Community Action of Laramie County, Inc., traces its roots to American antipoverty programs of the 1960s. The focus then, as now, was to assist those in need, and especially to help struggling families and individuals find a way out of poverty by offering them help at the local level. The thought was that if given enough resources, a community-based agency would have the best chance of identifying local causes and conditions of poverty--and of then making a difference in the lives of children, families and individuals in need.
Another way Community Action agencies have worked to find real and lasting solutions to poverty has been to encourage people from all walks of life to work together. Community Action of Laramie County carries on this tradition by having an 12-member tripartite governing Board of Directors representing the public, private and low-income sectors of Laramie County.
Effectiveness
Adding to the effectiveness of Community Action agencies is their ability to respond more directly to local needs. For instance, Community of Laramie County, Inc., is now working to build a new Early Childhood Development Programs facility in Cheyenne, to improve the education, nutrition, health and overall well-being of several hundred low-income preschool children. To make this building a reality will mean enlisting the leadership and support of businesses, civic clubs, community groups, religious organizations, government officials and educators as well as other concerned members of the community.
Today, more than 1,000 Community Action agencies are at work across America assisting children, families and individuals in need of financial aid, housing, medical care, food, educational opportunities, job training and self-sufficiency support.
Now in its 37th year, Community Action of Laramie County, Inc., is privileged to be part of this long-standing and proven network of caring.
Nationwide Network of Caring
Community Action agencies--of which Community Action of Laramie County, Inc., is a part--have a 40-year history of helping the poor in America. Today, Community Action agencies:
· "Serve 96% of the nation's counties.
· Are available to be a source of support for the more than 34.5 million people who are living in poverty in the United States.
· Provide services to the nation's poorest families--40% of whom have incomes below $11,445.
· Serve approximately 9.3 million individuals and 3.3 million families per year."
(Statistics source: Association for Volunteer Administration, "Dialogue with Derrick Len Span," May 2003, www.avaintl.org)
CALC's Mission
To enrich Laramie County by providing opportunities for low-income families and individuals to succeed.
CALC's Outreach: How We Make a Difference
From 2000-2002, Community Action of Laramie County, Inc., furthered its nearly 40-year outreach to Laramie County residents by:
· Serving more than 500 preschool children through Head Start. Head Start teaches children 3-5 years old basic academic skills and supports their nutrition, health and overall care. The goal is to help children enter kindergarten with the cognitive and social skills they need to be successful in school.
· Beginning an Early Head Start program that offers child development training and support for low-income families with children birth to 3 years. In the past year more than 60 families have been helped through weekly home visits and regular group meetings.
· Assisting more than 1,500 households--a total of about 2,500 individuals--with emergency help in the form of mortgage/rent, damage deposits and utility payments or by providing work-related needs such as clothing, identification papers and medical care. Emergency assistance totaled more than $268,000.
· Teaching groups workshops on money management, communication skills, budgeting and career planning to more than 600 individuals. Self-reliance workshops are free and open to the public and are combined with one-on-one assistance from case managers.
· Working with the international hunger relief group Feed The Children to provide emergency food to 1,240 Laramie County households.
· Providing transitional and permanent housing to 14 homeless and low-income families with more than 62 children and adults. Monthly rent for these families was set at about 30% below average for the community.
· Offering permanent and transitional housing to 42 homeless and disabled individuals at a 12-unit apartment complex owned and managed by Community Action of Laramie County.
· Giving two low-income families the opportunity to buy their first homes. CALC constructed the homes and assisted the families in securing low-interest financing.
· Offering primary healthcare and limited dental services to more than 2,000 homeless men, women and children through the Cheyenne Crossroads Clinic. Total visits exceeds 7,000.
· Providing several hundred low-income children with school supplies through Operation Back to School, in partnership with Needs, Inc., Wyoming Student Loan Corp., Laramie County School District #1 and the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.
