EPISO Leverages Commitments from Candidates on Education, Immigration and Workforce Development
"About 450 people gathered Sunday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church to listen to candidates vying to represent Precincts 1 and 3 on County Commissioners Court, Districts 75 and 77 in the Texas House of Representatives, and the 16th and 23rd Congressional Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The event was organized by El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization, a non-partisan group..."
Read moreWorking Together Jackson Launches House Meeting Campaign
"Jerry Jones wants a decent place to take his wife to eat where they live in south Jackson. Bill Osborne, a retiree, says abandoned homes are ruining Jackson neighborhoods and wants to work on revitalizing them. They were among small groups of 10 at a church in south Jackson last week where they were asked to name the one thing they'd be willing to do to improve Jackson....
Read moreCOPS / Metro Alliance Highlights Impact of Anti-Immigrant Laws in Wake of US Supreme Court Hearings
"The archdiocesan Office of Life, Justice and Peace in partnership with Sacred Heart Church, Catholic Relief Services, Mexican American Catholic College and COPS / Metro, celebrated a Mass for Justice on April 25 renewing their commitment in raising awareness of the impact of Arizona immigration law SB1070....
After mass, Sacred Heart Parish sponsored an assembly on immigration to highlight the impact of anti-immigrant laws on families that create fear, vulnerable citizens and concerns of violations of human rights."
Read moreNorthern AZ Interfaith Council Teaches Students to Organize
"CRAFTS at Northern Arizona University, developed in partnership with Northern Arizona Interfaith Council ...trains hundreds of students in skills of cross-partisan broad-based community organizing that make their education far more relevant..."
Read moreAustin Interfaith Leverages Commitments on Electricity & Incentive Deals
At an assembly with 504 Austin Interfaith delegates, candidates for City Council and Mayor committed to raising electricity rates no higher than 20% for congregations and to broaden assistance to people with limited incomes.
Candidates were also challenged about publicly funded incentives, as Austin has been the center of high-profile incentive deals in recent years. Austin Interfaith got all candidates to commit to setting a wage standard for permanent (and construction) workers ranging between $11-20 per hour. Candidates also agreed to a community study and dialogue with Austin Interfaith to determine what constitutes a living wage in Austin.
Read moreTogether Baton Rouge Wins Historic $17M Transit Election
Triumph of a proposition for funding public transit follows a 15-month constituency building campaign that brought together diverse institutions from across the city. Local leaders focused on neighborhood issues and organized a 1,000 person assembly to launch a month long effort to Get Out the Vote.
In photo, Diana Dorroh and Deborah Quinn of Together Baton Rouge team up Saturday morning to walk Baton Rouge neighborhoods and encourage voters to cast their ballot in support of CATS.
Read moreProject IOWA Antidote to Critical Skilled Worker Shortage
"Project IOWA is a faith-based initiative in Des Moines that provides worker training....'The workers know this is their best chance at changing their lives, and they're giving it their all,' said Fugenschuh..."
Des Moines Area Community College welding student Jason Gregory, right, works with instructor Jeff Pratt. Gregory is part of Project Iowa, which was founded by AMOS and helps workers get the training they need to find jobs.
Read morePima County Interfaith Council Key Part of Sanctuary History
"Casa San Juan was started in 2002 by the Diocese of Tucson, at the request of leaders and members of the St. John the Evangelical Catholic Church.
One of its founders, the Rev. Raul Trevizo, said the center was started in a joint effort with the Pima County Interfaith Council, an organization of churches in the area..."
Read moreAMOS Unveils Plans for Biggest Skateboard Park in US
"On Saturday, A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS)...unveiled a preliminary design for the park at the Subsect Skate Shop in Des Moines' East Village.
The facility will feature all three of the main structures skateboarders prefer: a deep vertical bowl, a "flow section" that recreates the experience of downhill skateboarding, and a plaza with stairs and rails, Rogers said..."
Read moreCOPA Leaders to Sign Up 30,000 Voters in Monterey County
"Peter Stemp, ministry outreach coordinator at the Diocese of Monterey, is helping collect signatures for COPA's Stand Up and Take Charge Campaign, launched March 12. They're 200 signatures toward an October goal of 30,000, in support of a broad agenda: the rights to affordable housing, healthcare, safety, economic opportunity and education for citizens and immigrants alike."
Coalition of Faith and Community Groups Seeks 30,000 Signatures for Political Agenda, Monterey County Weekly