Child`s View Fall 2008 - Voices for Children in Nebraska

hild’s VIEW
FALL 2008
VOL. 20, NO. 4
A newsletter for friends of Voices for Children in Nebraska
Step Up for Kids Rally a Huge Success
LINCOLN, Nebraska – Thousands of Nebraska children live in
poverty, have no health coverage, or experience abuse or neglect.
They can’t vote or contribute to political campaigns, so they
remain largely invisible in elections. In Nebraska, a coalition
of local agencies, led by Voices for Children in Nebraska, the
Nebraska Association of Social Workers, and the UNO School
of Social Work teamed up to change that. Nearly 400 advocates
joined together on the north steps of the Capitol on September 16,
2008 for the Step Up for Kids Rally, as part of a larger nationwide
event to draw attention to issues affecting America’s children.
States all across the nation held similar events on September 16
and were coordinated by the Every Child Matters Education Fund,
an organization formed to make children, youth, and families a
political priority.
The nonpartisan rally at the State Capitol, and events across the
nation, aimed to educate our political leaders about the needs of
children and youth in our community. Speakers at Nebraska’s
event included Dr. Will Austin, Associate Professor, University of
Nebraska at Omaha, Dr. Tom Tonniges, Director of Pediatrics at
Boys Town, Senator DiAnna Schimek, District 27, Deila Steiner,
Lincoln Public Schools, Director of Federal Programs, and former
foster youth.
Voices for Children in Nebraska board member, Dr. Tom Tonniges (center), speaks at the Step Up for Kids Rally in Lincoln.
Voices for Children
Opportunity@Work
in Nebraska
State Legislative Candidate Forum
is an independent, non-profit organization
With an election falling right in the middle of an economic downturn that is putting
significant pressure on
working families and local businesses, the Opportunity@Work Coalition found this to be the
perfect time to invite the
community and metro area state legislative
candidates to come together to discuss important economic issues. Opportunity@Work
Coalition partners hosted a Metro Area
Candidate Forum on October 16th which
was attended by six state legislative candidates: Sen. Gail Kopplin (District 2), Heath
Mello (District 5), Jeremy Nordquist (District 7), Sen. Gwen Howard (District 9),
Tanya Cook (District 13), and Sen. Abbie
Cornett (District 45).
With approximately forty people in attendance, the candidates were each given a few
minutes to introduce themselves and to
briefly address the issues important to
Opportunity@Work. After introductions, the
audience was allowed nearly an hour to ad-
committed to serving Nebraska’s children
by advocating for the best interest of children, equipping parents, professionals and
volunteers to effectively meet the needs of
Nebraska’s children, inspiring all Nebraskans to put the needs of children first.
Board of Directors
Michael Kulas, PRESIDENT
Beverly Curry, Ph.D., CFLE, VICE PRESIDENT
Melissa Ruff, CPA, TREASURER
Nicole Theophilus, JD, SECRETARY
Thomas C. Woods, IV, PAST PRESIDENT
Keith D. Allen, Ph.D.
Liliana P. Bronner, MHSA
Miguel A. Carranza, Ph.D.
Philip Heckman, Ph.D. (Retired)
Angela Kelso
Luanne M. Nelson
Nancy M. Oberst
Deborah Suttle
Thomas Tonniges, MD
Krisha Uden, MS, LIMPH
dress the candidates with specific questions.
The candidates and audience members were
asked to focus on issues
that were important to
the entire Omaha Metro
area and the state and not
just specific legislative
districts. Topics of discussion included: the effectiveness of tax
incentives to spur quality job creation, the
creation and utilization of individual development accounts (IDAs) to encourage
wealth-building for low-income individuals,
children’s health care, improving our public
education system and recruiting minority
teachers, in-state tuition for immigrants,
child care assistance, reducing violence in
our communities, and several other important topics.
Opportunity@Work members considered
the forum to be a great success and hope to
host a Metro Area candidate forum biennially to engage legislators and the public in
important dialogue on issues facing working
families in Nebraska.
Metro area candidates
address the issues
facing working families
Professional Staff
Kathy Bigsby Moore, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Connie Amick, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Annemarie Bailey Fowler, RESEARCH AND
OPPORTUNITY@WORK COORDINATOR
Connie Hacker, ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Nino Krilova, RESEARCH & POLICY ASSOCIATE
Diane Moore, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM AND
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Tiffany Seibert, POLICY COORDINATOR
Jill Westfall, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Child’sVIEW
FALL 2008 • VOLUME 20, NUMBER 4
is published quarterly by
Voices for Children in Nebraska
7521 Main St., Ste. 103, Omaha, NE 68127
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR:
Jill Westfall
DESIGN: Wayne Kobza/Pencil to Press
PRINTED BY: PrintCo Graphics
www.voicesforchildren.com
A member of:
Community
Services
Fund
2 • Fall 2008
Get on Board Conference
On October 20, 2008, Voices of Children
in Nebraska co-hosted the 2nd annual “Get on
Board” Conference in conjunction with the
Financial Stability Partnership, United Way of
the Midlands, Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City – Omaha
Branch, UNO College
of Public Affairs and Community Service,
the Nebraska Financial Education Coalition
and Opportunity@Work. Featured national
speakers included Inger Guiffrida of the Assets Alliance, Kim Pate of the Corporation
for Enterprise Development and Beadsie
Woo of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Washington Post syndicated columnist
see page 6
Top: Michelle Singleterry addresses
the audience on
the importance of
staying on track financially in today’s
difficult economy.
