Representatives of nearly 50 organizations from cities and reservations across the state gathered in Mitchell November 18-19 for the Summit on Children and Families in Poverty: Working together, building on cornerstones. Goals of the two-day event were to assess gains since last year?s Summit on Children in Poverty and form a coalition of stakeholders to advance policy recommendations in the Summit report, ?A Common Good? (www.sdvoicesforchildren.org). One of the gains is the launch in July of the Bridge to Benefits Web site (www.sdbridgetobenefits.org). This site can improve the well-being of many families and individuals by linking them to tax credits and benefit programs

In 2007, the U.S. Census reported 17 percent (33,000) of South Dakota children younger than 18 lived below the federal poverty threshold (an annual income of $16,705 for a family of three).

A report by the National Center for Children in Poverty shows the number of South Dakota children living in poverty increased from 14 percent (27,182) in 2000 to 17 percent (32,511) in 2007. According to the 2009 KIDS COUNT data book, that?s 5,000 more South Dakota children living in poverty now than at the beginning of the decade.

?A Common Good? lists five cornerstones ? economic security, housing, health and nutrition, education, building public will ? needed to build prosperity and combat childhood poverty in South Dakota. It also includes 28 recommendations to achieve those goals.

Panelist Randy Parry represented the Miner County Revitalization Project, which is at the forefront of a successful effort to rescue farm towns from extinction. ?You can?t change the world by yourself,? he said. ?You need partners.?

Creation of a partnership coalition to build prosperity for all South Dakotans over the next three years ? to assure our common good ? began at the Summit. Partnership members will meet again in April to move forward an agenda. For more information, or to join the coalition, contact South Dakota Voices for Children at 605 367-9667 or e-mail office@sdvoicesforchildren.org.

To see photos taken at the Summit, click here.

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