"My future belongs to me" was the message stressed in a recent poster contest open to children living in HUD-assisted housing units throughout Houston. The contest was sponsored by AHMA (Affordable Housing Management Association) of East Texas. AHMA sponsors the poster contest and other events to keep youngsters from being involved with gangs, drugs and crime.
An awards presentation and luncheon was sponsored by the AHMA and HUD's Multifamily Program Center program in Houston.
Adrian Garcia, director of Houston's Anti-Gang Office, was the keynote speaker at the luncheon. Mr. Garcia acknowledged that drug-use and associated crime works against children, but also stressed that every child should be made to realize that their future truly "belongs to them." He advised children to be careful, listen to their parents and never give up...and that would help them from becoming another statistic.