As a boy, Bill Strickland was turned onto art. An art teacher inspired him to use art as a way out of poverty. He has since returned that favor to hundreds, by building an Arts and Cultural center in Pittsburgh. He has helped to develop similar institutions in other inner cities.Bill Strickland recently spoke in our home state of Michigan. Alex Nixon of the Kalamazoo Gazette caught the speech."I suffer from a form of depression," Strickland said. "So I'm up at three in the morning watching CNN and see all these children in Africa with flies around them ... or the children standing outside homeless shelters at Christmas time with no hope. And I can't block out the images. Which I suspect is a condition the president-elect of the United States might share with me."Strickland, a seemingly...
Yesterday, we told you about the food stamp awareness scheme here in Michigan. Our Governor along with automotive executives have pledged to live on a budget of food stamps this week. Instead of doing their usual shopping, 300 people have pledged to limit their food budget to only what food stamps can provide. It isn't much, only about $5.80 a day.Here's is a quote from Governor Jennifer Granholm on how she is doing. We found this from Google's AFP news feed. "It's my second day on 5.87 dollars a day," Ahmed told AFP by telephone. "I've already calculated that I'll be out of bread by Thursday."...
This ought to be good. Again, showing my bias to stories in my home state. Here is one I found about our governor and executives from the big 3 American automakers. They have pledged to limit their grocery bills to only what you can afford to buy on Food stamps.Good Luck! In Michigan food stamps only get you $5.70 worth of food a day. I was unable to find any actual quotes or stories about automotive executives coming to the realization that they would have to live on ramen noodles or anything. But found this from the Traverse City Record Eagle about one who volunteered for the challenge. Lindsay Vanhulle introduces us to her.Valerie Shultz hasn't yet planned how she will prepare food next week for her family of three.She'll only have about $30 a person to spend on five days' worth of...
from the Galveston Daily News While most states had steady poverty rates, the news wasn't good for our home state of Michigan. - KaleBy JOHN FLESHER TRAVERSE CITY -- Government data painted a bleak economic picture for Michigan, where the auto industry's downward plunge has rippled across the state.Michigan was the only state where poverty rose last year, as well as the only one where incomes fell, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released Tuesday that illustrate the uniqueness of the state's economic swoon."It's really a depressing picture," said Amy Rynell, director of the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty, an advocacy group based in Chicago.Michigan's poverty rate was 14 percent, up from 13.5 percent in 2006 and more than a full percentage point above the...
from the Grand Rapids Press Sea to Sea is traveling through my home state. So youknow I had to put a mention of it on here. - KaleBy Paul KopenkoskeyPLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP -- Etched in Bill Dracht's memory is the quadruple heart bypass surgery he endured 20 years ago.Surviving the operation is a clear signal to the 70-year-old that God did not want him to fritter away his retirement years with self-centered pursuits.He said that's the reason he joined the Christian Reformed Church-sponsored Sea to Sea Bike Tour.Plus, it's a chance to dispel the notion that white-haired people are old fogies whose best years are behind them, said Dracht, a retired general contractor who lives in Missaukee County."It really hit me how God has blessed me," said Dracht. "I never dreamed I would do something...
from the Muskegon Chronicle By Susan Harrison Wolffisor years, Jeannette Walls carried a secret, buried deep in her heart, hidden from view.To the outside world, she was a highly successful journalist who wrote for the New York Magazine, Esquire and USA Today. She had her own column on MSNBC.com and was a regular guest on The Today Show, CNN and PrimeTimeLive.Tall, elegant, television thin, she was a striking figure, someone who stood out from the rest of the Park Avenue crowd where she lived and worked in New York City.But she had a secret she didn't dare tell.Walls grew up mired in abject poverty, always hungry, her family usually a half-step ahead of the bill collectors -- and if they did have a roof over their collective heads, the house never had running water, a working bathroom or...
from the Detroit Free Press BY L.L. BRASIERMore Michigan children are living in poverty, and more of the state's kids are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes than most other states.That news is part of today's KIDS COUNT report, an annual state-by-state survey of the well-being of children ages 10 to 15 measuring things such as poverty, education, birth rates, death rates and pregnancies. There was good news too, though. Fewer teens are dying, and fewer are having babies than the national average.Michigan again placed 27th nationwide for its overall treatment of children.Among the most alarming trends: Michigan continues to incarcerate kids at a much higher rate than the national average and often for nonviolent crimes.There are 137 children per 100,000 in some sort of state facility or...
