Visionary. Strategic. Innovative. These are a few of the words I would use to describe the folks that attended our Town Hall meeting in Scottsbluff, Nebraska http://www.wehavejobs.net/ last week. Scottsbluff may be considered a small community by some, but the leaders I spoke with had big ideas for their community and for the state. The […]
I Left My Heart in Scottsbluff County Read More »
I’m writing this blog entry while watching President Obama’s interview on health care with ABC news and a room full of advocates, providers, economists, businesses, and everyday Americans. It is remarkable to me, and very encouraging, that so many people are engaged and that we are having this kind of public dialogue on this critical
Giving Nebraskans a Choice Read More »
Statistics on the long-term outcomes for former foster children are, unfortunately, bleak. While some youth “beat the odds”, far more struggle compared to their peers on measures related to educational attainment, employment, poverty, homelessness, health care, early pregnancy, and involvement in the criminal justice system. However, recently enacted federal legislation, the Fostering Connections to Success
“Aging Out” of Foster Care Read More »
Nebraskans come from many different cultures and walks of life where hopes and values unite people in a common search for a stronger community. This is exactly what “Nebraska is Home” groups will be celebrating this weekend in Crete, Fremont, and Grand Island. On Saturday, June 27th, “Nebraska Is Home Grand Island” will participate in
One in ten Nebraska adults does not have a High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Startling, isn’t it? In our evolving, knowledge-based, technology-driving economy, the lack of basic skills is a real barrier – not only for workers in need of jobs that pay family supporting wages, but also for employers in need
That’s right. I said the Purple Bus Lady. She’s not an official super hero, but she has shown an extraordinary dedication to health care reform and all those who are struggling to access the health care they need. Her name is Kathie McClure and she really does drive a purple bus. Kathie is a mother
The Purple Bus Lady comes to Nebraska… Read More »
At Nebraska Appleseed, we have a tendency to develop long, drawn-out, flowery titles for our work that don’t lend themselves very well to catchy acronyms. Most Appleseeders credit our founding director, Milo Mumgaard, for this tradition, though it has out-lived even Milo’s tenure. For example, the “Child Welfare System Accountability Program” or the “CWSAP” is
The CWSAP FCRLRC – Huh? Read More »
Every day, meatpacking workers in the U.S. face brutal working conditions in one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Injury rates are startlingly high – more than double that of U.S. manufacturing as a whole – and a 2005 GAO report found that even these government statistics undercount true injury rates. The industry’s massive
Safe Food Comes from a Safe Workplace Read More »
This apparently simple question is deceptively complicated. Families everywhere grapple with “the dinner question” on a daily basis. What’s in the fridge? When is Mom getting home from work? Can the vegetable hating seven-year-old be convinced to eat something with tomato sauce? And, increasingly, is there enough money in the checking account to stop at
What’s for dinner? Read More »
Health care reform is in the air. Last week, Appleseed, Nebraska’s Health Care for America Now coalition (HCAN), and SEIU, organized a rally in support of health care reform to counter a different event that was organized against health care reform. We had an impressive turn out given the spontaneous nature of the event —