The Faith Coalition on Poverty and Public Policy
offers these topics and speakers for free presentations in Huntsville and
surrounding areas. If you are interested in a topic not listed here, please
contact Linda Haynes at 256-489-3884 or fcppp.info@gmail.com
Education
Title: “The Face of Poverty: Educating All Our Children”
Description: The seminar includes research as well as practical strategies
that may be used in educating children in poverty. The presenters will
share how individuals and organizations can make a difference in educating ALL children.
Speaker: Dr. Kreslyn McGinnis and/or Ms. Avis Williams.
- Dr. Kreslyn Kelley McGinnis is the principal of Montview Elementary School in Huntsville. She
has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Masters Degree in
Special Education from Alabama A&M University and completed her Doctoral
studies at Tennessee State University. She previously worked for Teledyne
Brown Engineering, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Huntsville and Madison
County, and served emotionally conflicted and learning disabled students
at Davis Hills Middle School, and was a curriculum specialist at Lakewood
Elementary.
- Avis Williams, principal of Terry Heights Elementary School in Huntsville, AL,
has served in leadership positions in the military, as an entrepreneur and now
as an instructional leader. She received her B.S. in education from Athens State
University with certifications in English and Physical Education. Her teaching career
included Butler High School in Huntsville and Liberty Middle School in Madison.
Williams received her Administrative Certification from Jacksonville State and her Ed.S.
from the University of Alabama, where she is currently pursuing an Educational Doctorate.
Contact: Kreslyn McGinnis, 256-337-3658, kreslyn1syenergy@aol.com or,
Ms. Avis Williams, 256-426-8219, avis1syenergy@aol.com
Predatory Lending
Title: “Predatory and Abusive Lending Practices in Alabama”
Description,: Predatory Lending practices in the state affect thousands of
Alabama's working poor. This workshop will examine the practices and the
financial consequences to the working people who are caught in the trap of
borrowing money through practices such as pay day loans, car title loans
and check loans. This workshop is suitable for folks hoping to avoid
predatory loans as well as groups interested in state reforms which would
eliminate these unscrupulous practices.
Speaker: Joseph O. Collins Sr.
- Joseph O. Collins Sr. serves on the Northeast District Church and
Society Steering Committee for the United Methodist Church. He is author of
a UMC Moral Issue Paper on Predatory Lending and speaks to various groups
about this topic. Collins is a military veteran; earned his BA Degree in
Sociology from Saint Leo University; and attended specialized courses at the
University of Tennessee, Florida Institute of Technology, Alabama A&M
University and The Department of Defense Race/Human Relations Institute at
Cocoa Beach Florida.
Contact: Joseph O. Collins Sr., jocollins@bellsouth.net
Public Transportation,
Title: “Getting around Huntsville by Public Transportation”
Description: A lack of transportation is the number one deterrent to
employment. In addition to work, folks without cars need to be able travel
to schools, grocery stores, doctors offices and recreational events. With
limited hours, routes and few bus shelters, the Huntsville public
transportation system is far from adequate. Participants can learn what the
state of transportation is in the city and what they can do to encourage
officials to make transportation accessible to all citizens.
Speaker: Rosemary Urban
- Rosemary Urban is retired from the Huntsville/Madison County
Library system where she was the branch manager at the Oscar Mason library
for eight years. She is also a founding member of the Faith Council on
Poverty and Public Policy, an organic gardener and farmer and a homeless
outreach team coordinator for First Stop.
Contact: Rosemary Urban, 256-539-3508, sisterfire@juno.com
Constitutional Reform for Alabama
Title: “Alabama Needs a New Constitution”
Description: The Huntsville-Sand Mountain chapter of Alabama Committee for
Constitutional Reform offers a workshop designed to educate the public regarding
the need for a constitutional convention to rewrite Alabama's outdated
constitution. The workshop features a humorous but informative 25 minute film
"It's a Thick Book" followed by discussion by well informed speakers.
Speaker: Various knowledgeable people are available to show the film and
lead discussion. The only equipment needed would be a screen or other
surface on which to project the film.
Contact: Bill Goodson, 256-536-7535 whgoodson@aol.com
Climate Change
Title: “Facing up to the impact of climate change on Alabama's
impoverished people and communities”
Description: Climate change impacts the poor unfairly. While some might
see this environmental issue as political wrangling, many individuals
already understand the changes we are experiencing and concern for our
future. Participants will learn how faith communities across the country
are already working to alleviate climate change. They’ll also discover how
to approach local and state civic leaders for change, and how to support
those civic leaders already making progress.
