Children's Campaign, Inc. Announces "Truth Tour" & “Candidate Connection"
Florida’s children are in crisis and state budget woes portend further declines in their health and well-being.
Educating citizens and candidates about the reality facing Florida’s children will be the focus of the Our Children: 2008 Truth Tour to be launched by Children’s Campaign, Inc., a statewide watchdog group, in partnership with Voices for America’s Children, a national advocacy organization.
Ten citizen summits are being planned and more may be added. Groups and individuals who want the Our Children: 2008 Truth Tour to come to their community should contact Children’s Campaign Inc., at truthtour@iamforkids.org.
The urgency to concentrate attention on the plight of our children has never been greater. Florida dropped three slots in the national Kids Count ranking according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Released in June 2008, Kids Count compared states by infant mortality, teen births, high-school dropouts and other vital indicators. Florida is ranked 35th overall, falling to the bottom third of all states.
“Florida must engage in a frank and transparent discussion about the importance of investing wisely and attending to Florida’s children,” said Roy Miller, President of the Children’s Campaign. “We don’t have a minute to waste.”
“Voices for America’s Children is excited to provide support to the Children’s Campaign to conduct public education efforts over the next several months,” said Joe Theissen, Vice-President, Policy and Government Affairs. Voices members across the country are undertaking a number of activities including educational briefings, public events, media outreach and civic engagement.
To be included in the Truth Tour will be the Candidate Connection, a non-partisan effort to reach Florida’s future elected leaders. Dating back to 1994, Children’s Campaign, Inc. has sponsored the Candidate Connection to engage voters and candidates in thoughtful discussion about children’s issues.
Educational packets will be mailed to candidates for federal and state office the week of July 21 in advance of the party primaries and the November general election. Statewide teleconferences with candidates combined with face-to-face discussions in targeted local areas will follow.
Some groups and coalitions are already planning activities based on the Candidate Connection model. Requests for additional educational packets or technical assistance from the Children’s Campaign can be directed to truthtour@iamforkids.org or Mark Eichler at (302) 312-4349. All educational materials will be available for download from the Children’s Campaign website.
Each stop of the Our Children: 2008 Truth Tour will engage and empower citizens to take action through:
- A video presentation laying-out what is at stake;
- First-hand accounts of what Florida children are losing and the range of unmet needs;
- Opportunities to network with candidates and elected officials;
- Advocacy education designed to link citizens with policy-makers;
- Discussions with community leaders committed to improving conditions for children.