Fund The R.O.C.K. Program

By now, you have probably heard that the Leesburg Town budget is undergoing some significant cuts. In fact, there will be layoffs among Town staff this year.

Two major headlines have emerged from the proposed budget: layoffs affecting 28 full-time town employees, in an effort to close a $2 million deficit, and Wells' stated intention to present an unchanged real estate tax rate for the next three fiscal years. - Leesburg Today

One of the programs that is on the chopping block is an amazing resource for underserved children here in Town, the R.O.C.K. program. The R.O.C.K. program provides after-school activities and mentoring to at-risk kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to take part in the activities that so many other Leesburg kids take for granted. In specific Leesburg neighborhoods, many young people would not have the opportunity to participate in sports, go on field trips, or even interact with an adult mentor except for this program.

Programs like R.O.C.K. help prevent young neighbors from getting involved in anti-social, or even illegal, activities. They save our community money in the long-run by reducing the kinds of petty crime that consume police and Town resources, as well as creating a basis for young people to become participants in our community, with the benefits that come from their getting jobs, doing volunteer work and general civic engagement. And these are just the economic benefits. There is the more important moral aspect of this program. As one of the wealthiest areas of the country, it is our privilege, and obligation, to to right by the young people in our community who have not had the opportunity to participate fully in the cornucopia of Leesburg's prosperity.

If you believe that the R.O.C.K. program should be fully funded, please contact our Town Council, and tell them so. If you are so inclined the Council has a business meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday March 22nd), at the Council chambers in Town Hall, at 7:30pm. The public is welcome to come and share opinions and ideas with Council. I encourage people to come and tell Council, in person, that the Town's budget should not be balanced on the backs of our young people who have the most to lose.