Speaker: Jim Yeager
- Jim Yeager is the past Church and Society Committee Chair for Holmes
Street United Methodist Church in Huntsville. He currently speaks on
alleviating climate change to civic clubs, church groups, and school
gatherings. He is an advocate for on-farm biofuel production because of the
fantastic prosperity potential these new agricultural commodities offer the
impoverished agricultural community. Yeager is a retired propulsion systems
engineer and farm machinery developer. Formal education includes a degree
in Agricultural engineering.
Contact: Jim Yeager, 256-881-3942, jimyeager@bellsouth.net
Single Parenthood
Title: “Single Parenthood and Poverty”
Description: Since the 1960's there has been a growing gap between married
families and single-parent families. For single-parent families, the poverty
rate is 40%, compared to 7% for married families. Thus children growing up
in single-parent families are much more likely to have a parent who is poor,
less educated and with fewer economic opportunities. As adults, they are
at greater risk to experience poverty themselves and to pass on the cycle of
poverty to their children. This workshop will provide information how to get
involved in local programs and affect public policy so that fewer children
grow up in poverty.
Speaker: Deborah Preece
- Deborah Preece is the Executive Director of the Madison County
Coalition for Healthy Marriages. The coalition promotes the importance of
healthy relationships and has been instrumental in bringing marriage
education programs to Huntsville. Most recently, Preece taught relationship
education to middle and high school girls at the Huntsville Housing
Authority. The class, Relationship Smarts, helps teens prepare for healthy
relationships and future healthy marriages. Preece has a BS in Psychology
from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Contact: Deborah Preece, 256-489-3924, Preece.mcchm@knology.net
Tax Issues
Title: “Legislative Advocacy 101” or “Issue Briefing”
Description: “Legislative Advocacy 101”: This workshop helps ordinary
citizens understand how the legislative process works and how they can make
a difference. People are hurting because of policy decisions made at all
levels of government. Alabama Arise believes that citizens must make our
voices heard and be part of the policy making process if we want to address
the systemic causes of poverty. This workshop is part of Arise’s strategy
to equip and motivate people to work for a fairer Alabama.
“Issue Briefing”: Informed people can help shape good public policy that
benefits all Alabamians, but especially the poor. Alabama Arise is a
coalition of congregations and groups that work on legislative issues
affecting low-income people in Alabama. This workshop offers an overview of
seven issues chosen by Arise’s members for action this year. Participants
also learn steps they can take to educate others on these issues.
Speakers: Kimble Forrister or Stan Johnson
- Kimble Forrister is Executive Director of Arise Citizens’ Policy Project in
Montgomery, AL. A native of Nashville, Forrister became the first staff
person at Alabama Arise in 1991. Arise now has a membership of 155 congregations
and organizations that promote fairer state policies toward low-income
Alabamians. Forrister is a graduate of David Lipscomb University and Princeton
Theological Seminary. After seven years of urban ministry in the Northeast,
he was a Southeast Organizer for nine years with Bread for the World in
Washington, DC.
- Stan Johnson is an organizer for Alabama Arise and lives in the Birmingham
area.
Contact: Kimble Forrister, State Coordinator for Alabama Arise, 334-832-9060,
kimble@alarise.org or,
Stan Johnson, Organizer for Alabama Arise, 205-833-3301, stan@stanjohnson.com
Disabilities
Title: "Disabilities and Poverty”
Description: This talk is about how people with disabilities often live
in poverty. It provides examples plus statistics on how and why this happens
in our society. While there are some options for assisting people with
disabilities, we urgently need changes in public policy to help disabled
people out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.
Speaker: Bryan Dodson
- Bryan Dodson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer,
Huntsville Rehabilitation Foundation since 1981. He is a Past President of
the Alabama Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, past member of the
NISH Board of Directors (national association of Community Rehabilitation
Programs employing over 43,000 people across the United States) and past VP
for Reserve Affairs for the Redstone Chapter, Association of the US Army.
He currently serves on the Boards of The Huntsville Chamber of Commerce
Foundation and Interfaith Mission Service. He is the immediate past chair
of the Employer's Coalition for Health Care Options for Alabama and a past
chair of the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama. He retired as a
Colonel from the US Army Reserve in 2004 with 30 years service. In 1999,
Dodson was awarded the Milt Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award from NISH (for
most outstanding Community Rehabilitation Facility Executive in the US).
Contact: Bryan Dodson, 256-319-7862, bdodson@hsvrehab.org
Mental Health
Title: "Poverty and Mental Health"
Description: Mental illness has a significant affect on poverty in our
country. This talk provides information on how to campaign against the
stigma of mental illness, what we can do at the local and state level to
bring about change, and what national reforms are on the horizon.
