– In the wake of this week’s election, the leadership at the Ms. Foundation writes on their blog “we… encourage you to forgo despair in favor of something much more powerful: a belief in the ability and tenacity of grassroots organizations to engage communities and build momentum — even in the face of the political challenges presently before us.”  Click here to read their full post.

– Congress’s Class of 2010 is far less diverse than the population it represents, reports The Washington Post. Of the more than 100 newly elected lawmakers headed for Capitol Hill, 97 are men and 12 are women.  This is shaping up to be the first election cycle in 32 years in which the number of women in Congress does not increase.

Tags: ms., foundation, election, congress, women

Today’s Portrait Project 2010 fact is one of the most mind-blowing statistics you’ll find in the report: the average annual cost of full-time center-based infant care is 52 percent of the median annual income for a single mother with children in the District.

With more than half of a family’s income going to childcare alone, it’s difficult to imagine how families living below the poverty line could hope to improve their circumstances.

On October 14, Washington Area Women’s Foundation will reveal more statistics like this with the release of 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  And we’ll introduce you to the ways organizations right here in our community are working to help these families build better lives.

Portrait Project 2010 will be unveiled at The Women’s Foundation’s 12^th annual Leadership Luncheon and Community Briefing. Between now and then, we will be releasing some of the most compelling facts from the report.  Visit our blog frequently for new information.  We’ll also have updates on Facebook, Twitter (using #PortraitProject) and LinkedIn, so be sure to join us there, too.

Click here for previous facts we’ve revealed from Portrait Project 2010.

Photo Credit: Michael Colella at Colella Photography

– Federal subsidies for child care are failing to keep up with rising demand, leaving an increasing number of low-income families struggling to balance work and parenting.  Click here to read how this is effecting parents, particularly low-income, single women.

– Later today, teenagers in Prince George’s County will attend Youth Explosion, a program that promotes safe activities and helps teens find summer jobs.  The program is for kids between 12 and 18 and is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tabernacle Church in Laurel.

– Some local dads say they’re paying attention to parenting messages on bus shelter posters.  The posters say “Take time to be a dad today” and offer suggestions for activities parents and children can do together.  According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, one-third of kids in American grow up in a home without their biological fathers.  Click here to find out why some fathers say the ads are working.

– An editorial in today’s Washington Post urges the Justice Department to offer more incentives to states to improve the quality of representation in court for indigent defendants.  Click here for more.

– Today, two D.C. women will be among the first gay couples to legally wed in The District.  Last week, Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend were the first to apply for a marriage license after D.C. legalized same-sex unions.  Today is the first day that couples can pick up their licenses and legally get married.  Click here for their story.

Tags: washington, dc, maryland, virginia, women, girls, assistance, wage, gap, women of color, african, american, hispanic, men, earnings, justice, attorney, public defender, same-sex, gay, union, marriage

– The economy might be in recovery, but the nonprofit sector is still suffering.  According to the Wall Street Journal, nonprofits around the country continue to be hit with closings and mergers.  The article highlights Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE), a Washington Area Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner that was in danger of closing after losing government funding last fall.  Click here for more.

– CNN’s Candy Crowley is the new host of the Sunday morning political program “State of the Union.”  She is the only female anchor on the national Sunday morning news shows, and says this is the first time she’s made a major career move without worrying about balancing her roles as a journalist and parent.  Click here for more.

Got something to say?  Comment below, or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

Tags: washington, maryland, women, girls, poverty, working, moms, help, assistance, nonprofit, government, funding, candy crowley, women empowered against violence, weave

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.” It’s a new section of our site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.

Along with these daily updates, continue to visit TheWomensFoundation.org for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

Here’s this week’s news:

• Andrea Castaneda is one of several mothers participating in a Head Start program that seeks to help impoverished families replace unnecessary trips to the emergency room with home care, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

• Deborah Stiell, a 55-year-old low-income grandmother, has cared for her three grandchildren their entire lives. She tells the Detroit News that, like many grandparents in her situation, she struggles to pay the bills.

• The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that thanks to increased state funding, a clinic run by the University of Tennessee College of Medicine’s obstetrics-gynecology department has been able to reach out to more low-income patients, resulting in a 20 to 35 percent increase in patient visits.

• The Boston Globe celebrates the achievements of Elisabetta Mitrano, who lifted her family from poverty by opening a salon that would allow her children a better upbringing than she had.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org  

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here. 

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Tags: spotlight, and, opportunity, team

But we know that true power comes from much more than a job or a public voice. It stems from collective action and dedication to postive change–in ourselves, our families, our community and the world.

And that’s why we’re a part of The Women’s Foundation’s powerful wave of philanthropists helping improve our community through investments in women and girls.

So, we’re thrilled to be serving as this year’s luncheon moderators, along with emcee NBC4 News Co-anchor, Doreen Gentzler, and to help share The Women’s Foundation’s story of how investments in women and girls pay off infinitely in change within our community.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at The Women’s Foundation’s 2009 Leadership Luncheon from noon-2 p.m.

You won’t want to miss our annual community-wide celebration of the powerful women’s philanthropic movement in the Washington metropolitan area!

As always, the Leadership Luncheon will be preceded by the annual Community Briefing, which will feature an update on Stepping Stones–The Women’s Foundation’s groundbreaking initiative that is helping low-income, women-headed families escape poverty and create lives of financial independence and success.

Please join us at the 2009 Leadership Luncheon, where we’ll stand together as a proud community of philanthropists and activists helping to transform our community through investments in women and girls.

Rebecca Roberts is an award winning journalist whose work can be heard on Talk of the Nation, Weekend All Things Considered, and the Kojo Nnamdi Show.  She is also a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 and is co-chair of the 1K Club.  Her mother, Cokie, is an award winning journalist, currently serving as a senior news analyst for NPR News and a political commentator for ABC News.  Cokie is also a member of Washington 100.

Tags: 2009 Leadership Luncheon, Rebecca Roberts, Cokie Roberts, 1K Club, Washington 100, Doreen Gentzler, Community Briefing