The meeting focused on a presentation by Jane Shurtleff about the Prosperity Initiative and the Community Coalition for Prosperity (CC4P). Jane explained that Pima County has a poverty rate of 13.8%, with 17.8% of children living below the poverty line, and that the initiative aims to break cycles of generational poverty through 13 evidence-based policies across housing, health, education, and workforce development. She described CC4P as a collaborative effort involving government, nonprofits, businesses, and people with lived experience, and highlighted recent progress such as investments in affordable housing, food bank support, and early childhood education scholarships. Jane encouraged the Rotary club to get involved by joining CC4P as a member or participating in its working groups.
Kristina, a principal at Roadrunner Elementary, shared her school's literacy efforts, including a book vending machine funded by a district grant, and the club discussed providing additional funding for books. The group also touched on the challenges of student attendance and the role of schools as social service agencies. Other topics included a brief discussion about the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and the club's ongoing youth exchange efforts.
Next steps
Kristina
Collaboration