YPC Member Jamison Brown, YouthServe Board President Elizabeth Goodrich, YPC Member Shanna Liu, APP ED Kristina Scott, YPC Member Caleb Weaver and YouthServe ED Lauren Banks at the YPC grant presentation on Tuesday, May 8.

One of the unique qualities of our Blueprints College Access Initiative is that it is youth-driven.  Nicole Bohannon started the program while a freshman at the University of Alabama, college students deliver services as “near peer” Blueprints mentors, and our program staff serves as “near peer” mentors for both the mentors and the high school students.

It is also youth-funded.  On Tuesday night, the YouthServe Youth Philanthropy Council made a $14,720 grant to Blueprints.

The Youth Philanthropy Council involves young people, ages 15-18, in the learning and giving aspects of philanthropy.  Thanks to the generous support of the Joseph S. Bruno Foundation, the youth have $20,000 which they can use to financially support local nonprofits.

These young philanthropists wrote their own RFP and reviewed the submitted grants.  They did site visits, and were full of interesting questions.  Then they debated which applicants should receive funding.

The Southern Region State Farm Youth Advisory Board previously awarded a $10,000 grant to Blueprints.

YPC Member Shanna Liu, a senior at Vestavia Hills High School who will attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, presented the check to us.  She did an incredible job explaining why Blueprints was a good fit for their giving goals.  I asked Shanna to share her remarks, and here they are:

Good evening everyone and thank you for coming to this award ceremony. Tonight, the Youth Philanthropy Council has the privilege of recognizing an extremely deserving organization that not only seeks to improve the Birmingham area but also strives toward bettering humanity.

In 1993, a group of citizens concerned with the level of poverty in Alabama created the Alabama Poverty Project in order to reduce what has descended the state to the third poorest in America. Their mission is to provide leadership in education in order to eliminate poverty. In an effort to accomplish their mission, APP has created the Blueprints College Access Initiative, which is a direct service-learning experience for low-income high school students, giving them the opportunity to receive college access counseling and mentoring from college students. Through Blueprints, students learn about important aspects of the college application process, such as financial aid, career and college options, and interview and resume skills. The Initiative has also assisted students in raising ACT scores by 2 to 3 points, providing results similar to that of nationally recognized preparation programs like Princeton Review and Kaplan. Additionally, students have the opportunity to build relationships with actual colleges, as Blueprints connects high schools with universities and conducts campus tours for the participants. Examples of such significant partnerships include Holt High School with the University of Alabama, Francis Marion High School with Alabama State University, and Woodlawn High School with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

YPC chose to award the grant to the Blueprints program because not only does it significantly meet all three of our grant-giving criteria – education, elimination of poverty, and focus on youth – but it also fulfills the underlying purpose our entire council: philanthropy. Philanthropy is the active action towards achieving a positive goal, and Ms. Kristina Scott and all of Blueprints’ staff has done everything in their ability to bring that goal into fruition. They are not only driven by their desire for change in Alabama, but they are also motivated by the inspiration of the children they are able to affect, the children whose lives are forever impacted by the program. Many students in these low-income communities do not dream of college nor even realize it as an option. However, Blueprints makes certain that the kids understand their potential and realize that college is both affordable and accessible.

By targeting the foundation of our society, Blueprints and Alabama Poverty Project has carved a path for youth toward better education that can only elevate Alabama for future generations. Thus, in honor of their relentless effort in promoting education and reducing poverty, the Youth Philanthropy Council awards a check in the amount of $14,720 to the Alabama Poverty Project’s Blueprints College Access Initiative. 

We are so pleased to join with Alethia House as recipients of the 2012 Youth Philanthropy Council grant funds.  Thank you to these incredible young leaders.

Birmingham, AL- The U.S. Department of Education last week unveiled a new tool to help high schools better track how many students are completing federal financial aid forms.

School and local leaders can now track how many students in each high school across the country are submitting and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the new FAFSA Completion Tool website, http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/fafsahs.html

Only 9,893 out of 49,510 Alabama high school seniors, or 19.98 percent, completed the FAFSA as of March 13, 2012. Previously, high schools estimated their FAFSA completion rate using self-reported surveys, which are typically unreliable.

Research shows a strong correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrollment.

“FAFSA completion helps students and their families access federal and most state financial support, including grants, scholarships, the lowest-cost student loans and work-study opportunities. The federal deadline for completing the FAFSA is June 30; however, many colleges’ priority deadlines have already passed,” said Kristina Scott, Executive Director of the Alabama Poverty Project.

