Washington DC – Today in Washington DC, one hundred and fifty families from 12 states called on the nation’s leaders to adopt the Equal Voice for America’s Families National Platform. The platform identifies key issues affecting families and asks that legislators address the needs of families collectively and no longer break down these needs issue by issue. Families sent a clear message today – America’s families need a safety net, not just a bailout. Following the unveiling of the platform, the families went to meet with members of Congress from their states.
The families are part of the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign, which held 65 townhall meetings and brought together more than 30,000 families in 2008 to create a national family platform that identifies key issues affecting families and makes policy recommendations to ensure the well-being of America’s families.
The families are part of the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign, which held 65 townhall meetings and brought together more than 30,000 families in 2008 to create a national family platform that identifies key issues affecting families and makes policy recommendations to ensure the well-being of America’s families.
“Families have gone from paycheck to paycheck, to day to day living. If something is not done at this moment in time, I don’t see a future for my children, and what does that say about us as a country?” said Star Paschal, a working single mother of three in her 20s from Auburn, Alabama. “We can’t just have jobs without child care, healthcare and even transportation.”
Families also gave their perspective on the economic stimulus package as they presented their vision for a nation that responds to the essential needs of America’s families.
“When 30,000 families from across the country come together and call for the adoption of a national family platform – we as a nation need to listen, said Luz Vega-Marquis, President and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation. “The 150 families who are at the nation’s capitol today are the voice of the millions of families who are struggling to get by and who are saying enough is enough.”
Families represented twelve states, including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.
The Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign was a yearlong campaign supported by Seattle-based Marguerite Casey Foundation and its grantees to elevate the voices of America’s families in the public debate about ensuring a better future for families.
For more information about the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign go to www.equalvoice2008.com.
Contact:
Kathleen Baca
Marguerite Casey Foundation
206.718.0879
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