from the Chicago TribuneThe number of Michigan households getting food stamps has risen 53 percent in the past five years, with one in eight state residents now aided by the nutrition assistance program, authorities say.In all, 590,600 state households got food stamps in March, the Michigan Department of Human Services says. The households include 1.26 million people, or 12.5 percent of the state's 10.07 million residents.Nationwide, 27.7 million people received food stamps in January -- or 9.2 percent of the nation's 300 million people.Michigan's economic distress is more widespread than in past recessions, said Gerry Brisson, vice president for development at Gleaners Food Bank. The group supplies 400 food aid agencies."The big difference now is the number of people in suburbs who are...
from The Detroit Free Press Government help up 53% since '03BY CHRIS CHRISTOFFMike Remenar never thought he'd rely on food stamps and Medicaid to help support his family in comfortable Grosse Pointe Woods.He hasn't found suitable work since losing his job 10 months ago as an auto parts designer. He depleted his unemployment benefits and savings, struggles under a $1,400 monthly mortgage, and the travel agency he and his wife operate at home won't pay the bills."In the past 10 years, I've been laid off a number of times, but never this long," said Remenar, 60. "Especially living in this community, to be in this position is a bit awkward."Remenar's unexpected dive into public assistance is a testament to the depth of stagnation for Michigan's economy. A record number of Michiganders are...
from the Livingston Press Argus By Alison BergsiekerIt's likely that 17-year-old Kevin Norman's parents would not be pleased if they heard their son was gallivanting in the middle of Main Street traffic on Saturday afternoon.But Norman, a receiver and kicker for the Brighton High School varsity football team, wasn't horsing around at all — he and other team members were collecting drive-by donations during the sixth annual Fill the Gazebo Food Drive in downtown Brighton at the Mill Pond gazebo.The event benefits Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, which distributes 25 million pounds of food annually to needy families."We're hoping more fans will come out to our games," Norman said. "I'm working up a sweat here. I'm losing weight."By 2 p.m., a large semi-truck was...
from the Livingston Daily Press and ArgusBy Alison BergsiekerWith a median household income of $70,000, almost 40 percent above the state average, Livingston County residents appear to be pretty well off.But below the surface are the more striking statistics: Poverty is an increasing issue around the county.In an effort to get the word out, the Livingston County United Way is hosting a Bridges Out of Poverty two-day conference next week, welcoming social service providers, business leaders and the public to better understand and meet the needs of area people living in poverty."There is a perception that people in this community are well off and don't have problems," United Way Executive Director Nancy Rosso said. "Well that couldn't be further from the truth."The conference will feature...
from the Detroit Free PressMany rate quality good, poll findsBY JOHN GALLAGHERLike many metro Detroiters, Dyan Lacey digs a little deeper each year to pay medical bills that her insurance plan no longer covers.Advertisement"Our co-pays are going up and some of the coverages are taken away," Lacey, 35, a worker at General Motors' Pontiac Assembly plant, said last week.She understands that as a UAW member, she enjoys first-rate health care. But with three children and retired in-laws for whom she helps pay for medication, Lacey is more worried than she used to be."I'm OK with paying a higher co-pay rather than not having insurance at all," the Detroit resident said. "At the same time, I'm a little nervous with the changes."Nervous describes the attitude of a majority of metro Detroiters as...
from M Liveby Matt Vande Bunte | The Grand Rapids PressCASCADE TOWNSHIP -- Plastic pellets, heated to 450 degrees, shot into a 1,760-ton press. After cooling for a minute, out dropped a bucket.A plastic filter made at Cascade Engineering Inc. may be just a drop in the bucket for the world's 1.1 billion people lacking clean water. But local backers say it is poised to make a big splash in global health and the local economy."We're on the verge of this just going gangbusters," said Robert Goodwin, chief operating officer of Spring Lake-based International Aid.Saturday is the United Nations' World Water Day, and a pair of local ventures merging business and faith-based aid are playing a role.In partnership with Cascade Engineering, International Aid is raising money to place HydrAid bio-sand...
from M LiveThe state Senate has voted to make Michigan the first state in the nation to issue food stamps twice a month.Supporters say the bill would make fresh food more available throughout the month and help grocery stores with their inventory.Michigan's 1.2 million food stamp recipients have their benefits added to a debit card once a month, early in the month. That causes a rush to grocery The bill passed the Senate on a 35-2 vote Wednesday and was sent to the House, where similar legislation is pending.The state is surveying food stamp recipients to find out how a switch would affect them.A potential obstacle is Congress, which is negotiating a farm bill that could ban states from changing food stamp distribution from once a month. The food stamp bills are House Bill 4923 and Senate...
from WILXMichigan could become the first state in the nation to issue food stamps twice a month, making fresh produce and meat more available and giving grocery workers steadier hours.The state's 1.2 million food stamp recipients -- the highest number ever -- now have their benefits added to a debit card within the first 10 days of the month. They then spend those dollars early in the month, typically in poorer, urban areas where residents may have limited transportation.Each recipient gets an average $88 a month.Retailers say the once-a-month assistance is spent early and usually all at once, causing them problems with staffing, cash flow and inventory. Advocates for the poor say food stamp recipients aren't buying enough healthy, fresh food throughout the month.Legislation that would...
