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

We talk a lot about how our Blueprints initiative increases college access for low-wealth communities.

Now we want to show you by introducing you to people involved in Blueprints. Students like Justin, an aspiring meteorologist, are learning how they can plan for the future, prepare for graduation, go to college and pursue their dreams.

Watch the video to hear from Justin and other students participating in Blueprints at one high school in Birmingham:

Want to help create a college-positive culture for students in your community?

• Find our Resources on education, mentoring and college access.
• Join in Partnership with the Alabama Poverty Project.
• Give now to help us continue our college access work with students like Justin.

Thank you for your continued support!

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Namely, we rank below the national average in higher educational attainment. 68.4 percent of working-age Alabama adults have no college degree. 8 percent have a 2-year associate’s degree, while 24 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

This means that we’re less competitive with neighboring states for economic development, and our workers are less equipped for the future job market. According to a recent study by the Center for Education and the Workforce, Help Wanted: Projections on Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018:

• by 2018, nearly two-thirds of jobs will require some form of higher education
• over the next 10 years, new jobs in Alabama requiring post-secondary education will increase by an estimated 132,000, while other jobs will increase by only 89,000
• currently, 55 percent of all jobs in Alabama require some form of post-secondary training

As we have said before, low educational attainment hampers our ability to attract economic development. We also know that college graduates bring over $1 million in spending power (PDF) back to their home communities.

A college degree is one of the fastest routes for an individual to move out of poverty into the middle class – and a strong, stable middle class benefits us all.

What is the good news?

1. Our Higher Education Alliance and other K-12 and college programs are using innovative programming to educate our children and increase access to higher education. We talked about some of these initiatives at our recent Lifetime of Learning Conference.
2. Our state gubernatorial candidates are publicly debating the role of the state in college access and funding for higher education, which means that people are starting to pay attention.

What can you do? Stay informed. Stay engaged. Help create a college-positive culture in your community (see page 12 of our annual report). And advocate for increased access to higher education through financial aid, mentoring programs, and improved college preparation.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Need help filing your taxes to qualify for financial aid? United Way of Central Alabama and Impact Alabama offer free tax preparation services.

This means that low- and middle-income Alabamians have trouble accessing a college education.  Accordingly to the 2006 State of Education report, only 50.9 percent of low-income students and 61.4 percent of middle-income students enrolled in college immediately after high school.

What can we do to make college more affordable for everyone? At 4:30 PM (central), the White House is broadcasting a live Q & A chat on college affordability. (Watch it here.) Up for discussion will be the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and the White House’s efforts to reform student lending.  We’ll be tracking this discussion closely.

Posted by Robyn Hyden