Bottom: Conference
participants listen
intently at the 2nd
annual Get on
Board Conference.
2009-2012 Legislative Priorities
Voices for Children has outlined it’s legislative priorities for the
next two legislative sessions. While these priorities are subject
to change, they represent our goals for Nebraska’s children in the
next four years. For updates on our progress, go to www.voicesfor
children.com.
Economic Well-Being Securing financial stability for all families
■ Policy opportunities that educate low-and moderate-income workers
and employers on the economic benefits of sound financial practices and individual asset development
■ Tax and budget policy that balances the needs of low- and moderateincome workers and government in difficult economic times
Child Abuse, Neglect, and Domestic Violence Policy solutions to
protect children
■ Monitoring effects of recent changes to the Nebraska Parenting
Act
■ Monitoring implementation of the new DHHS Protection and
Safety System
■ Advocating for any adjustments necessary to both new policies
Health, Physical and Behavioral High quality health care coverage
for all children
■ Federal reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP)
■ Expanding Kids Connection to cover all low income children (family income of an estimated $42,000 per year for 2008) and improve
Kids Connection to continually cover kids for 12-months
■ Create a behavioral health system that responds to the needs of all
children, regardless of their families ability to pay and the community where they live
Early Childhood Education Supporting the wise investment of high
quality early learning
■ Better align child care subsidy eligibility with income levels of
low-and moderate-income workers
■ Adjust the child care reimbursement rate to better reflect the market rate for child care
Juvenile Justice Realizing the fundamental difference between youth
and adults
■ Federal reauthorization and funding for the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention Act
■ Prosecution, defense and sentencing procedures for juveniles that
take into account their age and severity of offense
Out-of-Home Care and Adoption Safe care and permanence for all
children
■ Monitoring the effects of recent changes such as safe haven, expedited relative placement, newly contracted services, and agency reorganization within DHHS and advocating for change where necessary
2009-2010 Nebraska Legislature
Senator
District
E-mail
Office Phone
Adams, Greg L.
24
gadams@leg.ne.gov
471-2756
Ashford, Brad
20
bashford@leg.ne.gov
471-2622
Avery, Bill
28
bavery@leg.ne.gov
471-2633
Campbell, Kathy
25
kcampbell@leg.ne.gov
471-2731
Carlson, Tom
38
tcarlson@leg.ne.gov
471-2732
Christensen, Mark R.
44
mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
471-2805
Coash, Colby
27
ccoash@leg.ne.gov
471-2632
Cook, Tanya
13
tcook@leg.ne.gov
471-2727
Cornett, Abbie
45
acornett@leg.ne.gov
471-2615
Council, Brenda
11
bcouncil@leg.ne.gov
4712612
Dierks, Merton L.
40
mdierks@leg.ne.gov
471-2801
Dubas, Annette M.
34
adubas@leg.ne.gov
471-2630
Fischer, Deb
43
dfischer@leg.ne.gov
471-2628
Flood, Mike
19
mflood@leg.ne.gov
471-2929
Friend, Mike
10
mfriend@leg.ne.gov
471-2718
Fulton, Tony
29
tfulton@leg.ne.gov
471-2734
Gay, Tim
14
tgay@leg.ne.gov
471-2730
Giese. Robert J.
17
rgiese@leg.ne.gov
471-2716
Gloor, Mike
35
mgloor@leg.ne.gov
471-2617
Haar, Ken
21
khaar@leg.ne.gov
471-2673
Hadley, Galen
37
ghadley@leg.ne.gov
471-2627
Hansen, Tom
42
thansen@leg.ne.gov
471-2729
Harms, John N.
48
jharms@leg.ne.gov
471-2802
Heidemann, Lavon L.
1
lheidemann@leg.ne.gov
471-2733
Howard, Gwen
9
ghoward@leg.ne.gov
471-2723
Janssen, Ray E.
