Did you know that, on any given night in 2007, 5391 Alabamians were homeless?
We didn't know that either, until we heard about it last week while we were at camp with 19 high school students. (It was called Alabama Possible. We'll tell you more about that later on!)
You can learn even more about folks who are homeless in Alabama by following this link to a report from the Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness. The contents are the result, in part, of a statewide survey.
**This is Laura's last week with us! She has been invaluable this summer, coordinating Alabama Possible & learning more about poverty in Alabama.
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On Wednesday of this week representatives from the Alabama School Readiness Alliance and the Alabama Office of School Readiness were in Washington, D.C. to receive the Pre-K Champion Award given by Pre-K Now, a national organization which promotes high-quality four-year-old pre-kindergarten. The Alliance is a group of more than 80 groups that promote high quality pre-k programs in the state.
This recognition is one indicator that they are having some success! So this is some good Alabama news.
Pre-k programs provide proven benefits for long-term success in school. A lot of people, nationally, seem to understand that. Go to this website for the results of a recent survey that show great support for more federal pre-k funding. Spend some time at the site for more information about pre-k education.
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I am writing to you at the end of my first week as the new Executive Director of the Alabama Poverty Project.
Our friend Nick Foster has left Alabama for a new adventure as his wife Candace finishes graduate school in Indiana. Nick did an incredible job of creating a solid foundation for the Alabama Poverty Project, and for that I am quite grateful.
I am also immensely grateful that the multi-talented Becky Blalock is at my side to ensure that we have a smooth transition.
Probably the first thing you will notice about me is that I don't have a Southern accent. I am from Central Florida and come to you from a stint in Los Angeles, where I worked in politics and public service.
So why am I in Alabama? Family. My husband Jason Yarbrough grew up in Gardendale and has a large extended family in North Jefferson County. It was the right time to come home to the South and start a family of our own, so here we are.
And why the Alabama Poverty Project? To borrow a phrase from the great teacher Joseph Campbell, I am following my bliss.
Studying social injustice has long been an intellectual passion of mine. It is why I was a history major at the University of Florida and why I went to law school at Emory University in Atlanta.
I spent many years trying to find a way to apply my intellectual interests to my work life, and I am blessed to have figured it out. In my last job as the Managing Attorney for External Affairs at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, I partnered with children's health professionals and housing advocates to fight childhood lead poisoning. Those efforts resulted in the nation's first criminal charges brought against property owners for exposing children to dangerous levels of lead. I also established a public-private partnership to provide mentoring and workforce training for youth in gang-infested neighborhoods and launched a community-government partnership to increase prosecutions of elder abuse that resulted in a 100-percent increase in cases filed.
My goal is to use this experience and knowledge to find ways we can collaborate and measurably improve the quality of life for the 1 in 6 Alabamians who live in poverty. I know that together we can achieve some amazing things.
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This week is another bonus week - TWO Good Resources! (Can you handle it?)
In the coming weeks, there are two events taking place (hence the TWO Good Resources) that we want to make sure you know about - and hope that you will choose to participate in one or both of them.
First - next Thursday, August 28th, Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform is hosting the 2nd Annual Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon. This celebration was established to honor the people & institutions that have continued the effort to write a better Alabama Constitution.
This year's celebration will take place will take place from 11:30am-1pm on Thursday, August 28 in Mobile at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center with a telecast back to Birmingham at the Harbert Center. The Honorable Jack Edwards will provide the keynote speaker and the following awards will be presented:
* Educator of the Year will be given to Leevones Dubose
* Partner of the Year Awards will go to both the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and AAUW of Alabama
* The Bailey Thomson Award will be given to Wayne Flynt (APP Founder!)
To purchase tickets for the August 28 Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon or to make an additional donation in Bailey's memory, please click here. All proceeds will go towards supporting the ACCR Foundation's education initiatives.
Okay. Take a break. This is a longer email than we normally send.
Ready?
The second event we want to tell you about is Equal Voice for America's Families National Convention!
