It seems that Gwen Rubinstein, a program officer here at The Women’s Foundation, isn’t the only one wondering about where the bailouts are for low-income families as the country faces the prospect of very expensive corporate bailouts.

On Friday, Hank Kalet, writing for his blog, Channel Surfing, asked, "Whatever happened to welfare reform?", quoting Gwen and noting, "If the banks and other lenders who created the economic mess that has Washington rushing to help were treated to the same kind of rules that apply to the poor, it is unlikely that this kind of bailout would even be proposed."

Gift Hub asked, "Whom would Jesus bail out?", quoting a theologian who observed, "That doesn’t mean that it escapes my notice, though, when the Congress and the world’s financial systems can within a week decide to allot more than a half a trillion dollars toward shoring up already-wealthy people and institutions. Under the circumstances, one can hardly avoid the conclusion that political leaders don’t think of malnutrition and starvation, disease, and the lack of educational resources and economic opportunity as not that big a crisis."

Last week, WomenseNews offered a piece by Mimi Abromavitz called, "Wall Street Takes Welfare It Begrudes to Women.  Abromavitz offers a historical perspective on the sliding economic security of women and concludes by saying, "The public bailout of corporate America may be necessary given the risks of a collapse to the global economy. But why is it that the rich and reckless accept "welfare" for themselves while steadfastly rejecting the same for women in need? It’s time to take a billion here and there to assist the women raising families on too little income to keep a roof over their heads."

Finally, the Washington Post had an article on Sunday by Joel Berg called, "No Rescue for the Hungry," which begins, "When social services advocates like me hear that the cost of the federal bailout of the finance sector might top a trillion dollars, we’re not quite sure how to process such a massive figure. Our country has been told that a gargantuan government rescue of the private sector is necessary because the collapse of major financial institutions would lead to unthinkable outcomes for society. Almost as if by magic, our nation’s leaders conjure up vast sums to respond to this crisis. Yet when advocates point out that our nation is facing an altogether different kind of crisis, one of soaring hunger and homelessness, and that a large-scale bailout is needed to prevent social service providers nationwide from buckling under the increasing load, we are told that the money these agencies need just doesn’t exist."

While it’s not $700 billion, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, and women’s funds throughout the country and the world, are striving to help build the economic security of low-income families–particularly those headed by single women. 

Here in Washington, there are 10 Ways that you can help set women and their families on a path to economic security.  If you’re not in the Washington metropolitan area, find a women’s fund near you by visiting the Women’s Funding Network.

Whatever happens on The Hill, there is still a way to make a difference in your community by investing in women and girls.  Join us. 

Why should single mothers register and vote?

According to Women Work!, a national nonprofit organization that advances economic justice and equality for women through education, advocacy and organizing, just 65 percent of women voted in the 2004 presidential election, leaving the needs and concerns of more than 35 million women - the majority of whom are single mothers and unmarried women - out of the political discourse.

And yet,  American poverty is disproportionately female.  Women earn less money than men.  Women are disproportionately segregated into lower-paying jobs.  And, women are far more likely to have family care responsibilities than men.

Women have much to gain by voting in the upcoming presidential election, so Virtuous Enterprises, Inc. will hold voting drives for single mothers on:

Friday October 3 – 10 am – 2 pm
Saturday October 4 – 10 am – 3 pm
Friday, October 10 – 10 am – 3 pm
Saturday October 11 – 10 am – 3 pm

Location: In The Lobby
4305 St. Barnabas Road
Temple Hills, MD 20748

Voter registrants will receive a Money Management Workshop voucher.  Vouchers will be activated with an “I Voted Sticker” and any other proof of voting material.

If you have any questions, please call 301.316.1955.

Deborah M. Avens is president of Virtuous Enterprises, Inc., a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  She blogs about issues impacting low-income women in the Washington metropolitan area at Sister Table Talk.

