PathWays PA E-Newsletter: June 22, 2009
In the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA), women and other disproportionately low-income workers may be able to get on a pathway to economic security in new green jobs if
Congress adopts a provision targeting jobs and training. The provision will ensure that groups traditionally left out of construction gain a foothold as a result of federal spending on energy projects in the energy bill.
Please ask your representative to contact Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, and urge them to support such a proposal. They are in the process of preparing the ACESA for floor action as early as June 24.
Click here for the Green Construction Careers Proposal Summary for the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.
Help Ensure Appropriations for Transitional Jobs Programs!
Transitional Jobs programs provide a bridge to unsubsidized employment for individuals with limited work experience, low levels of education, and other barriers to employment, who face a particularly challenging labor market.
Transitional Jobs programs have grown during the past decade, reaching over one hundred thousand people in more than 30 states. A dedicated federal grant program is needed to expand and further develop the comprehensive Transitional Jobs program model and demonstrate its effectiveness.
Please contact your representatives to let them know how important these programs are.
Want other ways to get involved with our efforts? Click here to view other resources and help get the ground moving!
Support Marriage Equality in Pennsylvania!
Please urge your Senator and Representative to co-sponsor Senate Bill 935, a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. S.B. 935 would allow our state to join ranks with our neighbors in Maine, Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts by offering full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania.
The legislation would dissolve barriers to building families that gay and lesbian couples currently face.
Please sign the petition to show your support!
Webinar: Women and Social Security
How many women could use more information on Social Security and retirement?
During this economic crisis -- just about all of them. Women have a higher risk of poverty in retirement than men, particularly women of color and single women (whether widowed, divorced, or never-married). According to the Elder Economic Security Standard Index for Pennsylvania, one in four retired elders in the state rely on Social Security as their only source of income.
The National Women's Law Center is hosting a two-part series of free webinars to help women prepare for retirement, for service providers, advocates, and individuals. The first webinar, to be held Tuesday, June 23rd at 1:00, is about women and Social Security; the second will be about pensions and savings.
Register today! This online workshop is free to participants, but registration is required.
Grant Opportunity: Community Living Programs, Administration on Aging
The Administration on Aging will award Cooperative Agreements to assist State Units on Aging. The grant is meant to strengthen the capacity of the Aging Network in order to help individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid but are at imminent risk of nursing home placement to remain at home and in the community and have access to flexible, consumer-directed services.
For more information visit: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=47797.
When is Seltzer Water Junk Food? When a School Wants to Add it to a Menu.
MomsRising's most recent action alert starts by listing four food items: Hi-C Blast, Poland Spring seltzer water, french fries, and candy bars. All of these are available at a school near you - except the seltzer water, which is "junk food" according to national school nutrition standards because it contains no vitamins or minerals.
When children aged 6-11 are four times more likely to be obese than children a generation ago, it might be time to look at national school nutrition standards again.
MomsRising has a petition you can sign on updating the nutrition standards, which they plan to take to Congress on June 24.
Save the Date - Bridging the Pennsylvania Network: Linking Food Production and Distribution with Food Security
The PA Association of Regional Food Banks, the PA Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Food Distribution, and the PA Hunger Action Center has collaborated to plan a series of three forums to take place over the next year. The first of this is to be held Wednesday, September 16 from 8:00 to 3:00 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show VIP Room. The cost to attend the event is $60 and registration is required by September 4th.
The objective for these forums is to build a mass of interested parties from all aspects of the “food shed” into an identifiable and interactive Pennsylvania Food Network.
The first forum will include emergency food assistance providers, government and NGO food agencies, and anti-hunger advocates. Generally, the objectives for this meeting will be to:
• gain an appreciation of the scope of this network component
• gain an understanding of organizational commonalities as the departure point for ongoing communication and coordination
• initiate discussion and plans for partnership development to be addressed in the second session
No Cost Medical Eye Care Available to Qualified Seniors
EyeCare America is currently running a national health campaign encouraging seniors to call the EyeCare America Seniors EyeCare Program to see if they qualify for an eye exam and care, often at no-cost. From June 1 to August 31, qualified seniors can get a comprehensive eye exam and care for any disease detected in the initial visit for up to one year at no out-of-pocket cost for seniors who are without an eye doctor.
The program is available to those who:
• Are U.S. citizens or legal residents
• Are age 65 and older
• Have not seen an ophthalmologist in three or more years
• Do not belong to an HMO or the VA
For a Seniors EyeCare Program referral, those interested may call the toll-free help line 1.800.222.EYES (3937). The Seniors EyeCare Program help line operates all day, every day, year-round.
EyeCare America also offers programs for eye care needs related to glaucoma, diabetes, AMD (macular degeneration), and young children.
Another Grant Announcement: Reaching Underserved Elderly and Working Poor in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is soliciting applications to test a range of approaches for expanding access to SNAP among two underserved populations- the elderly and working poor.
The fiscal year 2009 cooperative agreements will be awarded to State agencies responsible for administering SNAP. However, interested State SNAP agencies may assemble teams that include other public, non-profit and/or private organizations to plan and implement pilot projects. FNS will also award and oversee a contract for an independent evaluation of the pilots.
Approximately $3.0 million in fiscal year 2009 funds is available for the pilots, which are expected to operate for three years, including an implementation phase. FNS anticipates awarding six grants of up to $500,000 each. The award amount will depend upon the strategy selected, the proposed budget and the quality of the application as determined by a technical panel.
Complete application packages must be received by FNS on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Tuesday August 4, 2009. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Greg Walton, Grants Management Division, via email at Greg.Walton@fns.usda.gov.
Here is the direct link which is also posted in Grants.gov.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/DemoProjects/UnderservedElderly/Announcement.htm
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