Alabama’s median household income is $9,508 less than the national average. According to the Southern Education Foundation, 60 percent of that gap is due to Alabamians’ low educational attainment. For every dollar earned by individuals with bachelors degrees, high school dropouts only earn 32 cents and high school graduates only earn 51 cents.

College graduates elevate their personal earning capacity and bring nearly $1 million in spending power back to their local communities. Educational attainment is also a key factor in employers’ site location decisions, which in turn can create a healthier economy statewide.

The FAFSA Completion Tool will be updated every two weeks.

About the Alabama Poverty Project (APP):
Alabama is the nation’s third poorest state. Nearly 19 percent of Alabamians – and more than 27 percent of children – live below the poverty line. The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) is a nonprofit resource center that mobilizes Alabamians to reduce poverty via strategic partnerships with higher education institutions, community partners, policymakers and faith-based organizations. Founded in 1993, APP equips Alabamians to increase college access, fight hunger through learning and service, and one day end systemic poverty in Alabama. For more information, visit http://www.alabamapossible.org

BIRMINGHAM – According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), 23.4 percent of respondents in Alabama in 2011 said they didn’t have enough money to buy food that they or their family needed at some point during the prior twelve months.

FRAC’s February Food Hardship in America – 2011 report provides data on food hardship, which is the inability to afford enough food.  Findings include:

o Statewide, 23.4 percent of households said they were unable to afford enough food, which is the second highest rate in the country.

o The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a food hardship rate of 21.3 percent, which is the 12th highest rate among the nation’s 100 largest MSAs.

o The 7th Congressional District reported 27.2 percent food hardship, which is the highest in the state and 23rd highest in the country.

o The 6th Congressional District reported 16.3 percent food hardship, which is the only Alabama congressional district below the national average.

“Many Alabamians have told us that they are having trouble affording groceries, and this data substantiates their personal stories,” said Alabama Poverty Project Executive Director Kristina Scott.

The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which interviewed 1,000 households daily since January 2008. Specific to this analysis, people were asked, “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” FRAC analyzed the data gathered by Gallup.

“Having enough food to eat is the most basic of human needs.  However, we can’t food bank our way out of poverty and hunger. In these tough fiscal times, it is more important than ever to address the systems that cause food hardship. I challenge lawmakers and communities to support sustainable solutions so that our neighbors can meet their own needs,” said Scott.

The full report is available at www.frac.org.

About the Alabama Poverty Project

Alabama is the third poorest state in the nation, with 18.9 percent of households subsisting below the poverty line. The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to reducing systemic poverty through strategic relationships with faith communities, higher education institutions and civic organizations. For information and resources, visit our website, http://alabamapossible.org.

Dear Friends,

During 2011, faith and individual donors like you contributed $12,964 to the Alabama Poverty Project. That means we are nearly 75 percent of the way to our 2011 goal of $17,500. Thank you!

We are immensely grateful to partners like you.  You inspire us and constantly remind us that, together, we have the power to end poverty and hunger in Alabama.

We hope that you had a chance to join us at one of our programs this year.  The highlights included:

• The  Blueprints College Access Initiative, which worked with 246 students at seven high schools across Alabama. Blueprints increases college access by supporting families in college and career planning, financial aid literacy, and ACT preparation.  Thank you for helping equip students to pursue their college dreams.

• Celebrating the publication of APP Co-Founder  Wayne Flynt‘s memoir, Keeping the Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives.  Wayne challenges and inspires us to keep fighting for a more just Alabama. Thank you for helping us keep his flame going.

•  Alabama Possible Community Conversations, which bring together Alabamians to talk about our aspirations for our communities, the barriers we face in achieving those aspirations, and what actions individuals, leaders, and communities can take in turning possibilities into reality. Thank you for helping us listen to the dreams of everyday Alabamians.

• July’s  Tornado Recovery Workshop and September’s  Lifetime of Learning Conference, which brought together students, educators, and community partners to talk about poverty and long-term tornado recovery. Thank you for ensuring that the structural causes of poverty are addressed in rebuilding efforts.

We have just 5 more days to raise $4,536.   Please ensure that we have the resources to continue our work together by making a contribution today.

Thank you,

Kristina Scott

Executive Director

Alabama Poverty Project

In July, more than 90 Alabama, Auburn and AUM students put aside their schools’ rivalries to build two Habitat for Humanity houses in Tuscaloosa’s Holt community. All but a handful of the approximately 100 homes in Holt were destroyed by the April 27 tornadoes.

