Applications that impact communities though Getting Ahead

Today was a very productive and informative day.  Laurie Ault, a member of the Getting Ahead Steering Committee and I went to Oklahoma City to participate in the Bridges and Getting Ahead statewide initiative quarterly meeting.  Salvation Army of Oklahoma started this statewide initiative to support Bridges communities and connect resources that are all working towards reducing poverty. 

We learned that the Okla Department of Corrections is working towards offering Getting Ahead to inmates that are close to release.  8,000 inmates are released each year in Okla and most if not all will enter society in poverty.  Chances are poverty is why and how many found their way in to the correctional system in the first place by selling drugs or stealing so getting them off on the right foot with a plan and a mentor after release could make all the difference in some lives. 

We also heard from the AEI (Alliance for Economic Inclusion) which a major nationwide initiative coordinated by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).  Don’t you just love acronyms?  Anyway, AEI brings together financial institutions and other partners (Getting Ahead / Bridges) to increase the financial capability of consumers, especially low to moderate income families, to move them into the financial mainstream. 

We heard from the Regional Food Bank of Okla and how they are coordinating efforts in Bridges communities with local food banks. 

The meeting had about 28 people present from all over Okla working towards the same goal of reducing poverty.  It was exciting to hear all the different ideas and ways that Getting Ahead and Bridges are being used in our state. 

If you would like to learn more about the Rogers County Getting Ahead and Bridges Out of Poverty initiative please join me at an informational workshop next Tuesday, June 17 at First United Methodist Church, 1615 N. Highway 88, Claremore.  The workshop will be from 11am to 2pm with a light lunch served.  To RSVP please go to our facebook page Getting Ahead, Rogers County.