Today is Car Free Day, an international event celebrated every September 22nd that encourages people to leave their car at home.  Our region signed on last year and is participating again this year.

Car Free Day is intended to highlight transit, bicycling, walking and all alternative modes of transportation and take cars off the road so people can think about what their region, city or neighborhood might be like with fewer cars.

I want to propose a different type of car day: Cars for People Who Need Them but Can’t Afford to Buy, Insure or Maintain Them Day.

I know, I know – it’s not as catchy.

It’s not that I’m opposed to Car Free Day. 

I celebrate it nearly every day because I don’t own a car.  I am a big fan of public transportation (I commute by bus) and walking.  But I live and work in parts of town with rich public transportation options.

The frustrating truth is that many low-income residents in our region – especially low-income, women-headed families East of the River and in Prince George’s County – actually need more access to private transportation to be able to work and take care of their families.

According to Census data, nearly half (48%) of all non-elderly poor in the District lived in households without a car.  They participate in Car Free Day every day but not all willingly.

Car ownership programs for low-income families and individuals have demonstrated their effectiveness by producing significant income and asset gains for participants. Programs in our region, like Vehicles for Change, and national programs like Ways to Work and its local partners Northern Virginia Family Service (a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation) and Family Matters of Greater Washington need and deserve support.

I hope we can all agree that our region’s transportation challenges call for multifaceted solutions beyond just “more people should take public transportation.”

Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at The Women’s Foundation.

As school lets out for the summer, there are many proud moments to celebrate, whether it’s a graduation milestone, a decent report card or the beginning of something new.

Here at The Women’s Foundation, we’re celebrating meeting an ambitious goal: maintaining our grantmaking as we close out the fiscal year!  With our most recent approval of grants, we hit our goal of granting $1.1 million to nonprofits working to improve the lives of women and girls in our region.

Our Stepping Stones grants support critical work in the areas of financial education, job training and early care and education, all of which provide the essential tools and support needed to assist low-income women and their families during these tough economic times.

Organizations like Community Tax Aid, Doorways for Women and Families, and Manna, Inc. will continue their work with low-income, women-headed families by providing them with the financial education and tax prep assistance needed to start them on a path of economic success.

SOME and Year Up are providing the job training that is essential to putting women on a career pathway.

Food stamps are an important work support and play a critical role in moving a women and her family out of poverty.  DC Hunger Solutions will continue its advocacy work to ensure that eligible women and their children are receiving food stamps.

Another key work support is access to quality child care. Montgomery College Foundation, Prince George’s Child Resource Center and WETA will work to improve the quality of early care and education.

Now more than ever, nonprofit organizations face a myriad of challenges and navigating complex systems can be overwhelming. The Human Services Coalition of Prince George’s County will work to improve public policies so they enhance, rather than hinder, the effectiveness of the work nonprofits do on behalf of low-income, women-headed families in Prince George’s County.

Through our Open Door Capacity Fund, we’re funding capacity building work that aims to shore up the long-term sustainability of organizations. This work is essential to ensuring that these organizations have the necessary resources to address key organizational and operational improvements, while maintaining the much-needed services they provide to our region’s at-risk women and girls.

Please take a moment to review our most recent grants and take pride knowing that together we’re making a difference in the lives of women and girls in our community.

Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat is the Vice President, Programs at The Women’s Foundation.

Every year, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington chooses our region’s best, brightest and most promising nonprofits to feature. 

The list is a prestigious one given that organizations are vetted by a diverse, knowledgeable group of stakeholders throughout the community who know our region, its issues and the organizations and work that is making a difference–much like the volunteer committees and giving circles that participate in The Women’s Foundation’s grantmaking processes.

Not only is The Women’s Foundation proud to have a number of staff members who volunteer on the review committee, but each year, we are always thrilled to see our own Grantee Partners make the list!

