United Way to hold September brainstorming sessions in advance of November ‘Poverty Summit’
By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com Sep 9, 2017
The Heartland United Way is planning a Poverty Summit on Friday, Nov. 3.
But before that, the United Way wants people to do some brainstorming on the issue of childhood poverty. Those sessions will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19; 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20; and 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 20. All meetings will be at Home Federal Bank, 3311 W. Stolley Park Road.
“We are gearing up for lots of conversation from the community,” said Karen Rathke, Heartland United Way president. She said the conversations will be designed to solicit everyone’s ideas and thoughts about childhood poverty and the best ways to eliminate it.
She noted that written invitations to the three sessions had a very good summary of what Heartland United Way officials want to happen: “Please join us for a facilitated community conversation to innovatively find solutions to tackle barriers that challenge children and families in our communities.”
“We’re asking people to bring their passion, their experience, their expertise, to the table to be part of these conversations,” Rathke said. She said representatives from the faith-based community, eduction, health care, business, public service organizations, law enforcement and non-profit communities are being invited to take part in these conversations.
Rathke said “consumers” also are being asked to be part of the talks, so the United Way can find out what they see in Grand Island area when it comes to the subject of childhood poverty, as well as what they would like to see available.
While a number of people have specifically invited to attend one of the three brainstorming sessions, people from the general public also are being invited attend, Rathke said. “We want to continue widening our reach, so we can have more voices, more thoughts and good ideas around the table.
The goal is to start with some very broad ideas on how to best fight childhood poverty during the brainstorming sessions, then begin to narrow them down a bit.
Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the percentage of persons living in poverty in Hall County is 13.5 percent, while it is 10.4 percent in both Howard County and Merrick County, and 7.3 percent in Hamilton County. Related children under 5 who live in poverty totals 33.4 percent in Hall County; 19.9 percent in Hamilton County; 16.6 percent in Merrick County; and 9.1 percent in Howard County.
Hall County ranks 45th out of 79 Nebraska counties in overall health (14 counties were not rated), while Howard County ranked 18th, Hamilton County 30th and Merrick County 51st.
The teen pregnancy rate in Hall County is 58 per 1,000; 25 per 1,000 in Merrick County; 24 per 1,000 in Hamilton County; and 18 per 1,000 in Howard County. The average rate of teen births in Nebraska is 33 per 1,000.
Circumstances that put young people “at risk” include:
— Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to become either victims or perpetrators as adults.
— Living in poverty means that by the age of 4, children will be exposed to 30 million fewer words.
— Children living in poverty have less access to play because parental focus is on day-to-day survival.
Rathke said she wants the Poverty Summit to build off the brainstorming done at the three September sessions.
“On the Poverty Summit, we want to take all those ideas and then craft a community plan that will help us have a road map that is going to guide us toward addressing childhood poverty,’ she said. The Poverty Summit is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 3.
Rathke said she wants individuals to think about how they can combat childhood poverty in their work, their volunteer efforts, their donated dollars and in their church or spiritual life. “How will I, in my touch points, be able to impact children and families in a stronger and more positive way?” she asked.
Rathke said the United Way board set an ambitious objective to reduce childhood poverty in Hall, Hamilton, Merrick and Howard counties, making that goal part of the United Way’s overall strategic plan.
“We’ve retooled our application and our funds distribution process, we’ve strengthened our relationships in our area communities, we’ve built some stronger networks in collecting and distributing food, and collecting and distributing holiday efforts,” she said. “So we’re trying to position ourselves to be more nimble and proactive in our work as a United Way.”
People who want more information on the September meetings may call (308) 382-2675. They may also use that telephone to RSVP for a meeting. On its website, the United Way has promised to release more information about the Poverty Summit as that November date draws closer.