Bay Area Cost of Living Soared 18% Since Recession Began

Women’s Leadership Council Wraps Up Great First Year

December 14, 2011 By Maria Stokes Leave a Comment

Yesterday, members of United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) spent the afternoon wrapping books as holiday gifts to give to students at John Muir Elementary School, a community school supported by United Way. The WLC has chosen to partner with John Muir Elementary School as part of its efforts to improve educational opportunities for children from low-income families.

“Thanks to our generous Women’s Leadership Council members, all 27 fifth graders at John Muir Elementary School will be receiving a holiday care package containing two of their favorite books – one to read on their own and a second for their caregiver to read with them,” said Shani Ahearn, senior director, who is United Way’s lead for the Council. “In addition, our holiday drive inspired a group of amazing Girl Scouts to donate money from their cookie sales to purchase 10 books for the book drive. Incredible and completely inspiring!”

Click on the photo gallery below to see the merry WLC elves in action.

The holiday book drive, gift-wrapping party, and delivery of the books to students this week wraps up an eventful first year for the Women’s Leadership Council. The WLC launched in May, when more than 75 women leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds came together to create a women’s leadership group dedicated to United Way’s poverty-cutting goal.

The group offers members opportunities to make a meaningful difference through advocacy, volunteering, networking, and professional development. Current projects include a year-long lecture series about the need for more women in leadership roles and collaborating with United Way staff to refine our public-policy agenda, as well as the blossoming partnership with John Muir Elementary School. The Council has also organized a school-uniform drive, which will continue into the New Year.

Learn more at www.uwba.org/wlc and/or subscribe to the WLC mailing list.

Filed Under: Volunteer Tagged With: community impact, Volunteer, Womens Leadership Council

Take Action to Fight Poverty: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

November 22, 2011 By Maria Stokes Leave a Comment

Here’s an article that approaches poverty reduction, job creation, and economic growth from a different perspective—More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S.

The article, prepared by the Tellus Institute, suggests that if we all recycle and compost more, we will not only reduce pollution and its unhealthy consequences, but also create more jobs. According to their analysis, more than 2 million new jobs would be created in the recycling and composting industry if Americans composted and recycled 75% of our waste by 2030.

What do you think of this as a poverty-reduction strategy?

Filed Under: Pathways out of Poverty Tagged With: community impact, poverty

Bay Area Cost of Living Soared 18% Since Recession Began

October 4, 2011 By Maria Stokes Leave a Comment

The cost for basic needs in the Bay Area – such as rent, food, health care, child care, transportation, and taxes – has soared 18 percent in the last three years, according to the newly updated 2011 California Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard. The new Self-Sufficiency Standard was released today by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development in partnership with United Way.

During the same three years, wages have remained flat, increasing just 2%, while regional unemployment rates have increased 72%. This has created a perfect storm for low-income families, preventing many from making ends meet.

“The Self-Sufficiency Standard has become a key tool for non-profits and government agencies – enabling us to more effectively assess and tackle poverty in our community,” said Anne Wilson, CEO of United Way of the Bay Area. “For example, our SparkPoint financial education centers use the Standard to coach clients to establish goals, pinpoint challenges, and identify training and education opportunities that will lead to a job that adequately pays for a family’s needs.”

“In addition, United Way used the Standard to help establish our goal to cut Bay Area poverty in half by 2020,” Wilson added. “The Self-Sufficiency Standard helps us identify how many families are struggling to make ends meet and what they need to earn to support their families.”

Read the press release, “Bay Area Cost of Living Soars 18% Since Recession Onset.”

Download statistics to see what it takes to get by in your county.

Are you ready to take action to fight poverty? JoinUnited Way’s MAKE IT BE movement on Facebook.

Local media coverage for the new Self-Sufficiency Standard: