart foundation to battle dropout rates

State Farm Insurance  partnered with The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation to bring The Choice Bus to middle school students across the state of Mississippi. Students in Hazlehurst, Canton, Crystal Springs and Ridgeland experienced firsthand the powerful message of The Choice Bus, the nation’s first mobile experience dedicated to reducing the dropout rate.
In addition, the State Farm Insurance sponsorship provided schools visited with the InsideOut Toolkit.
Each Toolkit contains a Teacher’s Guide, The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation Pledge Card and InsideOut, a 26-minute DVD that exposes the real story of the devastating and lasting effects of dropping out of school, told by those who live with the consequences every day: prison inmates.
The documentary and companion Teacher’s Guide have been used in classrooms and community centers in 47 states and Canada and has been viewed by nearly 10 million people.
About The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation
The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the dropout rate. The Foundation was established in honor of Dr. Shelley Stewart’s late mother, Mattie C. Stewart, in the summer of 2007 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Its primary corporate partner is o2ideas, Inc., a corporate communications and brand relations firm also based in Birmingham. The mission of the Foundation is to create tools and resources to help educators, community leaders and parents effectively address the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. The Foundation also partners with America’s Promise Alliance, Communities In Schools, the National Dropout Prevention Center, PepsiCo, Shelby County, State Farm and Verizon Wireless. For more information, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.