Yesterday, we also met with Council Member Mike Martinez to discuss issues related to poverty. I simply won’t do it justice by trying to describe his very thoughtful responses. So here’s what we did. We created a 3 part video series for our 2pm posting. I encourage everyone to view all the videos and send it to your friends… Povery is Alive & Well
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Life in East Austin (Repost 2pm)
I had to share this video again. In this video, Jeff Clark talks about poverty & life in East Austin. Check it out!
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Not at the Money Academy! (1pm)
Evan and I were at the East Austin Economic Summit this weekend and were able to interview a few people arouund our work with Financial Stability. We interviewed Gayle Skiera, CEO of the Money Academy. She is a member of United Way Capital Area’s Financial Stability council. Her workshops, camps and afterschool programs help educate children of low income families on the principles of gaining and sustaining financial assets. Some of these children are the first members of their families to open bank accounts. They bring back lessons on money management that will help families be more financially stable, and avoid falling into poverty. Check out here video….
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Council member Sheryl Cole (Early Post: 12pm)
Now I’m getting ahead of the game! We interviewed Council member Sheryl Cole regarding her role as a public servant in alleviating poverty in the city. Enclosed is her message…
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Now that's a Capital Idea! (11am – whew!)
Here’s another profile of a financial stability program we are funding with our partner Capital Investing in Development and Employment of Adults or Capital Idea. As mentioned before, one of the main paths out of poverty to stability and financial prosperity is online casino education. Education most definitely pays, so one of our strategies is to help people trying to help themselves. Capital Idea manages educational sponsorships, financial assistance, case management, and counseling to those enrolled in higher education to complete degrees in high-need, high-paying occupations. We have an inspiring real life success story coming up later today. Find out more about our financial stability work here… https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/our_work/financial_stability/
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Hispanic Young Leaders – Part 2 (10am – almost there!)
I was able to get a second interview with a blast from the past, my friend Enrique Romo who works at UT’s Diversity & Community Engagement Dept & is a current participant in the HAL program. Here’s what he had to say….
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Slipping into the darkness (9am – Yes, I know I'm late )
Okay, sorry for the delay. I promise I wasn’t sleeping. I was eating and had some meetings. Yeah, can you believe it? I get no breaks around here! So how do people slip into the darkness aka poverty? What causes poverty? A major reason is wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of housing, healthcare, childcare, and education in our area. Consequently, many hardworking families struggle to earn enough income to support themselves and their families. United Way is a member of The Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas. They produce a great fact sheet outlining these causes, I’ve summarized a few here; Low wages – In Travis County, almost 22% of households make less than $25,000 per year. Much of employment is in service jobs that pay low wages and have few, if any, benefits. Education opportunities – Employment and income earning potential are directly related to education attainment. A high school diploma increases a person’s lifetime earnings potential by $1 million; a college degree increases that to $2 million. Illness and Healthcare Costs – A 2005 Harvard study concluded that illness and medical bills caused half of the 1.45 million personal bankruptcies in 2001. Surprisingly, most of those bankrupted by illness had health insurance. More that ¾’s were insured at the start of the bankrupting process. A common procedure such as an appendectomy and associated hospital bills, can easily cost in excess of $30,000. Remember, Texas also has the highest rate of uninsured in the whole […]
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Giving back to our community (8am)
Yesterday I presented information on our Hispanic Community Engagement Initiative to the participants of the Hispanic Chamber’s Hispanic Austin Leadership class. The leadership class develops young leaders to be involved in the community. I talked with Dana Castillo who works at Freescale Semiconductor and is an avid volunteer leader in the community. Here’s her take on poverty and what we can do to help… Mando
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – JC is a-okay! (7am)
Jimmy Carter that is, and the other one too! I am a fan of Austin Habitat for Humanity. They’ve got a great Re-Store (big props to Fred Cantu Jr.!) and Ixchel, my wife and partner in crime volunteers for them. We fund Habitat too, here’s a profile of the program we fund… Aside from receiving funding, Austin Habitat for Humanity collaborates with United Way in several ways as we provide them with volunteers year-round, and we also rent part of their warehouse for our Resource Center which houses our Gifts in Kind program. HomeBuying never got better! (at least with Habitat’s HomeBuyer program) HomeBuyer Education classes prepare Habitat HomeBuyers for social and financial responsibilities of owning their own homes. Program participants complete 24 units of education ranging from basic financial literacy to budget development. Now that’s a great way to build your resume! –get it, get it! 😉 Mando
Read MoreBlog Action Day: Poverty – Sleeping is so overrated! (630am)
Yeah, it is. So it’s 6:30am and my butt is numb. my stomach probably has 2 gallons of coffee. I’m cold, no I’m hot, no I’m cold. Overall though, i’m doing pretty good. It’s been busier than I thought so time kinda went somewhat fast. I did have some hiccups – lost internet access at my house (yes, in the Eastside) and almost ran out of juice on my computer. Good thing for 24 hour diners (yaya Stars Seeds!)! Okay, just (how many?) hours till 12midnight? I’m okay, I’m okay. See the pic? Looks good right? See you in 30!Mando
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