I was thrilled to hear that Dr. Johnetta B. Cole would be the keynote speaker at The Women’s Foundation’s upcoming Leadership Luncheon on October 15th!

I discovered Dr. Cole in 1994 when I read her book, Conversations: Straight Talk with America’s Sister President. The book includes a discourse on race, gender, and her experiences as an African American woman, and Dr. Cole urges the eradication of racist and sexist views through education, tolerance, and expanded social awareness.

I was particularly impressed with her candor, encouraged by her achievements, and appreciated and responded to her continued message that we can all make a difference in our communities, our country, and our world! 

Her consistent charge is: Go out and make this a better world!  Be involved!

She has continued to be a source of inspiration and hope for me as I have watched and supported her various endeavors from afar.  I am so looking forward to being in the audience as she moderates the luncheon.

Thank you Washington Area Women’s Foundation for acknowledging and including such an inspirational and motivational speaker in your Leadership Luncheon!

Ebony Ross, M.A., is a capacity building specialist with Fair Chance and is responsible for providing organizational development training during a free year-long partnership to executive directors of nonprofit organizations providing services to children and youth in Wards 5-8 in the District of Columbia.

The Federal Treasury is on the verge of bailing out Wall Street with an infusion of $700 billion of taxpayer dollars.  Bad decisions by many actors (banks and lenders, consumers, insurers and others) have contributed to the crisis, we are told, and now it is an emergency.

What a difference a policy area makes.

In our nation’s social welfare programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, bad decisions are grounds for sanctions and a denial of assistance–not a helping hand or a cash infusion (Just imagine!).  Certainly, our leaders have not treated poverty as an emergency or a reason for government action.

Other differences abound….

Corporate welfare: Corporate executives, mostly men, being bailed out.

Social welfare: Mostly low-income women with children, being given minimal assistance, and certainly not enough to help move them out of poverty.

Corporate welfare: Few restrictions on the money.

Social welfare: TANF beneficiaries face numerous restrictions, including having to sign a “personal responsibility” statement in some states (Something, personally, I’d like to see these corporate executive do).

Corporate welfare: It is a major “concession” not to cap compensation to the executives in the affected firms.

Social welfare: Under TANF, most states impose income and asset limits on eligibility.  For assets, these limits are generally between $2,000 and $3,000.  In some states, if your car is worth much more than this, you are not eligible. (States similarly limit eligibility for Food Stamps and Medicaid.)

So, how many of our corporate executives would be disqualified from the bailout if this were taken into account? 

Corporate welfare: Few details about the accountability required under this bailout are available. Given the lobbying frenzy around the agreement, don’t expect much.

Social welfare:  Significant oversight, including additional and burdensome requirements around supervision and documentation of program participation enacted in 2005 and codified in regulations earlier this year.

Corporate welfare: $700 billion.

Social welfare: $16 billion per year, which has not changed since 1996.

Just think what a $700 billion investment in poverty reduction could do.  Bailouts to help low-income single mothers get job training to move them into careers with good pay and benefits, and a lifetime of economic independence.  Bailouts to support access to quality child care so that single mothers could afford to leave their children in a safe environment while they go to work.  Bailouts to support transportation vouchers that would get low-income parents to job training sites or worksites so that they can gain access to the careers and salaries that would eventually make them economically secure.

If only…

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

New economic development initiatives can present outstanding opportunities for new partnerships – including partnerships that support employers and low-income single working women and their children.

That kind of thinking led Prince George’s Child Resource Center (PGCRC), with support from The Women’s Foundation, to reach out to Gaylord Hotels as it developed the National Harbor project on the Potomac River in Oxon Hill.

The goal: to connect low-income single mothers working at National Harbor to early care and education providers nearby.

The outcome: PGCRC is providing brochures and other information to National Harbor for its workers, and National Harbor is promoting PGCRC’s services through its human resources office and its internal communications with employees.

The work has also recently drawn the attention of the Prince George’s County Gazette.

No wonder. This is a smart strategy.

