National Conference on Poverty to be Held in Silver Spring
Local, national and global leaders engaged in efforts to end poverty will share their efforts and approaches during the National Conference on Ending Poverty on March 29.
The conference is sponsored by A Wider Circle in collaboration with Montgomery County’s Office of Community Partnerships.
It will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
“Poverty is a major issue around the country, throughout our region, and right here in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett.
According to County released statistics, the Federal poverty level has been $18,530 for a family with one parent, one infant and one school age child. In Montgomery County that family needed an annual income of $74,983, or an hourly wage of $35.50 to cover basic necessities.
“Meeting the growing and diverse needs of the most vulnerable of our community must be our priority,” Leggett said. “I applaud A Wider Circle for bringing together this gathering of experts to share and learn from best practices around the country. Let’s become the national model right here in Montgomery County.”
Conference highlights include presentations by national and regional experts in addition to discussions by those rising out of poverty. The conference will be moderated by Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank
“Nearly 50,000,000 adults and children live in poverty in the United States,” said Mark Bergel, executive director of A Wider Circle, who was recently named a 2014 CNN Hero for his efforts to reduce poverty. “That breaks my heart because we have the resources and the expertise to reduce that number to zero. On March 29, experts from around the country will share strategies that have worked in their communities and around the world. When those living in the greatest need become our greatest priority, we will end poverty.”
Find more information about the conference and how to register here.
Engage us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Tweets by @mymcmedia