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JOBS
Jon-Paul Bianchi, senior program officer at WKKF, explores the private sector’s role as a supporter, disruptor and innovator in addressing America’s child care challenges in a new blog post. In the post, featured on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s website, Bianchi asserts that child care is a critical economic issue affecting U.S. business competitiveness across both small businesses and national corporations. He also says it’s an ongoing challenge for families and employees. The post showcases innovative child care solutions and highlights WKKF’s own investment in a child care real estate fund to expand both provider facilities and families’ access to child care. Bianchi emphasizes that when businesses prioritize child care, it yields benefits for employees, families, companies, communities and the broader economy.
NEW MEXICO
Future Farmer’s of America (FFA) and career and technical education are center stage at Hatch Valley Public Schools, a program that’s celebrating 95 years of agricultural education this year. Hatch Valley FFA in New Mexico has revitalized its agricultural education program, growing from eight to 225 members. Superintendent Michael Chavez, along with agriculture instructional coach Kim O’Byrne, introduced hydroponics into classrooms and a vertical farm for high school students, funded by a WKKF grant. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, covering agricultural mechanics, wildlife management and animal science. They also plan to build an animal science center to address local veterinary shortages. The initiative, supported by community leaders, aims to equip students with practical skills for future careers.
MICHIGAN
Detroit-based grantee Outlier Media is part of a new era of local nonprofit newsrooms that are developing novel ways to bring community voices and needs to the forefront of their journalism strategies. Their goal is to be a trusted source of accurate, timely information to help their local community thrive. Their innovative model started by building a text message service for delivering news even before they had a website, allowing them to serve people who lack access to the internet, an audience often overlooked by other media outlets.
Battle Creek-based grantee Pulse hosted CEO roundtables and summits across Michigan to develop a roadmap for business leaders to create conditions that help their employees’ families thrive. Jet service provider Duncan Aviation followed this roadmap to boost their talent attraction and retention policies while also addressing the needs of the local early care and education sector. This came after they learned that 60% of their workforce missed at least one day of work each month due to child care challenges. After working with Pulse, Duncan has developed a partnership with the Bright Light Early Care and Education child care center to give their employees a vetted, high-quality place for their children to receive care and education.
LEADERSHIP
Futuro Investigates, established by WKKF grantee Futuro Media, has earned two Emmy nominations for its collaboration with FRONTLINE and the Texas Tribune on a documentary about the Uvalde school shooting. The powerful documentary explores the tragic events and aftermath of the Texas shooting, providing in-depth analysis and storytelling that resonates with audiences nationwide. These nominations underscore Futuro Investigates’ commitment to impactful journalism and its role in uncovering critical stories that matter.
FOOD SYSTEMS
In a historic move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Discrimination Financial Assistance Program distributed $2.2 billion in funds to more than 43,000 farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who faced discrimination in the USDA’s lending programs prior to 2021. Over the last year, community organizations helped farmers and assisted with the application process. This included several WKKF grantees such as the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Land Loss Prevention Project, Rural Coalition, Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Federation of Southern Cooperatives and National Young Farmers Coalition. The funds offer vital support that enable recipients to continue or enhance their farming operations, start new ventures or recover lost income.