Welcome to the Kleinert Foundation Weekly Reader! Each Monday, we deliver a variety of resources to help keep our community informed and engaged.
Articles, Blogs, & Reports
Our kids are facing a crisis like no other By: FWDDFW, Charles R. English and Jim Clark
“As the nation has moved into an almost virtual world — both in the workforce and academically — kids and teens are struggling to stay connected. Youth need caring adults to express their concerns and share their dreams and hopes for the future. This pandemic has only further isolated inequities youth face, and it’s critical for young people to know there are adults who care about their overall well-being. Without a positive influence in their lives, kids can turn to negative influences and get on the wrong path.
In a recent study conducted by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 90% of club members say they go to a staff member for help in a crisis, and 83% of club members go to a staff member right here in Dallas. Mentors help prevent early drug use, encourage teens to pursue higher education, and promote positive mental health outcomes. In Dallas, an additional 17 school sites are now receiving Boys & Girls Clubs programming to help meet the need in this community. With more than 400,000 trained staff and volunteers across the country, we are filling a gaping need. But there is still so much more we need to do.” Read more here.
At United Way Dallas, Social Innovation Drives Lasting, Systemic Change By: United Way Dallas
“In a world that’s constantly changing—particularly now in the midst of a global pandemic—United Way of Metropolitan Dallas continually looks for new ways to address the challenges that come with that change.
And as the world spins, we pivot to adapt to those new challenges while also bringing bold new solutions to pervasive problems.
In 2020, our social innovators have had to answer questions such as:
What if your program provides meals to kids or seniors, but they don’t have transportation because of COVID-19? (You flip to delivering meals to them instead of them coming to you.)
What if you can no longer provide your main service, building out neighborhoods, because of social distancing requirements? (You temporarily switch to making personal protective equipment.)” Read more here.
5 Reasons to Take the Spend-Gooder Pledge By: Cause Consumer, Robert Jones
“For eight months now, we’ve been telling stories about social enterprises that are selling great products in order to do great things in the world – jewelry that helps trafficked women, candles that support refugee communities or new moms, coffee that creates hope for disconnected youth.
Nothing makes us happier than hearing from a reader who says, “I never knew there were so many ways to support social good with my everyday spending.” That kind of feedback tells us that we’re succeeding in our mission to raise awareness of the social enterprise sector.
But awareness is only half the mission. The other half is activation, and that’s why we just launched a new effort we’re calling the Spend-Gooder Pledge.
The Pledge is not about spending more – just more intentionally. It’s a commitment to look at your current lifestyle spending and shift $5 a week, on average from “mass brands” to “mission brands.”
We think it’s easy to shift your spending once you shift your mindset, but in case you’re not quite there yet, here are our Top 5 reasons to take the Pledge:” Read more here.
Texas Will Help Struggling Renters, But It'll Take A While By: KERA, Christopher Connelly
“Texas will set aside $171 million of federal funding to help struggling renters catch up on missed payments and avoid homelessness as the coronavirus continues to spread widely across Texas. The news follows a federal moratorium on evictions issued at the beginning of September, and as hundreds of thousands of Texans have fallen behind on rent payments. Still, the money won't make it to cash-strapped renters until the end of the year or later.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the state will funnel $167 million in federal funds that Congress approved in March to help states combat the coronavirus pandemic and cushion its economic devastation. An additional $4.2 million will fund an eviction diversion program that will give willing underwater tenants and their landlords two months to work out a resolution before continuing with eviction proceedings.” Read more here.
Podcasts
“Our 17th annual International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference this year was a huge success with over 99 presenters and 2,300 in attendance from a total of 43 U.S. states and 19 countries. Listen to how the conference got started, the structure, how we plan it, and highlights from this massive three-day event, all virtual this year. ” Listen here.