Gaining access to more affordable, reliable and convenient services for their children means the women working at National Harbor can become highly dependable workers, which has significant benefits for their employer and the community.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

You have to love this.  Today, I caught this post on Philanthromedia called, "The power of women’s funds."

The article discusses how women’s funds came to be, and, more importantly, their unique and deep impact not only on women and girls–but on poverty alleviation and building stronger communities.

The article explains, "The inroads women have made in the workforce have helped create a generation of successful businesswomen who can now devote their resources to crucial issues. There’s a whole group of women who earn their own money, have good careers, and are in a high income bracket, yet abhor the chasm between the haves and have-nots,” explains Virginia Sweet, Executive Director of The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. “Women want to support other women and give back.”

To read more from Caroline Heine on women’s funds and the creative ways they’re tacking poverty throughout the country, check out the post.

Or, for an up close and personal view of the impact of women’s philanthropy on our own region, and the impact of 10 years of investing in women and girls, join us at our upcoming Leadership Luncheon!  We’ll be celebrating the power of 10 years of investing in our community by changing the lives of women and girls!

It is tough out there.  We are in a season of harsh realities. Our economy has gasped and sputtered and is close to stopping. 

Once comfortable retirees now worry about managing, while looking for part-time work. Recent hires, entry level and service workers are losing benefits, hours and eventually jobs.

The trends are going in the wrong direction.  Needs are growing and revenues are reduced.

These economic troubles are anxiety-inducing to us and terrifying for the families we see at our door at Interfaith Works.  Working poor families are literally falling off the cliff try to make ends meet.

Interfaith Works is a coalition of more than 140 congregations working together for 36 years to meet the needs of the poor in Montgomery County.  Last year, we served more than 30,000 residents in our County. We provide emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, centers for distribution of clothing, household goods, baby and school supplies, and emergency assistance for utilities and eviction prevention.

In my eight years at Interfaith Works the depth of need of those we serve has never been greater.

You have been reading the numbers every day—what we know is that in less than two years, the cost of fuel oil has increased 31%, gasoline 17%, eggs 63%, flour 39%, bread, 42%, milk 20%.

I would remind you that more than 50,000 people in Montgomery County–a third of them children–live below the federal poverty line of $16,000.

When you are living from pay check to pay check, there is no way to cover an additional $15 per week increase in gasoline to get to work, heating bills that are one third more, and food costs that are 20% more.

So what do we do when we work as hard as we are able, and we can’t support our families?

It is a chronic shortage of income that does people in– that brings them to Interfaith Works’ door. A family is short on rent one month because the utility bill was higher than expected, medication costs used the monthly budget for food, or work was missed because of a sick child that left the hourly wage worker short on pay.

The cycle continues.  If you are listening, you will hear people in pain.

Well, we are listening. Over the years many of us have been involved in work related to poverty in our community. Each of us has developed our own perspective on the complex and interrelated issues of poverty. We have been done many good things, but it is time to ask, “Are we doing the right thing?”

Interfaith Works is hosting a series of community discussions called “Changing the Conversation about Poverty in Montgomery County”. This opportunity is a time to reflect on our views and to explore new ways of thinking about poverty in the county.

This will not be just another brainstorming session.

Instead, we are bringing together a diverse group to share our thinking and engage in conversations that will be generated by a set of provocative questions.

These difficult times call for our renewed commitment and more than members of faith communities, elected officials, government staff, philanthropic organizations, corporate representatives, service providers, those receiving services and interested neighbors who are prepared to speak honestly to each other.

Now is the time for strengthening commitments to our work and our community.  We are “Changing the Conversation About Poverty in Montgomery County” and I hope you will join us.There is still time to sign up for this important conversation. Will you consider making time for this discussion scheduled on the following dates:

• Session #1: September 23, 2008, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
• Session #2: September 23, 2008, from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm
• Session #3: September 24, 2008, from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm
• Session #4: September 25, 2008, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Our location is the Vis Arts Center at 155 Gibbs Strett in Rockville.  Please R.S.V.P. to me or to Adria Olaleye if you plan on attending.

