DECEMBER 2007: EDITOR'S LETTER
Take poverty personally
As you hide the presents you bought at the after-Thanksgiving
sales, plan your holiday meals or sit together with your family
inside a warm house, please remember this: There are 141,000
children in Oregon who live in poverty, with more than
one-third of those under age 4.
Despite full-time work, the percentage of families with
children who are poor continues to grow. Falling wages and
rising gas, food and health-care prices mean that 615,000
Oregonians – fully 12% of the state’s population
— have fallen into poverty. Poverty for a family of four
means an annual household income of $20,650 a year, or
less.
Salem Mayor Janet Taylor knows something about dire
statistics. A staggering 63% of the children in the
Salem/Keizer area live below the poverty line.
Taylor helped spearhead the successful effort to win $56
million to build the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps
Community Center, made possible by the $1.5 billion the late
McDonald’s heiress Joan Kroc left to the Salvation Army.
The center will be located in Salem’s Northgate
neighborhood, which has the highest-density poor population in
Oregon.
Kroc’s mission for her money was simple: relieve the
suffering of the poor, communicate dignity, be a beacon of
hope.
The indomitable Taylor is one of this year’s recipients
of the Oregon Philanthropy Awards. As always, the awards show
that the spirit of generosity flows through large companies,
such as Bank of America with its Neighborhood Excellence
program, to youngsters like 13-year-old Katelyn Tomac Sullivan,
who started her own nonprofit and has helped raise $35,000 for
cancer research.
This is the season to honor those magnificent people who help
make good things happen. It is also the season to help those
who need it.
Take the profiles of these philanthropy champions as a
challenge. It can be easy to forget, if you are lucky enough
not to worry about your own children going hungry, cold or
without a doctor, those 141,000 children. If you live in
Salem, for instance, chances are very good they go to
school with your children. Perhaps you even know of a family
who could use some help.
Take this poverty personally. Oregonians in mid-December will
get a check in the mail from the state, a kicker tax rebate. On
average, every Oregonian can expect $612. You might be
fortunate enough to get more.
Why not take that windfall and give it to those 141,000
children who will not have a warm house or presents this
season? Imagine the impact if even half the households getting
a refund turned around and gave it to the many nonprofits that
help children throughout the state.
You do not need to be a billionaire to be a beacon of hope.