Speaker: Brian Davis
- Brian Davis is Executive Director of the Mental Health Center of
Madison County. He is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) and
Certified Behavioral Healthcare Executive (CBHE) with over 20 years
experience in the mental health field. He is a graduate of Leadership
Huntsville/Madison County Class 20 and currently participates on the Board
of Directors for The Partnership for a Drug Free Community and The Council
for Faith and Mental Illness, the Advisory Boards for the Medical Reserves
Corp and the Mental Health Association, and the City of Huntsville's
Strategic Planning Group to address poverty.
Contact: Brian Davis, 256-705-6380, brian.davis@mhcmc.org
Immigration
Title: “Illegal Migration: Messages From the Border”
Description: This presentation addresses root causes driving the people of
Mexico to migrate illegally across the U. S. / Mexico border. It addresses
the human consequences of migration from the perspective of migrants. Her
talk is the result of interviews she conducted on a trip to the border in
the fall of 2006 of people on both sides of the border and the issue--US
Customs and Border Protection, US Border Patrol, professors at the University
of Arizona, social workers, ministers, an Arizona rancher, and migrants
themselves. Her presentation focuses on the impact of US foreign trade
policies, particularly NAFTA, as well as internal policies of the Mexican
government, on the economic displacement of people in these countries. She
also recognizes the impact of these policies on various sectors of the
economy here in North Alabama, the rest of the state and the country at
large.
Speaker: Ellin Sterne Jimmerson
- Ellin Sterne Jimmerson holds a Ph.D in 20th Century US Cultural &
Intellectual History from the University of Houston, TX (1990); a Masters
in Theological Studies with concentration in Latin American Liberation
Theology from Vanderbilt Divinity School (2005); a Master's in US History,
specializing in Southern Women's History (1977); and a B.A. in History and
French from Samford University (1974). Her article, "If it's a Sin to
Cross, May God Forgive Me," was published in the Huntsville Times, December
22, 2006.
Contact: Ellin Sterne Jimmerson, 256-881-8839,
ejimmerson@knology.net
Title: "A Thoughtful and Timely Look at U.S. Immigration
Issues"
Description: This presentation provides a relevant
analysis of U.S. immigration issues including: A review of U.S. immigration and policies;
historical statistics on U.S. immigration and deportation; current U.S. laws and policies;
recent immigration statistics and visa wait times; the impact of NAFTA and other free trade
agreements; the effect of U.S. farm subsidies; U.S. federal jurisdiction regarding
immigration laws; what states can and can't do; Alabama's MOU with the INS; the Joint
Interim Patriotic Immigration Commission (JIPIC) recommendations; what's happening in the
Alabama Legislature; debunking popular myths regarding immigration; and the position of
the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Speaker: John Dimmock, Ph.D.
John Dimmock, UA Huntsville Professor Emeritus, serves as the Coordinator (with Linda
Dimmock) for Peace and Justice for the Society of the Divine Savior (Catholic) in the U.S.
He is a major leader for Interfaith Mission Service in Huntsville, is an active with both
the Huntsville Immigration Initiative and the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice. He
is also Life Member of NAACP.
Contact: John Dimmock, Ph.D., 256-533-6120,
dimmockjo@comcast.net
Healthcare
Title: "Prescription for Change: How to Solve the Major
Crises in our American Healthcare System"
Description: While medical costs continue to rise faster
than incomes, American families are reaching a crisis point. Many are without health
insurance (47 million uninsured for all of 2006; another 50 million uninsured for part
of the year) and 18 million are under-insured. Those who have insurance are struggling
under rising premiums, co-pays and drugs costs. The answer, according to 59 percent of
American physicians, is a universal healthcare system. This presentation lays out how
the current system came about and how it needs to be overhauled -- to one that provides
quality healthcare to all Americans. A universal plan provides care as a human right,
and covers everyone regardless of age, income, work status, etc. Healthcare will still
be delivered privately by physicians, but the administrative costs will drop from 30
percent today to around 3 percent. This plan is already endorsed by many medical groups
including the American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, National
Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association.
Speaker: Wally Retan, M.D.
Wally Retan, M.D. is chair of Healthcare For Everyone - Alabama, a chapter of the
national organization Physicians For A National Health Care Program. He was originally
educated at Hamilton College, MIT and the Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York.
In the 1950s, Retan received his post-graduate training in hospitals of the Harvard
Medical system before moving to Alabama as a faculty member for University of Alabama
in Birmingham (UAB). After 30+ years of running his own internal medicine practice in
Birmingham, he currently serves as a part-time physician in nursing home medicine, and
travels throughout the state to promote universal healthcare. He is a member of the
American College of Physicians, Medical Association of the State of Alabama, and the
Jefferson County Medical Society.
Contact: Wally, Retan, M.D., 205-266-4928,
wretan2900@charter.net |
