Dear Church Family and Friends,
In case you did not already know, our church loves kids. On Sunday, our congregation voted during worship to select the Children’s Alliance as our social action partner for the Moses Project. While all five of the organizations on the ballot deserve our support, a sizable number of our members felt a particularly strong call to action on behalf of our state’s most vulnerable children, particularly those in low-income families and communities of color.
The Children’s Alliance has a great track record of helping ordinary people find their voice in advocating for change and accountability. One of their greatest victories came a few years ago when they led the way in securing the provision of affordable and comprehensive health care coverage for all children in the state of Washington. Since then, they have worked to make sure that our state follows through on its promise. Notably, by the end of this year, 44% of the children in our state will have coverage through a program called Apple Health for Kids.
In the legislative session for this year, the Children’s Alliance was highly successful in helping to protect and advance many services for kids and families at a time when the recession was causing our state to tighten its belt. Some of the highlights of the legislative session included measures to increase state revenue, full protection of Apple Health for Kids, greater support for early learning, better access for kids to meal programs, and continued commitment to studying how to address racial disparities in our state’s child welfare system.
In the past couple of months, I have been in regular contact with the Children’s Alliance and have been impressed by their staff, their resources, and their long-term planning. Moreover, I have greatly appreciated the wealth of informational resources available on their website. A great way to begin connecting with the work of the Children’s Alliance is to sign up for their email alerts and updates at: www.childrenshub.org/calliance/join.html.
As I was reading the Children’s Alliance 2010 Legislative Session Review entitled “Standing Strong for Kids: Tough Times Inspire Tougher Advocacy,” I was struck by a picture of a young boy riding on the shoulders of a man I presume to be his father. The two are at a rally, and the boy is holding up a sign that says, “Hungry Kids Can’t Learn.” In the coming year, let’s use this father and son duo as our role models in lifting up the vital needs of our state’s children.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Brooks