Last year, there was a lot of overlap, and this year is no different.  Today, when the Catalogue of Philanthropy: Greater Washington Class of 2009-2010 was announced, we were proud to note the following Grantee Partners listed:

Centro Familia, which engages immigrant families in early care and education
Urban Alliance Foundation, which facilitates year-long professional internship opportunities for at-risk youth
ASHA for Women, which empowers South Asian women to live free of abuse
Through the Kitchen Door International, which provides life and employment skills training that changes trainees’ lives
Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE), which provides legal, economic, counseling and educational services for domestic violence victims
Pregnancy Aid Center, which provides prenatal and health care for women and newborns in need
Doorways for Women and Families, which provides shelter and services for homeless families and domestic violence survivors
Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, a transitional and supportive housing program serving homeless and low-income people
Tahirih Justice Center, which protects immigrant women and girls who are fleeing gender-based violence
Computer C.O.R.E., which provides job-readiness training in computer and life skills for low-income adults
Jubilee Jobs, which provides compassionate, skilled job placement and ongoing support
STRIVE DC, an employment program transforming the lives of disadvantaged people in Washington, D.C.

The Women’s Foundation is proud to partner with these organizations doing outstanding work on behalf of our region’s women and girls, and congratulates them and all of the 2009-2010 Catalogue Class, which represents the effective, innovative work The Women’s Foundation is proud to support throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

The DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) is devastated and appalled to know that our most skilled and intensely dedicated late-term abortion provider, a beloved partner to DCAF, Dr. George Tiller, was fatally shot in the lobby of his church in Wichita, Kansas on Sunday morning, May 31, 2009.

In the past eight months, DCAF pledged financial assistance to four uniquely challenged women—from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, as well as in Omaha, NE, to obtain a third-trimester termination from Dr. Tiller at Women’s Health Care Services in Wichita.

Two of the women were taking medications considered harmful to fetal development.  One attempted to self-abort countless times before reaching out—terrified because she came from New Guinea, where abortion is illegal.  One spent 10 weeks trying to raise money to afford her abortion before finding DCAF.
One patient was a fifteen-year-old sexual assault survivor who didn’t know she was pregnant until the beginning of the third trimester.  One of the women had diabetes and a fetal anomaly.

While heartbroken for the women we assisted, we found solace in knowing Dr. Tiller was willing to provide comprehensive care when there was no other option.

DCAF is eternally indebted to the legacy of boundless courage and compassionate health care offered whole-heartedly by this man who gently and faithfully urged us to trust and support women.  He truly exemplified reproductive justice for all by working tirelessly to accommodate struggling families all over the country.

In accordance with our respect for Dr. Tiller’s profound service to women, DCAF is grateful for our partner clinics and heroic providers–true warriors on the front lines, ensuring access to quality abortion care in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

In memory of our angelic and wise doctor and beyond the shadows of opposition, we remain determined in our mission to provide our neighbors with dignified health care regardless of what’s in their wallet.

Elisabeth Sowecke is the lead case manager at the DC Abortion Fund, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Last week, I was one of the lucky people who participated in the “Conversation on Poverty in Montgomery County” that Rebecca Wagner, Executive Director of Interfaith Works, blogged about last week.

The session that I attended was wonderful.

The room was filled with a cross-section of the Montgomery County community — concerned citizens, religious leaders, government representatives, philanthropists, advocates, direct service providers–the list goes on. And, everyone was committed to having a very serious conversation about poverty in Montgomery County.

Now, I must make a confession. Generally, I am not a big fan of facilitated meetings like this. Far too often, they consist of hours of talk that often veer off subject and lead to nothing happening.

And a year later, we have the same meeting and the same discussion again.

The conversation that Rebecca organized was just the opposite.

I participated in in-depth discussions about the challenges of bringing attention to the needs of the poor in Montgomery County when the public perception is that there isn’t much poverty in the County because it is so wealthy.

Sadly, the fact is that there are tens of thousands of people living below the federal poverty line in Montgomery County. And, because the cost of living in the County is so high, there are even more people who live there but cannot afford to support themselves and their families.

In addition, the County is very large and its population is very diverse (we tend to forget that there are still farms in Montgomery County), which poses unique obstacles to providing services that are accessible and appropriate. And, the demographic make-up of the County has been changing rapidly, which makes it hard for service-providers to keep up with the need.

