RESULTS Austin Newsletter - August 2014
RESULTS volunteers of Austin celebrate a productive 1st
half of the year. We’ve generated a
steady stream of media, met with members of congress face to face and have had
success in urging them to take specific actions. Both the U.S. and globally focused teams have
built momentum and are helping to create the political will to end hunger and
the worst aspects of poverty
Pictured
here are: Jim Comer, Cheyanda Onuoha and Sarah Yanes -- RESULTS Austin volunteers
in DC. With them are Myranda Laursen of
San Antonio, and Akanksha Dutta, a health expert from India.
Commitment to the Global Partnership for Education
With this media in hand, we asked
our representatives to weigh in with the President on the Global
Partnership for Education (GPE)
- the only multilateral partnership focused exclusively on ensuring all
children have access to a quality education. The GPE uses an innovative and
effective model, bringing together civil society, private sector, donor
governments and low-income countries to achieve the Education for All goals. It
works by developing and funding high quality national education plans.
On June 10th we hit the jackpot when
Congressman Michael McCaul agreed to send a letter to the President
encouraging him to commit robust funding for the GPE. Since McCaul is Chairman of Homeland Security his
support proved to be especially helpful.
Within days GPE held their funding
conference and the US pledged $40 million to the GPE for 2014, plus $50 million
for 2015. This was a significant increase
over the $20 million the U.S. had contributed to GPE previously, but much less
than the $250 million over two years RESULTS volunteers sought.
RESULTS Austin U.S. poverty team
builds awareness on EITC
… in the media and with Congress
In 1975 Gerald Ford signed into law
the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is designed to “make work pay,” and
to move a family with a full-time low-income worker above the poverty line.
Only working taxpayers are eligible
for the EITC and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Studies consistently show that the
two credits incentivize wage earners to earn more. The more low-wage workers earn, the higher their
tax credit and the more disposable income they have. There are 1.2 million working Texans and
647,000 children who have been lifted out of poverty by the EITC and the CTC. Nationally 15 million people were lifted out
poverty in 2012.
This spring, volunteer Anne
McCulloch met with Congressman Roger Williams and explained how the EITC reduces
poverty in two ways: (1) by encouraging work and (2) by supplementing the
wages of low-paid poor or near-poor workers.
In June Sarah Yanes journeyed to D.C. and met with members and their
staff, educating them about the importance of the EITC. In August new volunteer Glenn Ross met with
Rep. Lamar Smith’s local staffer, Mike Asmus and discussed the EITC.
Glenn Ross got an excellent
EITC letter printed in the Austin paper in July. This builds on the successful media track
record of the domestic team who got three letters
about SNAP food assistance printed last fall (Alice,
Gail,
& Ginger’s
letters).
Using media to educate the public
and reaching out directly to educate elected representatives, the domestic
RESULTS team is building support for strategies that directly address poverty
in America.
Global
Health: Immunizations for All Children
Immunizing children worldwide is the most impactful and efficient strategy to
promote global health, save lives and produce a significant economic gains. The
GAVI Alliance’s mission is to increase
access to immunization in poor countries. To achieve this, GAVI shapes the
markets for vaccines by providing incentives for the pharmaceutical industry to
invest in research and production. This
has cut the cost of vaccines up to 90%. GAVI is a partnership building upon the
strengths of the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. RESULTS
is campaigning to ensure strong support for GAVI at their upcoming replenishment
conference in January 2015.
House Resolution 688, expressing support for GAVI was introduced in July. Representative
Michael McCaul was an original cosponsor of the resolution and Representative
Doggett has also become a cosponsor. RESULTS Austin volunteers are working to sign
up more cosponsors. We'll be reaching out to the community and generating media
in order to move our Representatives and Senators to take action. We
invite you to join our campaign for a meaningful U.S. pledge to GAVI.
RESULTS Austin 2014 Benefit
Saturday November 22, 2014
6:00 pm - Reception
6:45pm - Program
Refreshments will be served
Pat Hayes Education Center
at Dell Children's Medical Center
4900 Mueller Blvd. Austin, TX
Keynote speaker:
former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General
& RESULTS Board Member
Seeds of Hope Honoree:
Dr. Coburn Allen
Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician
at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
&
Medical Director of myLIFEspeaks medical clinic in Haiti
For more information or to get involved, contact Anne Child:
childanne@gmail.com; 512-919-9271
www.results.org
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