Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity and The Women’s Foundation are teaming up to provide the latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families!

Spotlight, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty each week.

The country’s economic downturn has taken a particularly harsh toll on low-income families. During this past campaign season, Spotlight tracked the growing focus on the issues of poverty and economic opportunity by candidates running for office. Now, with the transition to a new president and Congress, Spotlight has re-launched its Web site to ensure that our political leaders take significant actions to follow though on their pledges.

Our new site features a section focused on the role of family well-being in fighting poverty, including key research, analysis and news on efforts to strengthen America’s poor working families, the majority of which are headed by single mothers. We will also continue to highlight these issues in our “Exclusive Commentary” section. Just this week, Andrea Kane, senior director for policy and partnerships at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, contributed a piece detailed the link between poverty and unplanned pregnancy.

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

Here are this week’s top stories on women and poverty:

o Single working moms have had it toughest, reports the New York Times, in a piece about how the working poor have been especially hard hit during the economic crisis.

o The Contra Costa Times covers a dispute between California and the federal government that may imperil a successful family planning program for the poor.

o The economic downturn is creating tension within working families (from the Toledo Blade).

o The Wichita Falls Times-Record writes about a child care agency that helps single working parents provide for their kids during a meager holiday season.

o Parents, many of them single moms, have been forced to pull kids from day care during the economic crisis, according to the Buffalo News.

o The Kansas City Star covers a study of women’s career and financial literacy.

o The Detroit News says that the growing homeless population includes large numbers of pregnant women and families.

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.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for Spotlight’s weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

Goodwill of Greater Washington offers numerous programs in addition to the Women in Construction program that The Women’s Foundation supports.

Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending a graduation ceremony for the most recent learners in Goodwill’s Bank Skills Training Program.  I left so inspired by all of the graduates and how far they had come. 

Especially moving were remarks by one student in particular, Susan Jelanizada, who told the story of her path to Goodwill and a new job in banking, which began in Afghanistan.

I share her remarks here because I think they can also inspire other women and girls and demonstrate the power of the programs that support their journeys to financial independence and economic security–whether those journeys begin in Arlington or Afghanistan.

Susan says:
 
“… Only a few years ago, women in my homeland of Afghanistan were denied any access to education or a meaningful role in society. Women and, to some extent, men, were barred from any meaningful education or professional pursuits. Girls were not allowed to continue any form of formal education beyond age 13.  Boys could only study at the ultra-conservative and extremist madrasas. My family and I were fortunate enough to have left Afghanistan and avoided the brutal realities of daily life under the extremist regime. Nonetheless, living in Pakistan was no picnic, either.

We faced many challenges living in Pakistan, including a language and some cultural barriers. However, life there offered us something that we could not get back home: access to basic education. We worked hard, and we took advantage of whatever opportunities were available.

While I count myself as one of the lucky few who has had the privilege of migrating to the United States, starting life anew has not been easy.

First, there is the culture shock.  America is a place where people enjoy freedoms unheard of in my homeland.  It is also a much different environment as far as the culture and norms are concerned. It was especially difficult for me as the oldest child in the family to leave my family and live all by myself for the first time. And this was not just a few miles away from home, but thousands of miles away. We value our family greatly in my culture and visit one another pretty often. Social life in Afghanistan tends to be more intimate and families tend to have close relations with one another.  Furthermore, it is quite untraditional for an Afghan woman to live by herself and away from her family in Afghanistan. 

However, I believe living away from my family has made me stronger and given me opportunities as well as challenges to grow and succeed in ways impossible back home.

My experiences have helped me develop a certain level of interest and appreciation for education and yearn for a brighter future; however, it was very hard for me to find the way how to do it.  I was not sure how to start the new life in the United States, how to pursue my career and my goals.  I didn’t know anything about the culture and environment.

I tried to apply for jobs online, but somehow I did not get a positive response. Maybe it is because I did not have work experience in the U.S., or maybe I didn’t know how to make my resume according to the job opening.

Finally, feeling disappointed and exhausted, I asked my employee specialist at the Department of Social Services of Fairfax County to let me know if there were training programs to prepare me for a job.

I had never thought about banking before coming to Goodwill, but after sharing my work experience with David, the Bank Skills Trainer, I found out that I had done all the jobs and had the skills that are needed in a bank for a teller.

I was so impressed by the service and training I received from Goodwill.

It has helped me to achieve my goals and start my new career in banking.  At Goodwill, we have learned about banking terminology and jargon.

Besides this, David helped us in making our resumes and prepared us for interviews.

I personally really liked the practice interview part where we really received constructive feedback from the recruiters. The practice prepared me to pass the real interview at the job fair and, luckily, I received an offer to work with Bank of America on the day of the job fair.