The great news is that these Conversations have accomplished Interfaith Works’ goal – as a result of these convenings, other meetings are going to be held.

Most notably, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is going to host a meeting on October 10th to discuss an agenda to address these problems. For more information about this meeting, please contact Diana Day at the County HHS.

Here at The Women’s Foundation, this conversation feeds into our work in many ways.  It sets the stage for some meetings we will be holding on women and poverty later this year. It informs us of the needs in the County as we formulate our funding priorities for the next year.  And, it gives us the opportunity to learn about the work being done by nonprofits that we may not have worked with yet.

All in all, the Conversation on Poverty was a true success.

Sharon Levin is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Policy Advocacy.

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.

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.

I didn’t do it because I had the perfect body.

I did it because I didn’t.

I was just recovering from the birth of my second child, and needed to shake a bit of baby fat, in fact.

And, after 10 years of caring for my mom, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and becoming a mom myself, I needed to turn my attention back to taking care of myself a bit.

So when my girlfriend told me that she was entering the Mrs. Maryland pageant, instead of putting it off in hopes for a better time, or a better body, I decided to enter with her.

Life was short, I had realized as I cared for my ailing mother. Entering a pageant was on the bucket list I’d created for myself when she became ill.

In December 2007, when I officially decided to enter and prepare for the pageant, I had crossed off a few things on the list. I had run a marathon and earned a master’s degree.

Both were challenging. But neither involved a swimsuit competition.

I knew that this experience would push me further beyond my comfort zone than I ever had been.

So, I didn’t do it because I had the perfect body, or because I was dying to parade around on stage in a swimsuit.

I did it because I didn’t, and I wasn’t.

And because I wanted my daughter to see that when there are challenges, when you have to go outside your comfort zone, when you aren’t sure, that you can still take on anything you want, and succeed.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved watching the Miss America pageants on television, but it had never occurred to me that I could be in one.

Much less win one.

But on June 25, 2008, I did.

And while the crown is nice, I have been more struck by the process itself. Of learning about and testing my limits as I got back into shape and prepared for the various aspects of the pageant, including the interview.

It was through the interviews—which counted as half of our score—that I learned the amazing stories of my fellow contestants. About their careers as engineers, their PhDs, about their extensive community service.

About my fellow contestant who immigrated to this country 15 years ago, and has worked for seven days a week at her own business since then to create a future for her children. This year, her daughter graduated from the University of Maryland.

And every woman I met through the pageant had an inspiring story like this, of how she is impacting her family, her community and her own individual self-confidence.

And that is where the true beauty in the Mrs. Maryland pageant lies for me.

Because each of us was uncomfortable with the swimsuit competition and with being on stage, but we did it anyway.  Because of our sense of what we had to offer, as women, beyond what we looked like, beyond what everyone might see on the outside every day.

And yes, I enjoy wearing the crown. It has great meaning and significance for me.

But what I most treasure about it is the opportunity I have while I have the honor of wearing it to serve as a role model for other girls and women.

And what I hope I am able to convey to each of them is a concept I heard in a Tiger Woods commercial, where his father says to him, "I promise you that you’ll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life.”

Because I believe that the strongest gift we can give to each other as women, and pass along to our daughters, is the idea that the greatest goal is mental strength, and that each of us possesses it. That if you can dream it, you can make it happen.

At 37, I never thought it possible that I would be wearing a crown that I didn’t buy for myself.

And having the honor of wearing this one reminds me every day that its beauty has far more to do with the pretty face it frames, and actually represents the whole of the mind, spirit and strength that it surrounds.

Siobhan Davenport is a member of The Women’s Foundation’s board of directors and is the reigning 2008 Mrs. Maryland. She will compete in the national Mrs. America pageant in September. Siobhan’s platform and philanthropic interests include support for Alzheimer’s treatment and research, and increasing awareness of and support for early child care and education. She is an investor in The Women’s Foundation’s Early Child Care and Education Collaborative.

The Women’s Foundation congratulates Casa de Maryland on its victory Tuesday before the Montgomery County Council, when the Council unanimously approved a bill that will provide new legal protections for domestic workers.

