CoActive Connections

We are a nonprofit organization working toward a vision where no one will be treated differently because of their economic status.

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Here's some beautiful words to live by for your #FeelGoodFriday! "What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" -George Eliot

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Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, consider planting an edible garden and share your fruits and veggies with your neighbors who might be hungry. What are you doing to celebrate? #earthday

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Happy #feelgoodfriday! "A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world."

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Did you know that there is a rise in what is called income volatility? More and more people are experiencing an unsteady income, and lower wage workers are hardest hit by this trend. Find out more on why unsteady incomes are on the rise:

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1 in 5 Millennials Live in Poverty, Census Bureau Says

One in five young adults – ages 18 to 34 years old – live in poverty, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Even though the economy is bouncing back, poverty has been increasing since the 1980's among young adults. 1 in 5 Millennials are currently experiencing poverty. Do you think this trend will continue? Why?

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Simulation raises awareness of poverty : The Umpqua Post

CoActive Connections celebrates Reedsport Oregon teachers for working hard to better understand their students and their families for the benefit of all! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you to increase poverty awareness and brainstorm some actions we can all take to engage students who might be experiencing poverty.

Almost one in four residents in Reedsport live in poverty. The state's poverty rate is 16 percent. Those are numbers from the United States Census Bureau 2009-2013 American Community Survey.

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"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude." - Thomas S. Monson

(Image via brightlybeautifulblog)

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Through a child’s eyes: the perplexity of homelessness | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Here's some inspiration for your Feel Good Friday! You can make a difference, no matter your age or how small the act may seem. This article came to us from a friend who knows this altruistic family. “If we had more children like that coming in behind us, we’ll be all right.” 

Also, you won't believe how young this gentleman is. :)

Some people are annoyed by the homeless folks who inhabit the streets of Eugene. Others feel compassion and concern and try to help any way they can. Carter Bahler falls into the latter group. He was so worried about a dozen or so homeless campers near the Chambers Street overpass and Railroad Boulevard in west Eugene that he sold some of his posessions to help buy them necessities such as toothpaste.

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Happy #FeelGoodFriday! Here's some inspiration to help get you through today. What are you giving?

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Our homeless crisis

“Everyone thinks that people who choose to be out here are all doing it because they’d rather just be lazy,” she said. “Most people I hang out with are stuck here by what life has done to them. Something bad happened, something else bad happens, and all of a sudden you have nothing left.”

Why are there so many homeless in Portland and Oregon? This Oregonian series on housing the homeless explores the issues and solutions.

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It Is Expensive to Be Poor

It is costly to be poor. "If you don’t have a kitchen or even a refrigerator and microwave, you will find yourself falling back on convenience store food, which—in addition to its nutritional deficits—is also alarmingly overpriced. If you need a loan, as most poor people eventually do, you will end up paying an interest rate many times more than what a more affluent borrower would be charged." In what other ways is it expensive to be poor?

Minimum-wage jobs are physically demanding, have unpredictable schedules, and pay so meagerly that workers can't save up enough to move on.

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We had an incredible 2014, made possible with your support! Have a wonderful New Year and don't forget to spread some hope!

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Thanks for joining us for "A Christmas Carol in Prose" over the weekend! It was an incredible event, and it would not have been possible without your support and presence. Happy Holidays!

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Join us on December 14th at the His­toric Deep­wood Estate for refresh­ments, tra­di­tional sto­ry­telling and good com­pany to enhance your hol­i­day sea­son! Watch a unique per­for­mance of a clas­sic tale, per­formed entirely by one man — Rickie Bir­ran of Man of Words.

All proceeds benefit CoActive Connections, a nonprofit that trains educators, health providers, and other groups about the realities of poverty.

Tick­ets for Mati­nee Per­for­mance (3:00–4:30PM, $25) — Bring your  family!

Tick­ets for Evening Per­for­mance (7:00–8:30PM, $50) — Dessert and beverages

Refresh­ments from Life­Source Nat­ural Foods and other local ven­dors will be avail­able.

If you are unable to attend, but still want to spread some hol­i­day cheer by donat­ing to a good cause, then please con­sider mak­ing a dona­tion by click­ing on one of the ticket links above, and enter­ing in the amount you wish to donate under “Addi­tional Dona­tion.” You do not have to pur­chase a ticket to do this, so please con­sider this as an option.

Your sup­port means we can reach more peo­ple with poverty education!

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No more applause for predicting rain, only for building arks.

Don Carstensen, Interim Vice President Workforce Development Division of the American College Testing system (ACT)

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Here’s a peek into the work that we do (and shared on the front page of Saturday’s Statesman Journal)! Last week we presented at a conference where 200 school administrators and educators across the state attended. We are so proud of the work that we do, and excited to see it shared with community members.

Here’s Waldo Middle School Principal Tricia Nelson’s takeaway: “I know how important it is to involve families but I can’t seem to get enough of them involved. Now I know why. Maybe if I did something on the weekend or different hours or find out how they want to be involved.”

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Guess who updated their brochures? Stop by our office to pick one up, or we can mail them to you too! Send us a request at [email protected]