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.

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?

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:  

• San Francisco Chronicle – Making Ends Meet: With cost of living soaring and wages remaining stagnant, Bay Area families of working poor look for ways to keep up
• Contra Costa Times – Report: Bay Area cost of living up 18 percent since 2008
• Napa Valley Register – Report: Napa cost of living up 19 percent since 2008
• Marin Independent Journal – Report: cost of living rising sharply in Marin and Bay Area
• Times-Herald – Bay Area families struggling amid rising living costs
• The Reporter – Cost of living soars in Bay Area and Solano County
  

The month of August may mark the height of the lazy days of summer for many people, but not the twenty employees from Service Source who wielded paint brushes, prepared a “Welcome Back to School” mailing and gave bulletin boards in classrooms and hallways a fresh look at John Muir Elementary School in San Francisco’s Western Addition on a recent beautiful Tuesday afternoon.

United Way brought Service Source volunteers together with John Muir Elementary, which is an “anchor site” for the San Francisco Beacon Initiative. Supported by United Way, Beacon Centers offer free programs and activities for youth and adults after school, during the evening, some weekends, and most of the summer.

A global company headquartered in San Francisco, Service Source is committed to helping build strong communities where they have business operations or provide services.

On the second day at her new job, School Secretary Marlin Aguayo had an enthusiastic crew of volunteers to organize the office so she could focus on the tasks critical to ensuring that the school year is off to a smooth start for students, their families and staff.

Is your company interested in volunteering in the Bay Area? Register now for United Way’s Week of Caring, September 12-17, at www.weekofcaring.org.

Here’s your chance to channel your creativity and inspire people to transform our communities! AT&T is sponsoring a youth video contest for the United Way of the Bay Area’s MAKE IT BE initiative.

MAKE IT BE is a growing movement committed to cutting Bay Area poverty in half by 2020. Right now, 1 in 5 residents struggle to get by. We’re going to change that through MAKE IT BE. Use your creativity and join the movement! If chosen, you could be part of the teen team creating a video to be aired on local AT&T U-verse!

About the United Way MAKE IT BE Video Challenge
If you are a Bay Area high-school student, then you can get hands-on experience, developing a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that inspires the Bay Area to give back to the community. NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY!

If selected, you will work on one of two all-teen film crews to create and produce your PSA during a fast-paced, five-day shoot during Summer Break (August 5-9). Your completed PSA will be showcased online, where people across the Bay Area will view it and vote for it. The PSA that receives the most votes will be shown on local AT&T U-verse this fall!

Ready to transform your ideas into reality? Apply now!
Deadline is July 29th at 3 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time).

 P.S. – A Public Service Announcement, or PSA, is an advertisement that raises community awareness about a particular issue to change attitudes and inspire people to take action.