In addition to the four sessions listed above, an evening session is scheduled for September 24, 2008, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. This session is open to the general public and anyone interested in the issue of poverty in the county.

I look forward to spending time with you in conversation on the critical issue of poverty in our county.

Rebecca Wagner is executive director of Interfaith Works, formerly Community Ministry of Montgomery County, a non-sectarian interfaith coalition of more than 140 member and affiliated congregations representing over 65,000 families of many faiths, working together to meet the needs of the poor in Montgomery County, Maryland.

In my work on gender issues, I am acutely aware of the disproportionate impact that poverty has on women—–and when women are mothers, on their daughters and sons.

As the former president of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, our nation’s only two historically Black colleges for women, I witnessed the crucial link between education and a woman’s economic security. And we all know that a woman’s own education will have an influence on whether her children expect to have a college education and whether or not she can afford to send her children to college.

In my current role as the chair of the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute, I am keenly aware of the critical importance of advancing diversity and inclusion in our schools, our workplaces, and indeed in all arenas of our nation and our world. When different people are "at the table," different and innovative ideas come forth, and as a result, businesses can compete more successfully, schools can do a better job of educating students, and communities can more successfully tackle their problems.

There are countless examples of the value of bringing women and girls "to the table." That is why I am thrilled to have been invited to play a role in The Women’s Foundation’s Leadership Luncheon and 10th anniversary celebration.  Women’s philanthropy represents so much of what my work and learning have been about throughout my career:

The power of investing in women and girls.

The return on the investment for all of us when you bring a woman and her family out of poverty.

The power of people coming together to make a difference.

I understand that this year’s Leadership Luncheon will be like no other that has happened before. Rather than moderating a conversation among experts on a topic, I’ll be leading a special staged program that will at once be a discussion of the value of women’s philanthropy and the story of the collective power of giving together—told through the stories and experiences of key members of The Women’s Foundation community.

I’m really looking forward to being with you all on October 15th at the luncheon and to leading this exciting celebration capturing the power and potential of investing in women and girls!

Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole is Chair of the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute and will be speaking at The Women’s Foundation’s 2008 Leadership Luncheon.

Tickets and sponsorships are still available!  We hope you can join us and experience firsthand The Power of Giving Together!

On Sunday, The Women’s Foundation’s president, Phyllis Caldwell, was quoted in Philip Rucker’s Washington Post article, "Mortgage Giants’ Fall May Hurt Nonprofits."  Grantee Partners Doorways for Women and Families and Northern Virginia Family Services were also quoted. 

"There’s tremendous anxiety," Phyllis said.  "The uncertainty around what will happen will just cause things to stand still, and that creates more anxiety."

To read the rest of the article on how the takeover of mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could impact the nonprofit community in the Washington metropolitan area, visit WashingtonPost.com or view the PDF.

If you haven’t visited our homepage in the past few days, check it out!  We just got a new homepage to ring in our 10th anniversary year! 

Many thanks to The Bivings Group, which provides pro bono Web design and maintenance for The Women’s Foundation.  

Just as this new homepage and our Power of 10 campaign launch, it seems appropriate to recognize The Bivings Group and their commitment over the years to The Women’s Foundation’s work.  As the Power of 10 campaign signifies, the The Women’s Foundation’s impact on our community is due to the collective work of individuals, foundations and companies throughout our community who have joined together to pool their resources–whether time, treasure or talent–to support our work since 1998.

It’s truly The Power of Giving Together and this year we celebrate the impact it’s had over the past 10 years, and the unlimited potential it has to continue to improve our community by changing women’s lives.

Many thanks to The Bivings Group and those who have joined us for the first decade of our journey.  We look forward to celebrating with you on October 15, 2008. 

And if you haven’t yet been involved in The Power of Giving Together, we hope you’ll consider joining us!