'Milk Party' Rally Aims to Put Attention on Kids

Friday's 'Milk Party' called for special Alex Sink, Rick Scott debate.

LAKELAND – Children's advocates from all over the state rallied at Lakeland's Common Ground Park on Friday, continuing their campaign to get candidates to address children's issues in their races and in the Legislature next year.

The event, put on by the Children's Movement of Florida, has been repeated in the north and central parts of the state. It is known as a "Milk Party" movement, a respectful reference to the success of the Tea Party movement.

"We have listened for decades to how important children are; to the African proverb that it takes a village (to raise a child), but seldom see the results," Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields said.

Former Miami Herald CEO and current president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, David Lawrence, said lawmakers are understandably preoccupied with many issues, but children's issues should be among them.

"You want a bullet train? Here's $3 billion for a train. You want a prison? We'll get you two," Lawrence said about the priorities of the Legislature. "I know that all 160 of our lawmakers care about children, but you wouldn't know it to see what comes out of the Legislature.

"It costs $57,000 for juvenile incarceration. It costs $20,000 for a prisoner, but we can't get a third of that for our schools," he said.

Speakers continued on the theme that early success for children prevents a life of crime.

"Folks who are doing well are not going to be robbing your home," Lawrence said.

Parents and children, social workers and community advocates turned out for the event at the park off Edgewood Drive.

They want lawmakers - and especially the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor - to address such children's issues as better prekindergarten education, better child health care, more help for grandparents raising their grandchildren alone, and giving at-risk children better opportunities.

One of the key aims is to get both Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate, and Rick Scott, the Republican, to agree to a one-hour debate on children's issues before the Nov. 2 election. Sink has agreed. Scott has not yet responded.

"We need to convince Mr. Scott in a very nice and polite way that it would be a great benefit if he would debate on children's issues," public affairs consultant Sergio Bendixen said.

Carol Jenkins Barnett, president and chairwoman of Publix Super Market Charities and one of the founders of the movement, said children are the state's future.

"I thought it would be easy to rally people around children's issues, but it has not," she said. "...If children are not successful, the community cannot be successful."

Children and parents were served lunches and milk .

"You are at a milk party," Lawrence told the group. "It's not the Tea Party, but regardless of what your feeling may be about the Tea Party movement they are very good at getting the attention on their issues. Well how about getting attention on issues for children, we thought."

Ledger Political Editor Bill Rufty can be reached at 802-7523 or bill.rufty@theledger.com.

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