VOICES for Alabama's Children is pleased to join the Marguerite Casey Foundation and its grantees, in a national campaign that highlights the needs of working families. This movement is about giving voice to working families in Alabama and throughout the country. As a result, families and communities will be strengthened, both of which are essential to the well-being of children.
On April 5, 2008 VOICES, the Marguerite Casey Foundation and it grantees, helped unite more than 300 working families throughout the state to discuss candidly, the concerns and issues that plague their families and communities on a daily basis. Those in attendance rated access to health care and education as top priorities for government action.
On September 6, 2008 these participants, along with thousands more, will gather in Birmingham, Alabama to once again celebrate the voice of families and partake in the unveiling of a National Platform for America's Families.
Registration for this event has already closed, but they are still looking for Table Facilitators - 300 volunteers are needed in Birmingham to support the table discussions at the National Convention - please be a part of this historic movement for America's families!
Time Commitment
Interested facilitators must be able to commit to:
* Volunteer your time on Saturday, September 6th to facilitate a two hour discussion: Birmingham, AL from 10:00am to 5:30pm
* Please note that although the duration of the meeting will be 5 hours, the actual length of the facilitated discussions will be closer to two hours
* Register and attend a ninety-minute orientation at one of several sites and times before the meeting. (details to be released later, some in person and some on the phone)
Table Facilitator Criteria
Potential facilitators possess the following skills:
* Capacity to effectively facilitate group dialogue, elicit discussion within a diverse group, and build consensus as necessary, all within the limited time available
* Ability to simultaneously manage discussion facilitation and note-taking via laptop
* Deep listening skills
* Capacity to remain neutral and support the expression of many different points of view
Please Consider Serving as a Table Facilitator
To apply to serve as a facilitator, please apply here.
More information on VOICES for Alabama's Children's website.
Whew! That was alot of information. Digest it. Read up on these events & see "where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest needs." (Frederick Buechner)
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Did you enjoy your day off on Monday? I sure did. First trip to the zoo with our toddler - he figured out quickly that the animals were for looking at & enjoying. (Didn't try to climb into too many cages!)
Logically, my trip to the zoo required that the zoo be open. It required animal handlers at Lorikeet Landing to hand out nectar so we could delight in these gentle birds landing on our hands to drink. It required ticket takers, train drivers, and refreshment vendors. I thanked each person I came across for working.
Many of my neighbors in Birmingham still work in low-wage jobs that don't adequately pay the bills. Alabama Arise has released their "State of Working Alabama 2008" report. You can find it on their website here, or on APP's website here.
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Ever want to know how many creeks there are in Alabama? Curious as to the origin of the 1901 constitution? Fascinated by the fact that Alabama has not only the most diverse freshwater aquatic life of any state but also the highest extinction rate?
These facts and more are all on display for your education at the newly published Encyclopedia of Alabama. APP Founder Dr. Wayne Flynt is a contributing editor, and his introductory essay is linked from the home page.
Spend some time learning about our state - how we got to where we are, and what we can do to help our state's citizens (aka our neighbors) reach their highest potential.
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This is possibly the hardest OGR I've written. Without editorializing, without going into the issues - simply presenting this information for your review. The only way to do this is to keep it short.
Here's the report.
Alabama Policy Institute - Alabama's Public Education Dilemma.
I will refrain from my personal opinion on the funding of public schools in Alabama, and simply offer these three editorials for your review. 3 editorials on the same report. 3 editorials that offer some duplication of information, and some opinions that will spark the dialogue to continue even further.
Have a conversation over coffee, read more about the topic, bring it up at work answer for yourself - what do you think?
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As if there was anyone who still didn't want to believe it, yet another report has confirmed the link between family income/education and children health. This report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that the difference between the poor and wealthy in this country doesn't stop at our bank account balances.
Fully one-third of children in the poorer families are in less-than-optimal health, and are five times more likely to be worse off than wealthier kids.
In middle-class families, children were 1.5 times more likely to be in less-than-optimal health than in wealthy families.