The Good Office Podcast Episode Episode 17: 5 Tips to Landing Larger Deals as a Small Business
“It’s easy to impose limitations on yourself when you’re a new brand just starting out. Looking at what you lack (rather than what sets you apart) is a common mistake to make. Even in Jillian’s earlier professional life, she felt intimidated about approaching a large brand for a partnership (even though it was ultimately successful).
This week’s episode focuses on how to approach and begin working with larger brands as a small business. Jillian presents her top 5 pieces of advice for how a smaller brand can not only make the first step toward a profitable partnership but also leave a solid impression and deliver real value. These tips may help you land a new partner and expand your reach while earning your team respect.” Listen here.
Upcoming Events
Refugee Services Texas Virtual Saturday Book Club: After The Last Border
Saturday, October 24, 2020 10:00 am- 11:30 am CST
“Join us on Saturday, October 24th at 10:00AM CST for our Saturday Book Club as we take a closer look into After the Last Border by Jessica Goudeau! We'll start off our October book club meeting by hosting a Q&A with the author Jessica herself, lead by RST's Development Director Ashley Faye, and break into smaller community groups after to further discuss the stories of the two women in After the Last Border!” Learn more here.
Wednesday, Oct 28, 2020, 11:00 AM -Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 12:00 PM CST
“Building systems that are equitable for women and people of color expands prosperity for everyone. The opportunities for human-centered design, innovation and impact that will take us there are unprecedented. But even as there are growing reasons to hope, we must commit to reform through principles, policies, and practices that level the playing field and create opportunity. bigBANG! 2020 will lift up rightful disruption and its methods to dismantle injustice and intentionally rework and rebuild systems that provide equal opportunity for all people to participate with dignity in the economic life of our society.” Learn more here.
Friday, November 9, 2020 - Saturday, November 10, 2020
“Join us for New Friends New Life's virtual conference! Sold: Virtual Conference on Human Trafficking and Exploitation offers cutting-edge topics targeting an array of professionals including advocates, legal community, law enforcement, healthcare workers, and educators. Our conference is designed to provide relevant and up to date training for those working on the front lines and behind the scenes in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation. Register today!” Learn more here.
From Dallas Doing good
Q&A with Darrion Lewis: Behind Every Door By: Mary Martin
“Darrion Lewis grew up in Dallas with a teenage mom and the support of his grandparents. His practical view of cyclical poverty led to his career working first as a Juvenile Probation Officer, and then launching his own nonprofit focused on working with at-risk young men in low-income communities. Now Darrion is leading the team at Behind Every Door, an organization that is changing the narratives and experiences that surround poverty through neighborhood presence, after-school programming, and meeting practical needs with real resources. Our conversation with Darrion is a reality check about how the conversation around poverty and service in low-income neighborhoods is overdue for a shift toward more relational understanding.” Read more here.
From The Liberty Line Newsletter
“In just the past few weeks, law enforcement operations in Georgia, Indiana and Ohio have led to the rescue of some 70-plus children who had been reported missing or were considered endangered. In some cases, charges of sex trafficking have been filed. The public will likely never know a great deal of detail about how these children wound up in these horrible situations – and that’s as it should be. They deserve the privacy to heal. Unfortunately, when information is hard to come by, rumors and misinformation fill in the gaps. Some of these rumors and misinformation are spread intentionally to scare people into believing they should live in fear for their children in today’s environment. That’s only a piece of the problem with these kinds of rumors. ” Read more here.
October Book of the Month
After the Last Border By: Jessica Goudeau
“After the Last Border is an intimate look at the lives of two women as they struggle for the twenty-first century American dream, having won the "golden ticket" to settle as refugees in Austin, Texas.” Purchase a book here.
October Product of the Month
Love Welcomes - Welcome Mat
“Love Welcomes is a creative social enterprise that helps refugee women begin to stitch their lives back together. We reclaim the life vests and blankets worn by frightened, exhausted refugees as they wash up on European shores. Our team of refugee women then transform them into beautiful, handmade welcome mats (and more) that we sell all over the world.” Learn more here.