Thursday, July 26, 2007

HEALTHY FAMILIES
Compassion Sunday/Sabbath provides hope to uninsured children
With the House and Senate set to vote on children's health bills next week, PICO congregations in more than 50 cities across the country are holding Compassion Sunday/Sabbath events this weekend to encourage people of faith to make their voices heard on the moral imperative to cover uninsured children. PICO has set up a toll free number (877) 367-5235 for people to call their Members of Congress to support a strong Reauthorization of the successful State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Read more>>

States make progress on children's health
As Washington debates the future of SCHIP, PICO federations are winning state policy changes to cover uninsured children. PICO federations in Florida, Colorado, Alaska and Missouri all helped win legislation and regulatory changes this spring to reduce the number of uninsured children in their states. Read more>>

PICO California affiliates hold health care forums across state
PICO affiliates in California will hold 19 town hall meetings across the state in July and August to press for health care reform, beginning with coverage for all children. Read more>>

PBS NewsHour features PICO's Cover all Children Campaign
In an indepth report on children's health and the SCHIP program PBS NewHour highlighted the work of PICO affiliate Communities Creating Opportunity in Kansas City and PICO's national Cover all Children campaign. Watch now>>

NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION
Youth, residents lead fight to revitalize Richmond, CA
Richmond City Council unanimously passed a revitalization agenda crafted by Contra Costa Interfaith Sponsoring Community Organization. The city will provide $1.2 million in new funding for year-round youth recreation programs; begin a new Blight Abatement program for the Iron Triangle neighborhood; and change city policy to increase policing resources in high crime areas.  Read more>>

Rochester makes progress on neighborhood and regional revitalization agenda
Interfaith Action won commitments from Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy to continue a successful Foot Patrol Initiative, invest city funding in a $450,000 revitalization of a city park and continue to work to create a Neighborhood Housing Trust Fund as part of the organization’s RochesterOneMonroe agenda. Read more>>

VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Massachusetts wins new state funding for violence prevention
PICO’s state network, Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN) helped pass a new $2 million pilot program on youth violence prevention, which supplements an $11 million violence prevention appropriation MCAN helped pass in May. Read more>>

Oakland presses for best practices in violence prevention
Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) is pressing city officials to adopt a comprehensive homicide violence prevention strategy, based in part on successful gang intervention strategy used by Boston to reach out to at-risk youth and link them to services, mentors and jobs. Read more>>

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
San Diego works to reverse drop out pattern
San Diego Organizing Project won commitments from School District leaders to a plan to dramatically raise graduation rates and increase the number of African American and Latino students who are college bound after graduation. Read more>>

HOUSING
Congregations press University of Vermont to build affordable housing
More than 200 people from Vermont Interfaith Action gathered at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington to press the University of Vermont to create more affordable housing for lower wage university employees. Read more>>

Families press for affordable housing opportunities in Orange County, CA
Orange County Congregation Community Organization gathered 500 people to press the City of Anaheim to include low-cost housing in a large-scale home development being planned near Angel Stadium. Read more>>

Renters demand better housing in Los Angeles
More than one thousand people attended a town hall meeting organized by LA Voice to press city officials to respond to a housing crisis facing renters in Los Angeles. Read more>>

San Mateo, CA mayor agrees to affordable housing policy changes
Peninsula Interfaith Action won an agreement from San Mateo Mayor Jack Matthews to strengthen the city's Below Market Rate housing program to expand the number of low-income housing units and reduce the price of units to be more affordable to low-income workers. Read more>>

IMMIGRANT ORGANIZING
Faith leaders, families and mayors speak out against ICE raids
Clergy, families and local mayors from PICO federations in California, Colorado and Massachusetts traveled to Washington, DC in May to deliver a statement signed by 350 clergy in 37 states asking the Bush Administration to halt mass immigration raids. Read more>>

Churches lead citizenship movement in Los Angeles
In partnership with Univisión, LA Voice has organized citizenship events that are attracting thousands of people who want to become U.S. Citizens. The goal of the Univisión campaign is to urge the one million eligible legal permanent residents in Southern California to become citizens. Read more>>

PICO NEWS
PICO announces new fund for the development of community organizers
The Robert M. Holstein, Jr. Fund for the Development of Community Organizers will enable PICO to continue our network’s rapid growth by strengthening our efforts to recruit, train, and develop professional community organizers. PICO created the fund in honor of the late Robert M. Holstein, Jr. a former Board Member and long-time friend of PICO. Contributions to the Holstein Fund will be used to create a national recruitment program focused on attracting and retaining African-American, Latino and Asian organizers and directors in PICO; to provide organizers with greater professional development opportunities to promote retention; and to support an innovative new training institute for new executive directors in the PICO network. PICO encourages you to make a tax deductible contribution to the Robert M. Holstein, Jr. Fund for the Development of Organizers, by sending a check to PICO, 171 Santa Rosa Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610 or by giving online. For more information contact Steve Klink at sklink@piconetwork.org.

JOBS
PICO federations in cities across the nation have job openings.  Visit www.piconetwork.org/ab_careers.html to see current jobs and learn more about working in the PICO network.

PICO needs your financial support
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