Finding solutions to Utah's poverty issues is all about forming partnerships, according to both Lt. Gov. Olene Walker and Bill Crim, executive director of Utah Issues.
Utah Issues is a non-profit organization interested in developing solutions to Utah's poverty problems.
The organization sponsored two conferences last week in the Union to address the issue of poverty and to help form partnerships between the private sector, the government and charitable foundations.
Walker shared her passion to find solutions to Utah's poverty problems during the first conference, "Faith and Community Works," on May 8.
She stressed the need to form partnerships throughout the community to "maximize the capability of what opportunities we have."
Such opportunities include charitable donations, volunteerism and bringing a heightened awareness of poverty issues to Utah citizens.
The diversity of religious groups represented at Thursday's conference was indicative of how forming partnerships can bring results.
Rather than working separately and possibly delaying finding solutions to Utah's worsening economic crisis (and therefore cuts in welfare programs), Christian, Islamic, Jewish and other religious organizations chose to come together to promote poverty awareness. Each group displayed literature about itself and how interested parties could donate to its services.
Alexa Filanowicz, a representative for the Christian-based Volunteers of America, shared her concerns about the economy and how it might affect charities.
"It is really important, especially now with all the government funding being cut, that people are aware there are a lot of people who need to be helped. It's going to be really hard for programs [like the ones on display at the conference], which depend on government money, to stay in operation."
In its 28th year, the conference on May 9, "Community Solutions," acted as a big brother for the Faith and Community conference, which premiered on May 8.
The main featured discussion, titled, "Can We Simultaneously Wage War on Terrorism and Poverty," addressed how the proposed federal budget might impact low-income programs.
That, coupled with workshops addressing homelessness, Medicaid, AIDS and poverty, the conference served as an informative haven for the subjects and again stressed the importance of forming partnerships throughout the community.
The unique thing about these conferences, according to Crim, is that they are "mostly about creating networks of people."
"We should be able to put Liberals and Conservatives and everyone in between in a room together and tell them to come out in an hour with a strategy and a goal for addressing Utah's [poverty] crises. We need to identify solutions to these problems and then move toward the solutions together," Crim said.
For more information on the conferences or for volunteer or donation opportunities, visit the Utah Issues Web site at www.utahissues.org.
cwieser@chronicle.utah.edu
