| Welcome
to the e-Voices MONDAY MINUTE, your weekly email newsletter from New
Mexico Voices for Children. Please take a minute to add your voice to the
pressing issues of the day. Also, tell us what issues you'd like to know more
about so we can tailor the MONDAY MINUTE to your interests. Thanks!
December
11, 2006 The
Season of Giving
While you're making plans for seasonal charitable giving, please consider a donation
to New Mexico Voices for Children. Your support makes it possible for us to educate
policymakers, eradicate policies that harm our children, and identify and advocate
for policies that improve the well-being of New Mexico's children, families and
communities. An easy and painless way you can help is to sign up for a monthly
donation of just $5. For the price of a latte at Starbucks you can make your Voice
count for New Mexico's children all year long. What
you can do: - Monthly
contributions can be made online via your credit card here: https://secure.ga3.org/05/onlinegiving.
- You
can also send a check to New Mexico Voices for Children, 2340 Alamo Rd. SE, Suite
120, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
- Thank
you for your support!
The
Most Important Meal
A new report put out by the Food Research and Action
Center (FRAC) shows that participation in the School Breakfast Program has continued
to steadily increase across the nation. The organization's School Breakfast Scorecard
2006 shows a record 7.7 million low-income children receiving free and reduced-price
breakfasts on an average day during the 2005-2006 school year. Because
of dedicated state funding, New Mexico moved from eighth place to second in the
number of children served the day's most important meal. The state achieved this
by targeting and funding schools that were not making their Annual Yearly Progress
under the No Child Left Behind Act. After all, kids don't learn well on an empty
stomach. Check
out the report here http://www.frac.org/pdf/2006_SBP.pdf
and pay special attention to the blue box on page 11. Public
School Critic Speaks Out
Tickets sold fast for Jonathan Kozol, who appears
this Wednesday with Sarah Knopp as part of the Lannon Foundation's Readings &
Conversations series. But not to worry. You can hear what Mr. Kozol has to say
when the event is broadcast this weekend. A
longtime civil rights activist, Mr. Kozol is perhaps best known as a vocal critic
of the country's public school system and the racial and socioeconomic inequities
it perpetuates. What Mr. Kozol has to say on the subject should be of interest
to anyone who cares about the nation's children, and particularly those who are
involved in our current Race Matters work. Save
the date:
-
"Readings and Conversations" with Jonathan Kozol and Sarah Knopp will
be broadcast in the Albuquerque area on KUNM (89.9 FM) Saturday, Dec. 16, at 6pm
and in the Santa Fe area on KSFR (90.7 FM) Sunday, Dec. 17, at 2pm.
Speaking
of Speakers
It's
early, we know, but we think this event will generate so much excitement that
you'll want to get a jump on buying your tickets. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of
the popular Nickel and Dimed - about living on minimum wage - and Bait and Switch
- about white-collar unemployment - will speak at the Lensic Theater in Santa
Fe in March. Save
the date: - Barbara
Ehrenreich's talk, "Will Work for Change," benefits the Santa Fe Living
Wage Network.
- Tickets
for the March 11, 2007 event are $10 ($5 for students) and are available through
the Lensic here: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=23679&schedule=list
or by calling 505-988-1234.
- The
Living Wage Network is also looking for sponsors for the event. Contact Morty
or Carol at 505-983-9789 or simon@santafe-newmexico.com for sponsorship info.
- Email
info@santafelivingwage.org if you're interested in volunteering at the event.
Covering
Kay
If you're an Alibi reader, you already know that Senator Jerry Ortiz
y Pino writes a regular column for Albuquerque's alternative weekly. While we
always enjoy the good senator's column, we wanted to bring this week's piece to
your attention because it focuses on Kay Monaco's recent testimony before an interim
legislative committee. Kay,
who is New Mexico Voices' executive director, told the committee under no uncertain
terms that they need to do better by the kids of New Mexico when they meet in
session next year. You can read the column here: http://www.alibi.com/index.php?story=17275&scn=news
Your financial support is critical to our work.
Please consider making a contribution today at http://www.nmvoices.org/donate.htm
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