Voices of Poverty on WINA

Two of our team members, Becky Weybright and Joe Hughes were guests of Coy Barefoot last week on WINA.

Listen to the interview about the Voices of Poverty project.

We're excited about the exposure the project has gained. In the last couple of weeks, we've been invited to share the project with the United Way board at their annual retreat and this week, we'll be discussing options for a statewide initiative for the project.

One of the wonderful aspects of producing a podcast project is the flexibility of a Web-based initiative; it can grow, add layers and expand to accomodate any number of poverty awareness programs -- anywhere. Charlottesville becomes the pilot and model for other communities seeking to raise awareness of the issues in their communities.

Shoot me an e-mail to learn more about the Voices of Poverty project.

Graduating from Leadership Charlottesville

Tomorrow's the big day. It's sad that we've come to the end of this journey, but exciting to be moving ahead with new friends, projects and possibilities. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in one place tomorrow. While many of us have gotten together, certainly with our project teams, it's been since November that the majority of us have had the opportunity to spend the day together.

We lost one member of our team -- Jimmy moved back to Miami toward the end of our project. I think most of the original 35 have made it to graduation and will be there for the ceremony.

Tomorrow's events include presentations of our projects to the class. It will be great to share Voices of Poverty with them in person. I'm also looking forward to hearing more about their projects, especially the First Mile project, a program developed for seventh graders in Charlottesville city schools, to get them running and setting goals. I was there the morning the First Mile project team came up with the idea. Their energy and excitement were infectious and it was fantastic to see them take off and "run" with it. Theirs is certainly a story of success.

People I know are starting to think about applying for the program -- some have already signed up -- partly from all my touting, but also because they know it's a great vehicle to learn more about Charlottesville and create connections among people in the community -- something I believe all leaders crave.

Voices of Poverty in C'ville Weekly

We received quite a bit of media coverage at the launch of www.voicesofpoverty.org

This week, we have a great mention in C'ville Weekly.

Have you listened to the voices yet?

Voices of Poverty to Launch Thursday

PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON POVERTY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
Voices of Poverty Program to Launch this Week

CHARLOTTESVILLE (April 24, 2007) – A program designed to draw attention to the problem of poverty in Charlottesville will launch at a press conference Thursday April 26 at 10 a.m. in the Madison Room at the Jefferson Madison Regional Library, 201 E. Market Street in Charlottesville. Called Voices of Poverty, the program is a series of podcasts – audio interviews broadcast online – with those living in poverty or working to help those living in poverty, in the greater Charlottesville area.

“The goal of this project is to humanize the 25 percent of our population living at or below the Federal Poverty Level right here in Charlottesville,” said Joe Hughes, captain, Charlottesville Fire Department and a spokesperson for the project. “We want to give that population a voice so our community might understand, identify with, take heed of and be inspired to make a difference.”
The podcast series, featuring interviews with a mother living in transitional housing, homeless individuals and others dependent on local resources to stay alive, as well as those working to solve the poverty problem, will be distributed via the Web site www.voicesofpoverty.org beginning April 26. The series will continue over the next four weeks, with new podcasts released every few days. Thursday’s conference will highlight the premiere of the podcast series and provide an opportunity to discuss Charlottesville’s poverty issues with participants in the program.

“The Voices of Poverty project helps bring awareness to the fact that there are many impoverished people living in our community and there are many ways we can help,” said Shaele Wood, volunteer center director at United Way – Thomas Jefferson Area. “Through volunteerism, we believe we can all make Charlottesville a better place to live – for everyone.”
The project team partnered with United Way’s Volunteer Center, which provides opportunities for individuals and groups throughout the Charlottesville area to lend a hand in time, talent and labor. Visit www.BeAVolunteer.info for volunteering resources in Charlottesville.

The project was developed by a team from the 2006 class of Leadership Charlottesville, a civic and community-building program offered by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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