web1_IMG_0401.jpg

Dallas Elementary School third graders make ‘Baskets for New Beginnings’

web1_CenterPoint-Logo_toned.jpg

Cardbox Packaging Inc. opening first U.S. facility in CenterPoint

<p>The Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program at Misericordia University, in partnership with Aetna Better Health, will host the inaugural one-day conference, &#8220;Pathways Out of Poverty,&#8221; on Wednesday, May 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall.</p><p>The conference will bring together nationally recognized researchers and government officials with social service providers to discuss the impact of poverty and what can be done to end the intergenerational cycle of poverty in the region and across the state. Staff and administrators of social service agencies are encouraged to attend.</p><p>The conference is $25 and includes a continental breakfast and networking lunch. Due to limited seating, registration is required and can be made online by going to www.misericordia.edu/pathways. For more information, please call Katherine Pohlidal, director of the Bourger Women with Children Program at Misericordia University, at 570-674-6728 or email at kpohlidal@misericordia.edu.</p><p>Guest speakers include Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, as well as social research and public policy experts Luisa S. Deprez, Ph.D., professor emerita of sociology, University of Southern Maine, and Lisa Dodson, Ph.D., retired research professor of sociology, Boston College.</p><p>Drs. Deprez and Dodson have co-authored the briefs, &#8220;Helping Parents Get a College Education Helps Children Succeed&#8221; (2018) and &#8220;Why Higher Education is a Must for Low-Income Mothers&#8221; (2019), published by Scholars Strategy Network (SSN). They also co-wrote the article, &#8220;Keeping Us in Our Place: Low-Income Moms Barred from College Success,&#8221; which was published in CONTEXTS (2019). CONTEXTS is the American Sociological Association&#8217;s quarterly magazine that makes sociology available to general readers.</p><p>State secretaries Rivera and Miller will headline a presentation on state programs &#8211; including Gov. Tom Wolf&#8217;s new education initiative, &#8220;Parents Pathways,&#8221; that he launched during a visit to Misericordia University in February.</p><p>Bourger Women with Children program alumna Felicia Glover will present, &#8220;Truth on Poverty: A Single-Mother Family and the Pursuit of a College Degree,&#8221; a first-person report on the impact the program has had on her life and on her two young sons. A 2017 graduate, Glover is a public relations manager for a tri-county initiative in Georgia.</p><p>Fellow 2017 graduate Asia Thompson, who at times lived in her car with her two small children prior to enrolling at Misericordia, is currently pursuing a law degree at New York Law School. In her presentation, &#8220;I Am the Outcome, My Children are the Future,&#8221; she will discuss the outcomes on single mothers of educational efforts such as the Bourger program.</p><p>Dr. Deprez, the opening keynote speaker, will present, &#8220;A Pathway to the Future: How a College Degree Can Change a Life and a State.&#8221; Well known for her study of social justice, equality and equity focus on welfare policy, she will examine the power of higher education in sustaining privilege and the resultant impact on low-income parents. After a 40-year career in academia, Dr. Deprez continues to be an active contributor to state and national policy discussions that focus on vulnerable populations. Among hundreds of articles and presentations, she is the author of the books &#8220;SHUT OUT: Low-Income Women and Higher Education in Post Welfare America&#8221; (2004), and &#8220;The Family Support Act of 1988: A Case Study of Welfare Reform in the 1980s&#8221; (2002). She holds a doctorate in social policy from the Heller School, Brandeis University, and a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University.</p><p>Dr. Dodson will take the discussion forward with the presentation, &#8220;Where Do We Go from Here.&#8221; She currently is the co-chair of SSN Oregon. Her most recent book, &#8220;The Moral Underground: How Ordinary People Subvert an Unfair Economy&#8221; (2010), was called a &#8220;must-read&#8221; by Time Magazine. In a 2016 research report, &#8220;Mothers Know Best: At the Intersection of Low-Wage Work, Public Assistance and Childcare,&#8221; she addressed the multiple obstacles that low-income mothers face seeking social mobility.</p><p>In addition, participants will have the opportunity to tour Corazon, Aetna&#8217;s mobile health and wellness recreational vehicle, where they will be able enjoy a healthy smoothie bar, participate in Body Mass Index and other health screenings, and gather information on healthy living and how to eat healthy on a limited budget.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Dr-Lisa-Dodson.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dodson </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Dr-Lisa-Dodson.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dodson </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Dr-Luisa-Deprez.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Deprez </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Dr-Luisa-Deprez.jpg</photo1><caption1>Deprez </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>

‘Pathways Out of Poverty’ set for May 22 at Misericordia University