Monday, June 25, 2007

Project Promise compels community to keep spotlight on poverty

from The Appleton Post Crescent

By Kara Patterson
Post-Crescent staff writer

Project Promise, a recent effort that spread awareness about Fox Cities poverty, has prompted the formation of small groups that are addressing specific issues affecting the community's poorest residents.

The four-month initiative ran from January through April and included a community book read, poverty simulations and diversity circles. So far it has inspired 13 teams with various goals centering around improving the quality of life for people in need.

"Project Promise wasn't intended to be a long-term initiative as much as a spark in the community," said Paula Morgen, co-leader of the ThedaCare-driven Community Health Action Team (CHAT), the main sponsor of Project Promise.

"It really brought the community together to think about, talk about and learn about poverty. You have hundreds of people who maybe weren't engaged in the poverty issue before, who now have found a place to get involved and to help with the cause."

Team projects include teaching gardening, harvesting and canning; mentoring current or former prisoners and their families; matching senior citizens with families who need life skills training; mobilizing faith communities to help with poverty initiatives; and working for more affordable public transportation.

One group that's interested in legislation affecting poverty is planning on partnering with a coalition leading Vision 2020, the state's recently launched plan to end childhood poverty by the year 2020.

The teams of volunteers are inviting others to join them who may not have attended Project Promise's action forum in April, when the teams formed.

Morgen said people by July 16 should contact the teams that interest them, so the teams can schedule meetings.

A full list of teams, their objectives and contact information is available at www.project promisefoxcities.org/page1/ ActionForum.htm.

Dr. John Mielke, a retired Appleton cardiologist who sits on the Appleton school board, is leading the team that hopes to create a money management curriculum for children.

"Any way you can educate the public about financial literacy, that's going to help poverty," Mielke said. "Ultimately, the idea is to get the (school) superintendents in the area together and ask them how we might embed (it) within the K-12 curriculum."

The Fox Cities is in the infant stages of fighting poverty, but the community is taking the right small steps, said Mielke, who co-leads CHAT with Morgen.

"People have been made aware that there is poverty, and it's real poverty, and it's not somebody's imagination," Mielke said.

"I think we've made progress there. That is the first step, people becoming concerned and investing their time, talent and resources to see if they can't make a difference."

Project Promise action teams

To get involved with an action team, contact the team leaders listed below.
# Developing ways to discern the needs of people in poverty. Contact: Nancy Heykes of the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, 920-882-4056, ext. 200 and nnheykes@msn.com.
# Building awareness of the resources available to help people in poverty. Contact: Jennifer Wanke of Limited Emergency Assistance Valley Ecumenical Network (LEAVEN), 920-738-9635 or leaven@new.rr.com.
# Teaching life skills through community gardening, harvesting and canning. Contact: Susan Richardson at 920-832-5119 or susan.Richardson@ces.uwex.edu.
# Tapping senior citizens to mentor families in poverty. Contact: Kathie Gribble at St. Bernard Parish, 920-738-9372 or kathg109@aol.com.
# Providing daycare support for adult students in poverty pursuing higher education. Contact: Christopher Matheny of Fox Valley Technical College, matheny@fvtc.edu.
# Working with the Fox Valley Housing Coalition to develop local recommendations and plans for affordable housing. Contact: Debra Cronmiller of the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, 920-882-0346 or debracronmiller@new.rr.com.
# Researching divorce law and creating suggestions for legislative reform. Contact: Ray Durkee at 920-727-0904 or mrdgo@aol.com.
# Developing money management education programs for children. Contact: Dr. John Mielke at 920-716-0845 or jemielke@new.rr.com.
# Educating employers to help their employees maximize income potential. Contact: Alan Prahl of Financial Information & Service Center (FISC), 920-886-1000.
# Mobilizing faith communities to support local poverty efforts. Contact: The Rev. Roger Bertschausen of Common Ground, 920-731-0849 or fvuufmin@new.rr.com.
# Finding ways to make Valley Transit public transportation more affordable. Contact: Kathy Fenner at 920-969-1510 or kfenner@yahoo.com.
# Ministering to current and former prisoners and their families. Contact: Karen Rickert of St. Thomas More Parish at 920-738-6697 or jkrickert@hotmail.com.
# Joining with Vision 2020 to work toward ending childhood poverty in Wisconsin by the year 2020. Contact: Vicky Selkowe of the Wisconsin Council on Children & Families, vselkowe@wddf.org.
On the Web: www.projectpromisefoxcities.org/page1/ActionForum.htm

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