I count myself a successful person because I have never given up in life, despite all the ups and downs. I always believed in myself and knew that ‘I can do it.’  I am happy and proud to have been part of this class where I got to know all the wonderful people who are graduating today, as well as the volunteers from so many banks.

In closing, I would like to thank Goodwill for providing such training programs that help people start their careers. Thank you to David for being so nice and helpful with all of us and thanks to Valerie for helping us and providing us extra support.

Thanks to all of the Goodwill team for giving us a chance to achieve our career goals.

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

On October 15, 2008, The Women’s Foundation held a Community Briefing on the importance of early care and education. 

Craig Pascal, Senior Vice President/Territory Manager, Community Development Bank at PNC and Tobi Printz-Platnick, Program Officer, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, made a strong case for increased investments in early care and education.

The expert panelists presented compelling research and echoed the importance of increased investments.

Our parent advocate shared from her personal experiences the challenges she confronts on a daily basis of accessing quality care for her son with disabilities.

As we learned at the Community Briefing, strategic funds invested in strong organizations can significantly improve the quality of, and expansion of increased access to, developmentally appropriate care for children from birth through five years old.

"During this economic downturn, it is critically important to invest in a proven strategy to support our future workforce.  Investments in young children are sound investments," stated Craig Pascal, Senior Vice President/Territory Manager, Community Development Banking, PNC Bank. "There is no better time than now to invest in the future success of young children to ensure they are prepared for schools and life."

To help foster increased access to and quality of early care and education in our region, The Women’s Foundation has released a Request for Proposals for Access and Quality Grants, seeking to invest in organizations committed to implementing effective strategies that can promote, ensure and sustain opportunities to expand access and improve the quality of services for low-income families and their young children by promoting systems reform.  Such strategies include promoting systems reform, implementing changes in early care and education practices, and investing in public education efforts to increase the public will for early care and education.

Proposals under this RFP are due at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2008. For more information about this funding opportunity, please review the RFP guidelines.

HyeSook Chung is The Women’s Foundation’s program officer for early care and education.

Last week’s Leadership Luncheon was as powerful as ever, but also a bit peculiar, in a good way.

Perhaps it was because it provided our community a much needed break from the pessimistic news we’ve been pummeled by, and offered a moment – or a few hours – to reflect on the possibility of hope.

The timing of this event was indeed propitious.

Who knew that October 15, 2008 would find itself ensconced within an economic environment full of unknowns alongside not a small amount of gloominess for leaders in our nonprofit and foundation community? What a better time, then,and what a grand opportunity for us as a philanthropic comunity to collectively take a deep breath–something that we’ve been deprived of through September and October.

Last week’s event allowed for a moment to relieve the pressure of the markets, those 401Ks and all those uncertainties, and look in a different direction.

What we saw were 10 people who told the story of The Women’s Foundation’s community’s history and future and who surely represented everyone gathered in the room. But those 10, and the event itself, also represented our community’s nonprofits, foundations, corporations, and individuals who all make our region a better place to live as a result of their investments and gifts.

Whatever may lie ahead of us as we look to the weeks and months beyond October 15, it was well worth declaring together that there are strong foundations (in more than one sense of the word) like The Women’s Foundation that serve as a mooring to keep us afloat, pointed in the right direction and moving forward.

I am proud to be associated in some small way with this work.

Eduardo Romero is Director of Membership at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. He also sponsored the 2008 Leadership Luncheon and serves on The Women’s Foundation’s Program Committee.

It seems like only yesterday I was attending my very first event at The Women’s Foundation: The Leadership Awards reception.

The Leadership Awards Program is a signature program of The Women’s Foundation that identifies and recognizes local – but largely undiscovered – nonprofits demonstrating innovation and measurable success in the service of women and girls.

The event started out as so many others, with snacks and drinks, friendly chit chatting, and meeting new friends and old.  It was lovely, but also very reminiscent of a number of other receptions I had attended before.

That was about to change.

As the program began and the awards committee co-chairs began to introduce the recipient organizations, I could feel the whole tenor of the room change. I was immediately enthralled with the work of these organizations and the individuals working within them.  All of these incredible organizations were doing work right here in my own back yard! 

More amazingly, I had never heard of most of them! I realized then that though I had lived in the area of the last 10 years, I did not really know my own community.

By the end of the awards presentations, this ordinary reception had become an extraordinarily inspirational event – and not just for me. As I looked around the room, I could see that many other attendees had been as amazed and inspired as I was.   (See event photos!)

Today, I am part of the great process that brought these wonderful organizations to the attention of so many others that evening back in March 2008.  I am working with at least 45 volunteers eager to get to work on what will no doubt be a challenging, but engaging selection process.

As was the case last year, the Leadership Awards are focused on organizations working to improve the health and safety of women and girls.

