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BY PEARLETTE CID When Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) released the first county-specific fact sheets of KIDS COUNT indicators, Georgians turned a critical, yet concerned eye to the challenges facing children and families and begin asking what they could do as a state to improve communities. GaFCP and United Way share a goal of making sure Georgia's children and families are successful. "United Way and GaFCP are committed to supporting organizations that are focused on addressing the underlying root causes of issues such as financial stability for working families and individuals, and we must continue to do so," said United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta President Milton J. Little, Jr. "Beyond that, one of the greatest assets we collectively offer is our ability to keep these issues on the forefront of people's minds, and to offer opportunities for the community to be a part of the solution." Like GaFCP, United Way helps children and young people achieve their potential by focusing on school readiness, academic completion and parental involvement. "We promote financial stability leading toward independence by focusing on maximizing income, increasing savings and increasing financial assets," said Little. "And we're improving people's health by focusing on healthy children and youth, healthy parents and families, and healthy seniors. We're also continuing our work around ending chronic homelessness in our community by 2013." According to Little, we've already begun to see the negative affects of the economy on our partnering strengths and how it will effect our efforts. He believes the full implications have yet to come to fruition. "As more and more companies struggle and families lose their jobs, nonprofits and community-based organizations that help those in need will continue to see an increase in demand for our services," he said. "However, all is not lost. All of us—nonprofits, civic leaders, businesses, governments and elected officials—must work together to achieve a common vision for assisting families in our communities during these troubling times." Little was appointed president of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta in July 2007, after serving as president of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. He chairs the Center for Assessment and Policy Development, and co-chairs the Atlanta Regional Commission's Fifty Forward initiative. A member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta and the Rotary Club of Atlanta, he also serves on the Georgia State University Nonprofit Studies Advisory Board. The well-being and long-term vitality of our communities depend on our ability to be agile and work together. By pooling our resources and building on the strengths that each of us offers, I believe we will come through these tough economic times stronger and certainly more unified." |
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