This kind of disparity is happening across the country, and is only likely to get worse with the current economic crisis.
Review the report for yourself, and think about how you might act to make a difference in our state for these struggling families.
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The numbers are in. The 2008 Kids Count Data Book has been released, and a new analysis of the well-being of our children is being presented.
Here is a snippet of what the book contains:
- Number of children living in poverty statewide:
- 291,046 in 1995 to 260,919 in 2006 (decrease from 26.4 to 24.3 of the children in Alabama)
- 28.7% of children in Marshall county lived in poverty in 2006.
- The number of Marshall County children in poverty increased from 4,184 to 5,976 from 1995 and 2006.
The numbers don't tell the whole story, especially in the midst of an economic crisis that affects everyone, especially those families who were already struggling to make ends meet. Even though there was a decline, it is simply unacceptable that 260,919 children live in poverty.
These children aren't "someone else's." All children - especially the ones living in poverty - are our concern. It is our role as adults to use our resources, skills, time and finances to ensure that all of these children - all 260,919 - are given the tools they need to rise out of poverty. We can't just hope that they can do it - WE have to be the ones to do something about it.
We have to be the ones to make sure our schools are the best they can be. We have to be the ones to make sure our neighborhoods are safe.
We have to be the ones to fight to remove the grocery tax & re-write the constitution.
We have to be the ones to work for easier access to health care.
Through the generosity of Alabama Power Company, VOICES for Alabama's Children is able to present the Kids Count Data Book in it's entirety online. Click here to dig around, study your county's data & it's history. Then start thinking about what you can do to improve one of those numbers for next year's book.
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Just when you thought there might just be one email in your box that DIDN'T talk about the election, here it is: this week's OGR about the election.
As a 501 (c) (3), The Poverty Project does not officially endorse or support any candidate or party, but we heartily endorse and support participation in the political process - and right now, that means voting.
Here are some online resources to help you prepare for Election Day:
- Alabama League of Women Voter's Guide to Appellate Court Candidate
- Birmingham News Candidate Guide
- Alabama State Sample Ballot
- Alabama Secretary of State's Guide to Voting
Here are some opportunities for you to help ensure that everyone exercises their right to vote.
- Greater Birmingham Ministries -
- Wednesday, October 29th: VOTE for Birmingham Phonebanking at Greater Birmingham Ministries from 5:00pm until 8:30pm - Pizza for dinner!
Friday, October 31st: GBM is partnering with Empower Alabama and Catalyst for Birmingham for Trick or Vote. Yes, we will be sponsoring a mass canvass on Halloween Night as we go door-to-door to remind people to vote on November 4th. This is an effort to encourage young people to participate in civic engagement. We need more than 150 volunteers to make this successful, and while we have several volunteers signed up - we still need many more! The Trick or Vote canvass will be from 5:30pm until 8:00pm that night. Please let me know if you want to volunteer or know of any young folks who would like to volunteer.
Sunday, November 2nd: Get Out the Vote Phonebanking at Greater Birmingham Ministries from 2:00pm until 7:00pm.
Monday, November 3rd: The YWCA of Central Alabama has offered to host a Get Out the Vote Phonebank from 10:00am until 4:00pm. We are asking our volunteers to sign-up for two hour shifts if possible. However, if you cannot sign-up for a two hour shift, we will be happy to have you for whatever time you can offer. Of course, lunch and snacks will be provided.
Tuesday, November 4th: The BIG DAY! From 11:00am until 6:00pm, we will be making those last minute Get Out the Vote phone calls at Greater Birmingham Ministries, and would love to have you join us for any amount of time.
Please contact Hill Carmichael at GBM at Hill@gbm.org.
- Wednesday, October 29th: VOTE for Birmingham Phonebanking at Greater Birmingham Ministries from 5:00pm until 8:30pm - Pizza for dinner!
- Church of the Reconciler - Needs volunteers to drive persons who are poor or homeless to the polling places. Call the church at 324-6402 to volunteer on Election Day.
(205) 939-1408