Acting Like Champions as We Celebrate Labor Day

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." – 1 Corinthians 15:58

We must be the champions in our respective community

In Mark 9:35 KJV, Jesus explained to the Apostles the meaning of being number one in his eyes.  “And he sat down and called the twelve, and saith unto them, if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all and servant to all.”

In celebration of the Labor Day weekend, I am providing some insight for Americans to continue our volunteer efforts where we can have direct impact on supporting the local community living in need. Volunteering locally is a pleasing and rewarding way to learn new skills and enjoy meeting innovative people and organizations. It is also a great opportunity for us to use our knowledge, experience and abilities to enhance non-profits, school programs and civic organizations.

The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains to alleviate poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the critical weeks ahead of the November elections.

The Associated Press surveyed more than a dozen economists, think tanks and academics, both nonpartisan and those with known liberal or conservative leanings, and found a broad consensus: The official poverty rate will rise from 15.1 percent in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7 percent. Several predicted a more modest gain, but even a 0.1 percentage point increase would put poverty at the highest level since 1965.

Poverty is spreading at record levels across many groups, from underemployed workers and suburban families to the poorest poor. More discouraged workers are giving up on the job market, leaving them vulnerable as unemployment aid begins to run out. Suburbs are seeing increases in poverty, including in such places as Colorado, Florida and Nevada, where residents are coping with a new norm of living hand to mouth.

The predictions for 2011 are based on separate AP interviews, supplemented with research on suburban poverty from Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution and an analysis of federal spending by the Congressional Research Service and Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute.

The analysts' estimates suggest that some 47 million people in the U.S., or 1 in 6, were poor last year. An increase of one-tenth of a percentage point to 15.2 percent would tie the 1983 rate, the highest since 1965. The highest level on record was 22.4 percent in 1959, when the government began calculating poverty figures.

Poverty is closely tied to joblessness. While the unemployment rate improved from 9.6 percent in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2011, the employment-population ratio remained largely unchanged, meaning many discouraged workers simply stopped looking for work. Food stamp rolls, another indicator of poverty, also increased.

Based on these survey findings, it is very clear that nationally people are more conscious than ever about the issues and concerns for addressing poverty. Northern Virginia is an affluent community and the majority of us have privileged lives. Historically Northern Virginia has a strong and proud tradition of volunteerism and we are driven by a common desire to improve the communities where we live and work by forming lasting volunteer partnerships with local organizations.

Through a commitment to service excellence we touch the lives of many people and promote hope and goodwill. We are involved in many community outreach projects that directly support our neighborhoods. These initiatives focus on civic opportunities, education, environment, safety and security and people living in need. We are tutors, mentors, classroom speakers, fund-raisers, board members and food drive organizers, among many other roles.

In Northern Virginia, we must be the ones to volunteer our time and resources. We can act as champions in our respective communities, using our own job related skills (i.e. program management, business development, sales and services, software and system engineering) to work with organizations that interweave community obligations with the desire to uplift and support those living in need.

The pressure of a growing population with tremendous cultural diversity challenges our community leaders. Our government infrastructure, churches, civic organizations and corporations need to work in unison to make certain that there is funding and programs in place to assure that no children go without attending school, receiving regular meals or wearing proper clothing and shoes. Let no family, regardless of any situation, go without shelter and be humbled beyond repair. In this way there is always a focus on achieving the common good for the entire community.

God bless our great community.