“We built two houses for some very deserving families, put all rivalry aside with Alabama, and came together as friends,” said Auburn grad student Taylor Gunter, who led the Auburn team.

Volunteers worked on the homes of Reddy and Rosie Rowe, of Rosie’s Café and Catering and Cleaning Service, and Dana Dowling, mother of ten children. They laid the homes’ foundations, painted siding, constructed doors and walls, and put on roofing.

The completed homes also include a FEMA-certified safe room: a plywood structure plated with metal and bolted into the foundation. It is independent of the rest of the home.

Ralph Foster, APP volunteer board member and Auburn’s public service director, told the Tuscaloosa News, “Both universities do wonderful work to improve the quality of life in our state. This is a great example of that.”

House United was a joint effort by the Auburn University Outreach Office of Public Service, the Alabama Association of Habitat for Humanity Affiliates, and The University of Alabama Community Service Center to begin the community’s rebuilding process.

Holt was just the first step in the House United partnership.  Taylor and other students, alumni and friends on the House United team are traveling to Baldwin County in March to build a Habitat home there.

Interested in joining the House United effort? Register for the Baldwin County trip at http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/news/habitat.htm

“Natural disasters hit high poverty communities the hardest,” says Kristina Scott, Executive Director of the Alabama Poverty Project (APP).  “They are more vulnerable to personal injury and property damage when a storm hits, have fewer financial resources and are more likely to experience severe mental health impacts, including post-traumatic stress disorder.”

According to the US Census Bureau, 14.3 percent of Americans live below the federal poverty threshold.  The poverty threshold is determined by age and number of people in a household and was $21,954 for a two-adult, two-child household in 2009, the most recent year for which poverty data is available.

The Census Bureau also reports that 17.5 percent of Alabamians live in poverty.  Fourteen of the tornado-impacted counties have poverty rates greater than 20 percent, including Chambers (20.7 percent), Choctaw (22.8 percent), Clarke (29.1 percent), DeKalb (21.7 percent), Franklin (21.8 percent), Greene (28.4 percent), Hale (26.6 percent), Marengo (24.9 percent), Marion (21.2 percent), Monroe (23.4 percent), Perry (31 percent), Pickens (28 percent), Sumter (35.1 percent) and Winston Counties (24.9 percent).  A full list of impacted counties with key poverty data is attached.  More information is also available on the APP website at http://alabamapossible.org/datasheet/.

In their 2004 report “Poverty and Disasters in the United States,” Sociologists Alice Fothergill and Lori Peek conclude that while poor individuals are more likely to perceive hazards as risky, they are less likely to prepare for hazards or buy insurance; less likely to respond to warnings; more likely to die, suffer injuries, and have proportionately higher material losses; have more psychological trauma; and face more obstacles during the phases of response, recovery, and reconstruction.

In response to the catastrophic tornadoes, APP is compiling resources for individuals to give, volunteer and advocate for those impacted by the storms.  They are regularly updated and available at http://alabamapossible.org/tornadorelief.

About the Alabama Poverty Project:

Alabama is the sixth poorest state in the nation. The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) mobilizes Alabamians to eliminate poverty through strategic relationships with faith communities, higher education institutions and civic organizations. For information and resources, visit our website, http://alabamapossible.org.

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In the 2007 fiscal year, the average of state and local taxes collected per person in Alabama was $2,909. Mississippi finished 49th at $2,989. The national median was $4,011.

Alabama’s tax system is upside down, meaning it takes the most from those who have the least.  Average, middle class Alabama families pay 10 percent of their income in state and local taxes, compared to 5 percent for our wealthiest citizens.  And the poorest families – they pay 12 percent.

Here’s a link to the full study and the census data it was based on.

You might also enjoy this editorial cartoon from today’s Mobile Press Register.

Posted by Kristina Scott

In Exposed:  Social Vulnerability and Climate Change in the Southeast, Oxfam says that the Southeast is the US region most vulnerable to climate change because of our high rates of social vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards.

More more than 67% of Alabama’s land area falls within the 50-mile buffer of historic hurricane tracks transecting the state.  When combined with Alabama’s high rates of poverty, that is quite a recipe for disaster.

The information in Exposed is available in interactive form at this new website.  You can also download the full Exposed report here.

Posted by Kristina Scott