Community of Spanish Lake

Watch Your $$$$$ on CNN Saturday, August 22nd, at 12 noon, C.D.T. The program will air again on Sunday at 2 p.m., C.D.T.

Recently, Sara Lane, Producer of CNN, spent 2 days in Spanish Lake interviewing both Spanish Lake Community Association and school district folks.

Transcript from program pertaining to Spanish Lake
(For full transcript go to http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0908/22/cnnitm.01.html)

ROMANS: Regardless of your own financial situation, the town you live in can make a big difference in your quality of life. We visited one Missouri community working to address local problems that makes life better for its residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: This is a wonderful place to stay and raise a family. It's progress. It's got beautiful natural resources.

ROMANS (voice over): Spanish Lake, a St. Louis suburb, 25 minutes drive north of the famous arch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a great population 23,000 folks.

ROMANS: Spanish Lake isn't wealthy. Fewer than 15 percent of residents have college degrees. Compared that with the national average of 27 percent.

TERRI WILLIAMS, HAZELWOOD EAST HIGH SCHOOL PTSA: There used to be a lot of activities for the kids but there aren't the mall doesn't have very many retail stores now and so the kids have to go to other places to shop. A lot of activities that kids were doing they have to go to other municipalities to do those activities.

ROMANS: That's changing. Lottie Wade has a group organizing new activities for local youth.

LOTTIE WADE, SPANISH LAKE YOUTH & FAMILY COUNCIL: We did not have a boys and girls club two years ago. Now we do. But it serves the kids at one school. We need to expand that.

ROMANS: Dora Giandulakis and her Spanish Lake Community Association are restoring a historic house to create a community center and they launched a website for the area.

DORA GIANDULAKIS, SPANISH LAKE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIOBN: I see it as an opportunity. Not really so much as a challenge but just a real opportunity for us to help bring people into the association, into the community that have not probably felt part of it for quite some time.

ROMANS: The Parent-Student-Teacher Association of the public high school is making a strong push to help kids go to college.

WILLIAMS: Speakers from universities, taking them on college campus tours, bringing them workshops for the students to help them with their applications.

ROMANS: It's all about creating a better quality of life, recession or not.

WADE: It's a great place to live and to raise a family and we're so fortunate that organizations are working together to strengthen this community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)