This bill is believed to be the first legislation nationally of its kind.

The Washington Post covered the back story that led to this tremendous advocacy effort here.

With support from The Women’s Foundation, CASA led the advocacy efforts for this breakthrough legislation for women who work in other people’s homes.

As CASA’s Alexis De Simone noted, “The nannies, housekeepers, and elder companions who keep our homes and our families safe and secure are routinely denied overtime pay, minimum wage, sick days, and health insurance. They work in isolation, and are in some cases forbidden to interact with the outside world. Many are physically, sexually, and verbally abused.”

Thanks to a four year campaign by CASA and their coalition partners, these employees will no longer be so vulnerable.

The bill requires an employer to present the domestic worker written notice of their legal rights guaranteed under state law and a written contract specifying the terms and conditions of employment. Support for this policy was strengthened after the County Council released a 2006 report that found that domestic workers often did not know their rights – a fact that often resulted in their being paid less than the minimum wage or not receiving overtime pay.

The bill also requires that live-in domestic workers have a separate bedroom with a door that can be locked, and reasonable access to a kitchen, bathroom and laundry facility. In addition, the bill prohibits retaliation against a domestic worker who requests a written contract, attempts to enforce the terms of a contract, files a complaint or participates in an investigation of a complaint.

County Executive Isiah Leggett has said that he will sign the bill. That could happen as early as tomorrow, and then the bill would go into effect in 180 days.

Sharon Levin is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Major Events and Policy Advocacy.  Casa de Maryland is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Last year, a number of staff here at The Women’s Foundation participated in the Food Stamp Challenge–living for a week on the food budget allocated to individuals on food stamps–generally about $1 per meal per person. 

A year ago, our staffers and others participating in the challenge found it extremely, well, challenging.  (For more of our staff blogs on the challenge, click here.)

Almost a full year later, though, the challenge of living on food stamps has become even more difficult, as Chris Jenkins outlines in yesterday’s Washington Post article, "Rising Prices Hit Home for Food Stamp Recipients."

It’s no surprise that the woman interviewed in the article is a working single mother–a divorced mother of two.  She had her salary cut in half when she was laid off as a receptionist and had to take a job as home health aid.  She says in the Post, "Our life has changed…My kids notice the changes, there’s no doubt about it.  There are things I can’t buy anymore, little things like desserts, or if I say we have to be careful how much we eat. It’s not just them; we all feel it. We all notice."

Earlier this month, CNN documented a similar story about another local woman who skimps on her own food to feed her young daughter.

The rising costs are a national issue, but in the Washington metropolitan region, families are feeling it even more than in most places around the country.  The article explains that food prices in this region are eight percent higher than the national average.  For example, a pound of ground beef averaged $3.33 for a Washington area shopper, compared with $2.64 nationally. That’s a difference of 26 percent. A dozen eggs were 10 percent higher, while a 10-pound bag of potatoes cost 40 percent more.

As costs rise and food stamp allocations fail to keep up, more families face the consequences of food insecurity–poor nutrition, a decreasing ability to focus at school, work and other activities, and overall poorer health–not to mention the added mental stress of worrying and calculating to try to get the family food budget to stretch as far as possible. 

And who is affected? 

According to Capital Area Food Bank, half of all households in Washington, D.C. receiving food stamps report at least one working adult in the household.  In 2005, 50 percent of all participants in the food stamp program were children, and 65 percent of them lived in single-parent households.  Thirty-four percent of households with children were headed by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of whom were women.  Forty-six percent of participants were white, 31 percent were African-American and 13 percent were Hispanic.  The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $648. 

However the stats break down though, the reality remains the same, that food insecurity is becoming an increasing issue in our region and nation as prices climb and families find wages dropping or face job loss. 

Last year, staff member Sherell Fuller took an international lens to her experience on the food stamp challenge. 

An interesting lens when one considers that there are an estimated one in three people in the world living below the poverty line–defined as living on less than $1 a day. 

In the United States currently, one in 11 Americans receives food stamps of about $1 per meal.

In either scenario, that’s a lot to ask of $1.