Unemployment hits single mothers, minority women hardest

A recent federal report demonstrated that single mothers and minority women have been hit hardest by recent unemployment. According to its report, unemployment for single mothers jumped to 13.4 percent in July from 12.1 percent in June and unemployment among African-American women climbed from 11.8 percent in June to 12.9 percent in July. In contrast, the national unemployment rate is 9.5 and the unemployment rate for black men dropped from 17.4 percent to 16.7 percent.

For Hispanic women, the unemployment rate rose from 1.1 percent to 12.1 percent in July while for Hispanic men the rate fell from 11.3 percent in June to 10.2 percent in July.

The condition of women could significantly worsen due to government cutbacks and a lack of resources made available by charities.

It's possible that the decline in the employment rate for men could be lower in July versus June because of seasonal jobs which require high amounts of manual labor. Even though women have a lower unemployment rate overall (with the exception being Hispanic women), they also on average earn less than men nationally and often have to raise families on their own.

One personal story was highlighted by the Grand Rapids Press:

Karrie Quay needs no reminder this economy is tough on single mothers.

Eight months ago, Quay took leave from her job as manager of a fast food chain near Flint to tend to her dying mother in Montcalm County.

Two months later, her employer informed her they could no longer hold the job open. Two months after that, her mother and "best friend" died from cancer after lapsing into a coma.

Quay, 27, got a job on a farm near Sparta. The 130-pound Quay earned anywhere from $20 to $50 a day pitching 70-pound hay bales onto a wagon. The mother to two was so sore the first week, "I could barely move."

But after wearing out her welcome at her sister's house and that of a friend, she was out of options. Earlier this month, she and her daughters, Ariana, 9, and Lillian, 6, moved into the family shelter at Mel Trotter Ministries.

"The only thing that keeps me going is my kids, and I told my mother I would never give up," Quay said.

Read the full article: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/08/unemployment_hits_single_mothe.html

Kalamazoo Literacy Council hires new director

The Kalamazoo Literacy Council has a full-time director whose goal is to strengthen adult literacy services in Kalamazoo County.

Michael Evans, 41, was named Director of Literacy Services earlier this month and is charged with bringing area adult literacy programs together to better coordinate services for adults wanting to learn how to read or improve their literacy skills. He also plans to raise awareness of adult literacy issues in the community and gather more support to this cause.

“I look forward to expanding the reach of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council in the community,” Evans said. “There are thousands of adults in the county who need help in improving their literacy skills to better prepare them for the workplace or to live more independently.”

The new position is the result of a collaboration between the Council and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Michigan to strengthen the adult literacy services provided in the area. The Council has also established an office in the Goodwill Industries building at 420 E. Alcott Street to provide a central location for its services and to coordinate activities with Goodwill’s Family Literacy Program. The collaboration is funded in part by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

“Hiring a director is the next step to broadening and improving literacy education for adults in Kalamazoo County,” Board President Paula Aldridge said. “We are confident that Michael will move the Council forward in its plans.”

Before coming to the Council, Evans worked for 14 years in the nonprofit sector in Battle Creek with several organizations including Community Inclusive Recreation, Summit Pointe, New Level Sports among others. He was Executive Director of Heritage Battle Creek and the Sojourner Truth Institute of Battle Creek and served on many statewide boards including the Michigan Humanities Council, the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission, and the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, he was a staff writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Western Michigan University where he majored in English and Communications.

The Kalamazoo Literacy Council has been helping adults learn to read since 1974. For more than 36 years it has operated as a volunteer organization, providing free tutor training in the Laubach Method, one-on-one services to adults, and literacy education materials.

Fulfilling the Council’s mission of having a fully literate community is more critical now than ever. In Kalamazoo County, over 31,000 people or 13% cannot read a simple story to a child, an intersection on a map, a prescription label, or total purchases from an order form. Additionally, children whose parents are functionally illiterate are twice as likely as their peers to be functionally illiterate. Helping adults improve their basic literacy skills has a direct and measurable impact on both the education and quality of life of their children. Moreover, for families to take full advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise or more confidently support their children’s education, they must be able to model reading and literacy in the home. Parent’s who value their own educational attainment make a great difference in their children’s success. That is why the Council is committed to quality literacy education to eliminate these problems and enhance the lives of adults through programs that increase reading, writing and spelling skills.

For more information about the Council, please call (269) 382-0490 EXT. 222 or visit the organization’s website at www.kalamazooliteracy.org.