15
rjanssen@leg.ne.gov
471-2625
Karpisek, Russ
32
rkarpisek@leg.ne.gov
471-2711
Langemeier, Chris
23
clangemeier@leg.ne.gov
471-2719
Lathrop, Steve
12
slathrop@leg.ne.gov
471-2623
Lautenbaugh, Scott
18
slautenbaugh@leg.ne.gov
471-2618
Louden, LeRoy
49
llouden@leg.ne.gov
471-2725
McCoy, Beau
39
bmccoy@leg.ne.gov
471-2885
McGill, Amanda
26
amcgill@leg.ne.gov
471-2610
Mello, Health
5
hmello@leg.ne.gov
471-2710
Nantkes, Danielle
46
dnantkes@leg.ne.gov
471-2720
Nelson, John E.
6
jnelson@leg.ne.gov
471-2714
Nordquist, Jeremy
7
jnordquist@leg.ne.gov
471-2721
Pahls, Rich
31
rpahls@leg.ne.gov
471-2327
Pankonin, Dave
2
dpankonin@leg.ne.gov
471-2613
Pirsch, Pete
4
ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
471-2621
Price, Scott
3
sprice@leg.ne.gov
471-2627
Rogert, Kent
16
krogert@leg.ne.gov
471-2728
Schilz, Ken
47
kschilz@leg.ne.gov
471-2616
Stuthman, Arnie
22
astuthman@leg.ne.gov
471-2715
Sullivan, Kate
41
ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
471-2631
Utter, Dennis
33
dutter@leg.ne.gov
471-2712
Wallman, Norman
30
nwallman@leg.ne.gov
471-2620
White, Tom
8
twhite@leg.ne.gov
471-2722
Wightman, John M.
36
jwightman@leg.ne.gov
471-2642
Child’s View • 3
IT’S A PARTY!
Voices for Children in Nebraska is 21 years old!
Voices for Children in Nebraska marked a milestone this fall.
Voices for Children has been advocating for all of Nebraska’s children for twenty-one years. Our work touches the life of every
Nebraska child in one way or another. Being 21-years-old means
we’ve “come of age” as an organization; we’re old enough to be a
credible leader and trusted advisor to elected officials, but we’re still
young enough to dream of a better life for Nebraska’s children (and
have the energy to make it happen!). Of course, being 21 means we
had to have a party to celebrate. We have had three celebrations to
date. Former and current board members hosted and funded our celebrations in Grand Island, Lincoln and
Omaha. Photos on the facing page give
you a glimpse of the different style of
each event.
A Breakfast at the Lincoln Country
Club on September 24 kicked off our
month of celebrations. Phil and Barbara
Heckman hosted the event with support
from former board member – Rhonda
Seacrest. Special recognition was given
to founding board members and working
partners, Dr. Ann Coyne, JoAnn LeBaron, Beatty Brasch, Community Action Agencies of Nebraska and
the Woods Charitable Fund. The meeting concluded asking for thoughts
about future directions and agenda items for Voices for Children.
The Grand Island event came next on October 23rd. Our team of
hosts included Anne Yu Buettner, Beverly Curry, Diann Muhlbach
and Krisha Uden who convened a forum for legislative and congressional candidates. Senator Ray Aguilar facilitated the discussion
among candidates to help the audience identify what each candidate
would do to improve conditions for children in areas such as child
care, health care and juvenile justice. Over sixty “Champions for
Children” were recognized by their peers and received certificates
from Voices for Children in Nebraska.
The third celebration was an hors d‘ouevres reception at the Hot
Shops Art Center in Omaha. hosted by Kay Lynn Goldner, Sally Kaplan and Helen Shew. The gallery held framed photos from our first
four Kids Count Reports, attendees could tour the gallery, contribute
to the making of a commemorative clay pot and sign a poster size
birthday card giving Voices for Children guidance for the future.
Anniversaries and birthdays give one an opportunity for reflection
as well as a time to look ahead and recommit. Voices for Children
treated this celebration in just this way, giving attendees a quick
glimpse at some of our accomplishments as well as an opportunity to look ahead and set new goals or recommit to existing goals.
So, for those of you unable to attend an event, we will try to share
those reflections briefly with you here. It is important to remember that these are truly OUR accomplishments – it takes all of our
4 • Fall 2008
voices speaking out to make a difference for our state’s children.
In our first 21 years, we have accomplished many great victories
for our children. We have a wonderful new timeline brochure on
our website (www.voicesforchildren.com/21years) that gives a clearer picture of some of our greatest accomplishments. Those include:
1. Creation of Kids Connection health coverage for children. Last
year over 135,000 Nebraska children in low-income families
were enrolled in Kids Connection and received health care.
2. Establishment of parenting education for divorcing parents to
help them prioritize the needs of their children as they begin
to parent from two homes rather than one.
3. Educating professionals about the link between child abuse
and domestic violence and helping professionals understand
the harmful effects of children witnessing domestic violence.
4. Spearheading a collaborative effort that created a 10% refundable State Earned Income Tax Credit for hard-working lowincome families, helping close the gap between what they earn
and what they need to make ends meet.