from The Grand Rapids PressBy Beth LoechlerThe Grand Rapids PressEvery day, DeeDee Johnson is reminded she is a child of poverty.Her mother, stepfather and two little brothers sold or packed up what they owned and moved to Washington state in September in search of opportunity and a decent paycheck. They left 10-year-old DeeDee in the care of Sandy Pelkey, a woman she calls "grandma," so she could continue in school and have a roof over her head."It's very depressing. I feel like I'm being torn two ways," said DeeDee, a fifth-grader at Huntington Woods Elementary in Wyoming.But she talks to her mom most every day, receiving promises that they'll be reunited soon."She's a good student, but I see her struggling, mostly with her emotions," said Pelkey, a 52-year-old daycare provider and...
from The Grand Rapids PressPosted by Beth Loechler At least one in three students -- 51,500 children -- at traditional public schools in Kent and Ottawa counties are poor. In Grand Rapids and Kelloggsville schools, four of every five live in poverty, according to federal statistics on students who get free or reduced-price school lunches.Every day, DeeDee Johnson is reminded she is one of them.Her mother, stepfather and two little brothers sold or packed up what they owned and moved to Washington state in September in search of opportunity and a decent paycheck. They left 10-year-old DeeDee in the care of Sandy Pelkey, a woman she calls "grandma," so she could continue in school and have a roof over her head."It's very depressing. I feel like I'm being torn two ways," said DeeDee, a...
from MLiveFROM LOCAL REPORTSSarah Rinsema-Sybenga, who works with the impoverished, brings a unique perspective to the vision of overcoming poverty.So does her husband, Dan Rinsema-Sybenga, who has been pouring his efforts into economic development in downtown Muskegon. Both are featured speakers at the upcoming annual dinner and meeting for Muskegon County Cooperating Churches, which will be held Jan. 28 at Bethesda Baptist Church, 575 Getty.Gathering time for the event begins at 6 p.m., with meal time at 6:30 p.m.The annual dinner and meeting is a fundraiser for the work of the Muskegon County Cooperating Churches for the coming year. It is also a business meeting for the ecumenical organization, in which member congregations have the chance to vote on the 2008 budget and select a slate...
from the Traverse City Record-EagleBY MARTA HEPLER DRAHOSmdrahos@record-eagle.comHARBOR SPRINGS -- Hillary Rodham Clinton may have made the old African proverb famous, but Kate Bassett and Copland Rudolph have always known that it takes a village to raise a child.Believing that children can thrive only if their families do, and if the whole of society cares enough to provide for them, the Harbor Springs friends home school their four children together and sponsor six more children in Africa, Sri Lanka and Honduras through the Christian Children's Fund. And when Rudolph got an unsolicited calendar in the mail a few years ago from an international group called Mothers Acting Up, they were immediately drawn to its mission of action on behalf of children everywhere."We believe that beyond our...
from M LiveBY CEDRIC RICKSKALAMAZOO -- Rose McKenney doesn't work anymore.She is 74, has arthritis and struggles to make ends meet on Social Security and a pension that amounts to $500 a year.McKenney, a Kalamazoo resident, said almost half her income goes to pay the mortgage on her house and that the state would offer her only $10 a month in food stamps. She also has co-pays to make on medications.``I'm on a tight budget. I have nothing left at the end of the month,'' McKenney said. ``I can't even go to bingo or nothing with my friends, I don't have the money. I can't buy clothes; I don't have the money.''She was one of several speakers Thursday night who attended a community forum on poverty and asked state officials to help people struggling to make ends meet. About 100 people came to...
from The Daily Press and ArgusBy Chris AndrewsGANNETT NEWS SERVICEBarry Henderson never imagined the course his life would take when he accepted a job as a human resources director in Lansing six years ago."I was a professional person all my life, and I was making $80,000 a year, and then I got sick," he said. "I wasn't prepared for that."Henderson, who has lupus, has undergone multiple surgeries, is homebound and unable to work. He depends on Social Security and food assistance to get by.He is among the growing number of Michigan residents living in poverty. A new report by the Michigan League for Human Services says that 13.3 percent of Michigan residents - or 1.3 million - were in poverty in 2006, up from 9.4 percent five years earlier."The Changing Face of Poverty in Michigan" report...
from Traverse City Record Eagle By Lindsay VanHullelvanhulle@record-eagle.comTRAVERSE CITY -- Children in northwest Lower Michigan increasingly lived in poverty during the first half of this decade, new state health data show.The 13 counties in the Record-Eagle's coverage area all posted increases in the number of children from birth to 17 years of age who lived at or below the poverty level from 2000 to 2004, according to the 2007 Kids Count in Michigan Data Book.The data, to be released today, show gains still are needed to improve children's well-being across the state.The annual survey, conducted by the nonprofit Michigan League for Human Services, compares Michigan's data to a set of national benchmarks established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Regional...
