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PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, nearly 30 million children in the U.S. have parents who work outside the home, and 15.1 million children have no place to go after school; and WHEREAS, many afterschool programs across the country are facing funding shortfalls so severe that they are being forced to close their doors and turn off their lights; and WHEREAS, the Missoula Flagship Program has provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education and well-being of our youth, grounded in the principles of quality afterschool programs; and WHEREAS, the citizens of Missoula stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities because they: Provide safe, challenging, engaging and fun learning experiences for children and youth; Support working families by ensuring their children are safe and productive after school; Build stronger communities by involving adults in the lives of our young people, thereby promoting positive relationships; Engage families, schools and diverse community partners in advancing the welfare of our children; and WHEREAS, Lights On Afterschool, a national celebration of afterschool programs and a project of the Afterschool Alliance on October 22, promotes the critical importance of quality afterschool programs in the lives of children, families and their communities; and NOW, THEREFORE, I, John Engen, Mayor of the City of Missoula, in the State of Montana, do hereby proclaim October 22, 2009, as Lights On Afterschool Day IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the great seal of the City of Missoula, in the State of Montana, to be affixed at Missoula, Montana, this 19th day of October in the year two thousand nine. John Engen Mayor