Speak United

Economic Anxiety into Action

Meghan Keaney Anderson — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:36:04 -0400

A few weeks ago as the stock market went through yet another round of dives, a friend of mine got an email from his financial advisor that read, in jest, “I hope you’re not standing near any windows.” He told me about it with a shrug and I agreed, it’s getting pretty scary out there. The issue has continued to inhabit the uneasy consciousness of people of every age group from any social and economic background throughout the nation. It has replaced "weather" as the primary discussion topic among strangers. It has dominated nearly every section of every paper or media outlet, so much so that the recent presidential debate which was intended to focus on national security, returned again and again to one looming question: What do we do about the economy? read more »

Investing in children -- better than Wall Street?

Meghan Keaney Anderson — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:25:29 -0400

As government purse-strings are tightening in the midst of economic uncertainty, the Partnership for America's Economic Success recently gathered to propose focusing our national and local investments in children.

As Weekend America Public Radio reports: "Hedge fund managers, CEOs and chamber of commerce presidents may not seem like obvious advocates for the expansion of social programs, but they've become perhaps the most enthusiastic and effective supporters of preschool. read more »

Update on Hurricane Gustav

Meghan Keaney Anderson — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:12:01 -0400

Gustav officially made landfall today in Louisiana. A group of volunteers has already created a wiki to centralize information about the storm, available resources and ways to help. MSNBC has posted a really good map of the storm's path and United Way's 211 hotlines have already received 500-1500 calls a day per center. By Wednesday morning, residents are expecing 6-12 inches of rain over portions of Louisiana, Southern Mississippi and Arkansas, with up to 20 inches in some locations. I thought I'd pass along an update that I recieved today about United Way's expectations and response to Gustav. If new information comes in as the storm progresses, I'll let you know. The following is an update we've received from Erin Sammons, United Way of America Director of Crisis Preparedness, Response and Recovery:

"The Coordinated National Response Core Crisis Team at United Way of America has been mobilized to help local United Ways and people throughout the region: read more »