5. In our earliest years, Voices for Children was the first objective spokesperson to publicize dangerous and inadequate conditions in juvenile detention and treatment facilities. Twenty
years of work has resulted in the creation of jail standards for
juvenile detention facilities, the creation of the Office of Juvenile Services, the creation of diversion programs for youth and
the gradual development of treatment services for youth in
custody.
6. Production of the annual Kids Count Report for fifteen years
providing over two-hundred pieces of state-level data and thirtytwo fields of county level to guide state and local leaders in
need assessments and strategic planning efforts to improve
systems and service for children and families.
Being 21, we still have the idealism to dream big for Nebraska’s kids. With your support, Voices for Children can continue to
do this important work on behalf of children. New initiatives
underway include:
■ Opportunity@Work to lift all families out of poverty through
innovative business, individual and government partnerships
■ The development of a first-ever report on racial and ethnic
equity in Nebraska – to be released in early 2009.
■ An electoral education program called “Every Child Matters”
that is asking all Nebraskans to vote for kids when they enter
the polling booth.
We also have a full legislative agenda for the coming two-year
legislative session. With the economic conditions in our country
looking uncertain, and a decades-long neglect of behavioral health
care in Nebraska, we are very concerned about the well-being of
Nebraska’s children. For a look at what we’re planning for 2009,
see our legislative agenda on page 3.
So, happy birthday to all of you who have been with Voices for
Children in Nebraska for any portion of these twenty-one years.
A remarkable number of you have been with us for ALL of those
twenty-one years. We are grateful for your support but more
importantly, the children of Nebraska are grateful for your voice.
Happy Birthday to all of us!
Meg Dodge, board member Keith Allen, and Jim Suttle create symbols and wishes
for Voices for Children's 21st anniversary. The pot will be fired and displayed in the
Voices for Children office.
Senator Ray Aguilar moderates the candidate forum in Grand
Island.
Board member Dr. Phil Heckman and Executive Director Kathy Moore
prepare to present awards at the celebration in Lincoln.
Photographs from the first four issues of Kids Count (1992-1995) find new life on the
walls of the Hot Shops Art Center.
Kathy Moore and Sarah Ann Lewis present on the future policy agenda for Voices for Children.
Kathy Moore speaking at the 21st anniversary
event in Grand Island.
Child’s View • 5
Get on Board Conference
from page 2
Michelle Singleterry provided the opening keynote presentation.
Singleterry’s presentation highlighted the importance of
“Staying on Track in Today’s Economy” and, like her weekly syndicated column appearing in the Omaha World Herald, provided
useful tips and insights to help keep conference participants, and
the communities they serve, on track during financially difficult
times. Singleterry stressed living within one’s means and shared
stories of her grandmother, Big Mama’s lessons on saving and
financial planning.
The Get on Board Conference was a big success and plans are
underway to host a 3rd annual conference.
IN THIS ISSUE
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
◆ Step Up For Kids Rally
◆ Opportunity@Work State
Legislative Candidate Forum
◆ Get On Board Conference
◆ 2009-2012 Legislative
Priorities
PAID
OMAHA, NE
PERMIT NO. 752
Voices for Children in Nebraska
7521 Main Street – Suite 103
Omaha, NE 68127
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
◆ IT’S A PARTY! Voices For
Children Is 21 Years Old
◆ Voices For Children
Welcomes New Staff
Voices for Children Welcomes New Staff
Nino Krilova recently joined Voices for Children as Research
and Policy Associate and Kids Count Coordinator. She is responsible for writing the
annual Kids Count in
Nebraska Report and
other Voices for Children
publications. She is also
responsible for overseeing data collection and
analyses, assisting in policy research and advocacy and media communications. Prior to joining
Voices for Children, she
was a research fellow
at Creighton University.
Nino Krilova
Nino is originally from
the Republic of Georgia and first came to the United States as a
fellow of the Freedom Support Act program administered by the
U.S. State Department. She received her B.A. in International
Studies and Business from University of Nebraska at Omaha,
and M.A. in International Relations and Political Science from
Creighton University.
6 • Fall 2008
Diane Kay Moore currently holds the position of Director of
Program and Resource Development. She will oversee all agency
fundraising efforts including solicitations to individuals, foundations and corporate community partners. She will
also be involved in the
recruitment of volunteers
who help plan and manage
the “A Work of the Heart
Gala,” an annual event
which raises over $65,000
for the organization. Diane
attended Wayne State College and received her B.A.
in Journalism and Public
Relations. Previous to joining Voices for Children,
Diane Kay Moore
she held positions with
several other nonprofits including Lutheran Family Services of
Nebraska, Omaha Symphony, Dana College, American Cancer
Society and the Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America.
She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals
and the American Association of Grant Professionals.