from The Flint JournalPosted by Shantell M. Kirkendoll GENESEE COUNTY -- Tough times in Genesee County are having a huge impact on children, who are increasingly living in poverty and signing up for free meals, according to an annual report.The newest findings in Kids Count in Michigan, a report on the well-being of children from their health to how they do in school, points to some gains in local children's math skills, but by and large shows a grim picture of what life is like at home.About 26,000 children age 17 and under lived in poverty in 2006, a 22 percent jump since 2000, and 35,199 get free or reduced-cost lunch. To qualify for the meal program, a family of three must make no more than $31,000 a year. Living in poverty may literally be tearing families apart. In 2006, slightly...
from The Macomb DailyAccess to prenatal care also decreases; middle class losing groundBy Maryanne Kocis MacLeodMacomb Daily Staff WriterMore than one in 10 children in Macomb County, or 10.7 percent, lives in poverty, up 45 percent from 2000, according to a report released today by Kids Count in Michigan. Macomb ranked sixth-best of Michigan's 83 counties.Statewide, 18 percent of children live below the poverty rate, matching the national average, and placing Michigan at 27th overall. Nationally, 439,000 children lived in poverty as of 2004, compared to 354,000 in 2000."Child poverty is a tremendous concern in both Macomb County and the state, said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, a spokeswoman for the Michigan League for Human Services. "We've seen a huge erosion of economic stability; a lot more...
from the Detroit NewsEdward L. Cardenas / The Detroit NewsDETROIT -- The issues of poverty, race and inequality were discussed Saturday at Wayne State University during the reconvened Kerner Commission, which will examine poverty, race issues and how much progress has been made since American cities were engulfed in riots 40 years ago.About 100 community leaders, elected officials and residents filled the Wayne State University Law School auditorium to revisit the destructive riots of 1967, the affects of the programs instituted after the uprisings and the current state of the community."We thought back then in 1968 that the social statistics, which were getting better, would keep getting better. They didn't," said former Oklahoma Sen. Fred Harris, one of only two living members of the...
from The Lansing State JournalAgencies trying to keep pace as economy declinesNicole Geary and Susan VelaLansing State JournalAngie Janes' three children weren't supposed to live in poverty.But they ended up staying with friends and residing in hotels and shelters when their mother became homeless in 2005.Sarah, 16; Daniel, 14; and Isaiah, 12, now are staying with their father in Grand Rapids while their mother struggles to get back on her feet, working two jobs and staying at a Lansing shelter.Janes thinks they'll recover from the stress that comes with not knowing where their next meal will come from."We always had each other," she said.Poverty is threatening the future of thousands of Michigan children.Data from the 2007 Kids Count report, released today, show another year of dire...
from The Escanaba Daily PressBy Kim HoyumSCANABA — Only 40 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds whose families live below the poverty level are in daycare or preschool, noted a U.S. Census report, “A Child’s Day,” released in January. The percentages increase as family income rises, and the report suggests the reason is that wealthier families are better able to afford care.One major counterbalance to that statistical trend is the Head Start program, which is federally funded to get low-income preschoolers ready for kindergarten.“One of the challenges our program has is that if people make anything above poverty level, they’re not eligible,” said Kim Johnson, Head Start coordinator for the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency, which runs the area Head Start programs....
from The Gaylord Herald TimesBy James Martinez, Staff WriterOTSEGO COUNTY - Despite a decrease in county poverty from 1989 to 1999, officials believe rates are on the rise due to tough economic times.According to numbers from a county profile released by Michigan State University Extension in November, poverty rates for families and individuals both decreased from 1989 to 1999 (see sidebar)."What we need to remember is that was 1999, that was seven years ago. I think seven years ago things were looking good," said MSU Extension Director Phil Alexander, who expects poverty rates following the next census to be higher. Otsego Human Services coordinator Pete Amar agrees with Alexander's assessment and points to both recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau and traffic through local aid...
from WZZMMichigan's poor economy is being blamed for a rise child safety issues including healthcare and child abuse. The findings are from the most recent Kids Count in Michigan report which states among other issues, that two of every five children in Michigan live in poverty.In the city of Grand Rapids, there are 45,000 kids under the age of five; nearly 13% of them are living in families with a federal poverty income of just over $20,000 a year. Despite that fact, Candace Crowling with Kent County's Child and Family Resource Council says there are some positive statistics coming out of this latest statewide report, "I would be happy if any time we took action we asked ourselves is this good for children? And I think kids count gives us an opportunity to take that pause and do...