Turning The Tide

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Julia Cain

Yesterday, the 2012 International AIDS Conference (“Turning the Tide Together”) began here in DC. According to the International AIDS Society, the Conference is:

… the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward. […]

By acting decisively on recent scientific advances in HIV treatment and biomedical prevention, the momentum for a cure, and the continuing evidence of the ability to scale-up key interventions in the most-needed settings, we now have the potential to end the HIV epidemic.

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In The News …

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Julia Cain

DC hasn’t reached universal pre-K (Greater Greater Washington): “Just a few years after setting a goal of “universal” pre-kindergarten, DC education officials claim they reached it. But many parents are still getting turned away at their local schools. Do we really have universal pre-K? Local auditors and independent reports conclude that the answer is no. The problem is worst east of the Anacostia, but reaches all wards,” write Celine Tobal and Ken Archer. The audit finds that at least 50% of Pre-K programs in all Wards have waiting lists; Ward 5 is the lowest with 52%, while Wards 1 and 3 are around 88%. Wards 2 and 7’s current programs are both well over 100% capacity too.

75% of Young Adults Gave to Charity Last Year, Study Finds (Chronicle of Philanthropy): “… a new survey of more than 6,500 people ages 20 to 35 shows they are inclined to give and are more than willing to ask their friends and relatives to do the same when they feel passionately about a cause.” About 75% of those surveyed gave to a charity last year and 63% volunteered with a nonprofit in that time; the vast majority of those did their giving online. “What we found is that there is a continuum of involvement that starts with communicating, then moves on to volunteering and leadership roles,” says Angela White, chief executive of Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates. […] “They want real responsibilities and an opportunity to put their skills and expertise to work.”

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Tenant Profile

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Spur Local

By Housing Unlimited, Silver Spring, MD

Steve Lindstrom, 47 years old, born in Los Angeles California, moved to the Montgomery County area at age 5.

Lindstrom’s therapist helped him apply to Housing Unlimited, and shortly thereafter he received the call. “Life before HUI to life now has been a big change. Before I was living in a program-type of environment, and to live independently has been very positive.” With his family close by, Lindstrom has been living in his particular Housing Unlimited home for close to two years.

He expresses gratitude for his kind housemates, and his comfortable living accommodations. In this quiet Germantown neighborhood, Lindstrom thrives in his independent living situation. “I have been working on some goals of mine … I have been able to overcome a lot of obstacles, working on being the person I want to be … I have been able to quit smoking because I feel so comfortable here. Just before I quit, I sat right here, and I looked at my surroundings and I decided, I could handle it, I am in a safe place, and I was able to quit.”

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In The News …

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Julia Cain

Objections to Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (WAMU: Diane Rehm Show): “The widely praised Violence Against Women Act faces a tough reauthorization battle. Though introduced in a bipartisan way, it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote with all the Democrats voting to move it to the full Senate and all the Republicans voting against.” Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, explains that the bill “as passed out of the Senate committee, recognizes the LGBT community [and] immigrant women who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse;” but the bill does not include a “mandate for holding batterers accountable” or a reparations provision. 17 Catalogue nonprofits, including the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, focus particularly on girls and women and women; learn more right here.

President Obama’s Budget Request for the NEA: The Fine Print (Americans for the Arts blog): “We learned early that morning that President Obama is proposing an increase of $8 million (from $146M to $154M) for the NEA, which was a very positive start. In the past two years, NEA funding has dropped almost $22M and has yet to recover from the enormous cuts from its high of $176M in 1992. In particular, the budget of the Our Town program, which rewarded over half of its grants to communities of less than 200,000 in 2011, would increase from $5 million to $10 million. Two months ago, the NEA also announced Operation Homecoming, a partnership with the Department of Defense that will host “a new series of writing workshops for returning troops at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.”

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A New Design?

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Julia Cain

From “Designing a Fix for Housing” in the NY Times Opinion Pages:

Recent efforts to fix the housing market — including Thursday’s $26 billion settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks — have focused purely on the financial aspects of the slump. A permanent solution, however, must go further than money to address issues that have been at the core of the crisis but have been wholly ignored: design and urban planning.

