PBS to Air Raising Hope

(Seattle, WA)— “You could say the government depends on me,” says Leticia Treviño, of McAllen, Texas, who like millions of Americans, cobbles together odd jobs to pay taxes and support her family. Treviño’s is one of five families profiled in Raising Hope: the Equal Voice Story, an inspiring documentary that chronicles the efforts of 30,000 low-income people to create a national platform for lifting families out of poverty.

Produced and directed by Maria Bures of Onda Films, Raising Hope was filmed between 2007-2009, as the Great Recession began, and it shows everyday people grappling with many of the country’s most pressing problems and finding solutions. The film follows them through town hall meetings, a multi-city convening and, finally, to Washington, D.C., where those who have long been talked about – but rarely spoken to – deliver the Equal Voice National Family Platform to federal representatives.

From living rooms to the steps of the nation’s capitol, Raising Hope shows families uniting across income levels, races and geographic regions to propose policy changes. It urges America to do better by its families.

Raising Hope will be available over the summer and fall on public television. The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), in collaboration with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), will provide a satellite feed of the film to PBS stations across the country. LPB will facilitate community engagement, bringing together PBS stations, organizations and participants from the Equal Voice campaign and other stakeholders to inspire discussion and strategies to overcome poverty.

Broadcast Information and Air Dates

• Fresno, California KVPT -- Monday, June 24, at 10 p.m. PDT
• San Francisco, California KCSM -- Thursday, July 15, at 9 p.m. PDT
• Los Angeles, California KLCS -- Monday, July 19, at 8 p.m. PDT
• Chicago, Illinois WTTW -- Sunday, July 25, at 2 p.m. CDT
• Miami, Florida WLRN -- Sunday, July 25, at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST
• New Orleans, Louisiana WYES -- Sept. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CDT and Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. CDT
• Seattle, Washington KCTS -- Sunday, October 10th (time TBD)
• Albuquerque, New Mexico KNME plans to air the film in February 2011 (date TBD)
• Atlanta, Georgia WPBA plans to air it in August (date TBD)
• Phoenix, Arizona KAET plans to air the film (date TBD)

*Please check your local listings for updates.

About Producer/Director Maria Bures of Onda Films
Maria Bures has two decades of broadcast experience that includes work for the Discovery Channel, Discovery Health Latin America, and the Univision Network. Currently the Vice President and Executive Producer of Onda Films, Bures is known for weaving engaging new media out of traditional documentary formats.

About Latino Public Broadcasting
Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) supports the development, production, acquisition and distribution of public media content that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of interest to Latino Americans. These programs, including the series ‘VOCES,’ are produced for dissemination to the public broadcasting stations. Edward James Olmos is founder and Chairman of the LPB Board of Directors. For more information, please visit www.lpbp.org and www.voces.tv.

*Raising Hope was produced with the support of the Marguerite Casey Foundation; a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to building a movement of working families who can advocate in their own behalf.

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