I can’t wait to see what hidden gems we uncover!

But we all know that we can’t do this alone. To uncover gems like these, we need the involvement of many people.

We have officially opened nominations for organizations to be considered for the 2008 Leadership Awards.

Additionally, I encourage all of you to get involved in identifying innovative and emerging organizations – many of them operating below the radar – working to improve the health and safety of Washington-area women and girls.  Visit TheWomensFoundation.org to learn more about how YOU can help the Leadership Awards committee by either joining a regional team or nominating an area nonprofit.

We will continue to welcome new members to the committee through October 24, 2008.

If you are interested in joining, please complete and return the volunteer commitment form and be prepared to attend the kick-off meeting on Tuesday October 28th from 6-9 p.m.

Or, to nominate an organization for a Leadership Award, click here.

Nicole Cozier is The Women’s Foundation’s philanthropic education officer.

Hobo International is honored to participate in Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s 10th anniversary Leadership Luncheon!  What a wonderful opportunity for us as women to focus our energy in celebration of the power of women, and the incredible triumphs that result from the power of giving.

For the third year in a row, Hobo International will donate the “handbag centerpieces” that appear on the banquet tables. The Women’s Foundation is a natural partner for us. Their values and principles resonate with us and how we approach our work: Sound research, tested strategy, and real solutions that address the needs and realities facing women and girls today.

As a women-owned company, we at Hobo International can uniquely understand the triumphs and challenges that shape the female experience. The founder of Hobo International, Toni Ray, was a single mom who was forced to re-think her career after leaving the only job she had ever known. Through hard work and perseverance, Toni turned adversity into a new opportunity. And 20 years later, Hobo International is a thriving accessory design house, now under second generation leadership of Toni’s daughter, Koren Ray Brewer.

The work and mission of the Women’s Foundation changes lives. Everyday. Last year, program participants Laceiy and Sharan shared their life-changing journeys that were made possible with support from The Women’s Foundation. Their personal stories were inspirational.

And I wasn’t the only one to think so!  At the conclusion of the luncheon last year, two of the women who won bags from the table drawings noticed that Laceiy and Sharan didn’t win handbags—and gave them their bags.

In that moment, the spirit of The Women’s Foundation was captured: women helping women.

As we celebrate incredible women like Laceiy and Sharan for their courage and their personal triumphs over adversity, let us also remember that the power of giving can change lives.

We at Hobo International look forward to another exceptional Leadership Luncheon, and to making this year the most successful year to date!

Wendy Pierce is marketing director at Hobo International.

I am so excited that Dr. Johnnetta Cole is going to be speaking at this year’s Leadership Luncheon.  I admire her and the work she is doing tremendously.

Last summer, I had the honor of getting to participate in her work directly, when I spoke at the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute’s Power Girls Summit.  As a gift after the summit, I received a wonderful, inspiring book of quotations by Dr. Cole, Dream the Boldest Dreams: And Other Lessons of Life. 

I thought I’d share a few of my favorites from the chapter called "Women" to help set the stage for the treat we’re in for with Dr. Cole speaking at our luncheon next week.  We’ve been talking a lot about her, but here are a few quotes that establish her ideas about women and women’s equality in her own voice:

The higher the pay, the less likely it’s going to be called women’s work.

It has been said: If you educate a man, you educate a man. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation.

We could stop a lot of things from falling if we just let women hold up half the sky.

A truly determined woman will succeed in doing what society has determined she is incapable of doing.

For us women folks, the distance between where we’ve been and where we’re going is surely determined by the speed at which we insist on going.

At The Women’s Foundation, we’re all about speeding things up for our region’s women and girls, and we’re thrilled to have Dr. Cole with us at this year’s Leadership Luncheon as we celebrate 10 years of our community’s efforts to close the gap between we’ve been and where we’re going! 

Jennifer Cortner is president of EFX Media, and a member of The Women’s Foundation’s board of directors.

New Kid on the Block: A new staff member’s perspective

I’m the new kid on the block here at The Women’s Foundation.  Even though it’s only been about a month, I’ve become so involved that it feels like it’s been much longer.  Maybe because the mission resonates so deeply with my own beliefs about economic empowerment, or maybe it’s the energizing, collective spirit of this organization. 

Either way, I know one thing for sure: Washington Area Women’s Foundation fits me.

It fits because, after watching the women in my family, I know that strong women build up themselves, each other and their communities.  It fits because, after participating in the Vagina Monologues for four years, I know that women cannot afford to be quiet about the issues that we face. 

And it fits because, in the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

I’m so honored to be a part of this dynamic staff and to be involved with all of the amazing organizations we serve in the Washington metropolitan area.

Lena Peterson is The Women’s Foundation’s new office assistant.

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.

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.