KIDS COUNT Press Conference aims to shine light on the local impact of poverty on children

On Monday, January 11th at 11am, the Poverty Reduction Initiative will host its annual Press Conference highlighting the KIDS COUNT Data in the context with child poverty issues in Kalamazoo. The conference will take place in the board room of the Kalamazoo United Way, located at 709 South Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-6003.

The conference includes the release of the KIDS COUNT Michigan Data book 2009, which is officially embargoed until Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 2:00am. The event will provide clarity and insight through multiple speakers on the topic of poverty’s affect on children.

KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the report releases annual data which focuses on the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children.

Childhood poverty, abuse and neglect continue to rise in Michigan, but child deaths are down dramatically since the start of the decade, the latest Kids Count report finds.

“The data certainly show a mix of trends both good and bad,’’ said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, a senior research associate at the Michigan League for Human Services and director of the Kids Count in Michigan project. “Michigan’s unemployment and declining family income take a toll on kids’ lives, but we are seeing improvements in some areas of health and education.’’

Childhood poverty jumped 6 percent between 2005 and 2007, with nearly one in every five children in Michigan living in poverty. The number of students receiving free or reduced-priced lunches rose 14 percent between 2006 and 2008—more than two of every five public school K-12 students now participate in the School Lunch Program at free or reduced prices.

For more information about the event, please contact Initiative Kevin Lignell at the Poverty Reduction Initiative by phone (269) 387-2678 or email klignell@haltpoverty.org.

Kellogg Foundation increases local giving

While most organizations and foundations have cut back their funding due to the severity of economic times, the Kellogg Foundation is approaching the depressed economy in a different way. With the economy in Battle Creek suffering, Kellogg has actually increased its rate of giving to local projects without subtracting its giving globally.

From the Battle Creek Enquirer:

"When you look at the economy and the tough times now that communities are having; to still meet the needs of vulnerable children and families -- we couldn't walk away from that," said Reggie LaGrand, director of greater Battle Creek programming.

The foundation's annual contributions to the area usually total about $8 million to $10 million, LaGrand said. But in the past two years it has given almost twice that amount because of a unique initiative to revitalize downtown Battle Creek.

The philanthropic organization gave slightly less than $16 million to its founder's hometown in the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, up from $15 million the previous year, according to its 2009 annual report.

The increase of about $8 million went to a downtown transformation project, which includes the creation of a National Center for Food Protection and an International Food Protection Training Institute, LaGrand said. The Kellogg Foundation has committed $35 million over five years for the project.

The other half of last year's funding went to programs promoting the health, education and economic security of vulnerable children, while promoting civic engagement and racial equity.

I wish more organizations would see the benefit of increased giving during times of struggle. Often do we see that when the financial loss is higher, there is less and less to give to those in need.

Read the full article:

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100107/NEWS01/1070316/1002/NEWS01/Kellogg-Foundation-increases-local-giving