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In The News …

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Julia Cain

Why Kids Drop Out: Identifying The Early Warning Signs (WAMU): “New graduation numbers to be released this month are expected to show that just more than half of public school students in the District actually graduate high school in four years. Students don’t drop out of school for any one reason. It’s usually a complicated mix, including individual traits, home life as well as school and neighborhood characteristics. But many researchers believe children exhibit clear warning signs early on that can help identify those at risk of dropping out. This report focuses on Turner Elementary School in Southeast, whose graduates attend a middle and high school “where approximately 20 percent of students can read and do math at grade level.” Attendance is the most critical challenge, as nearly 20 percent of DCPS students “had more than two weeks of unexcused absences last year.” To learn more about Catalogue education enrichment nonprofits, head this way.

Study: Child Abuse Affects More US Kids than SIDS (TIME): “When it comes to child abuse, the first year of life is the most dangerous for children. Although SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, attracts far more attention, the rate of hospital admissions related to SIDS is actually lower than the rate of child abuse — 50 per 100,000 children under age 1 for SIDS, compared with 58.2 per 100,000 births. […] Researchers at Yale University found that abuse landed 4,569 children under 18 in the hospital in 2006; 300 of them died.” Locally, SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia and Alternative House are working for safe, permanent homes for children in need.

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Moving Outward

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Julia Cain

From “The Suburbanization of Housing Choice Voucher Recipients,” published by The Brookings Institution on October 11, 2011:

Just as the suburbanization of poverty has gathered momentum, Americans who use housing choice vouchers (HCV) to help pay for their housing have increasingly moved into suburban areas as well.

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Pictures for the Day

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Julia Cain

Let’s catch a glimpse into this past summer at … The Reading Connection, which opens up the world of books to at-risk families by bringing literacy services and programs into emergency shelters, domestic violence safe houses, long-term shelters, and transitional housing.

TRC’s We Are Readers aims to conquer “summer slump,” the well documented phenomenon wherein low-income children lose as much as 2.6 months of reading skill over the summer. High school soccer players, a zookeeper from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, author Mary Quattlebaum, firefighters, a chef and police officers all visited during the summer and read aloud with the kids.

The awesome results? 46 children read a total of 13,775 minutes, or about 300 minutes per child. Check it out!

In The News …

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Julia Cain

Tufts U. Soothes the Financial Sting for Graduates Taking Nonprofit Jobs (Chronicle of Higher Education): “Tufts University is [now] offering loan-repayment assistance to alumni of any of its undergraduate or graduate schools, or professional-degree programs, if they take on public-service or nonprofit careers […] Based on their need and income, alumni can receive grants of $500 to $5,000 each year to use toward paying off student-loan balances.” Pretty cool! In addition to financial incentives, what other assistance could universities offer to enable and encourage graduates to try a non-profit career? Continue reading →

7 Questions – Sveta Wilkson (Horton's Kids)

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Julia Cain

Let’s welcome to “7 cialis soft tavs Questions” … Sveta Wilkson, Development Coordinator of Horton’s Kids, which has served as a second family to over 1,500 children from the Ward 8 housing projects for two decades. Also … we are sending many Catalogue cheers to Horton’s Kids for receiving the 2011 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management just last night!

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

Earlier this month, we hosted our third annual Home Runs for Horton’s Kids fundraiser at Nationals Park. Guests got the chance to bat on the field with Nationals staff, take pictures with Screech, bid in a silent auction, and just have tons of fun at this private event at the ballpark. Children also raced Teddy, one of the Nationals Presidents mascots. Our Board of Directors and many generous corporate sponsors helped make this event a success and raised a 1/3 of this year’s operating budget.

2. What else are you up to?

Horton’s Kids is wrapping up our tutoring program for the school year and gearing up for summer. Every year, we have a six-week, literacy-focused summer camp for the younger children. I’m looking forward to helping out our education staff and attending field trips like exploring local museums and swimming at the pool.

The application process for the for the 2011 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management also helped us take a big picture look at all of our management practices, and I am looking forward to hearing other nonprofit leaders speak about what has worked for them.

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