Message from the Executive Director:
A New Way of Seeing
by Charity Eleson
Charity has returned from her seven-month leave, which she spent exploring Europe. She brought back with her a new take on our nation's role in the world and on the Council's work. In this column, Charity writes about this new perspective.
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The Unintended Consequences of Blended Sentencing
by Wendy Henderson
Blended sentencing refers to a court's ability to impose a sentence outside of its normal realm, i.e. an adult court to impose a juvenile sentence, or a juvenile court to impose an adult criminal sentence. This article discusses how this well-intentioned approach often backfires.
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Reexamining (Part of) Wisconsin’s Approach to Assisting the Unemployed: Are We Due for Changes in W-2?
by John Keckhaver
The launch of the new Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, which now administers W-2, suggests an appropriate time to reexamine the program's effectiveness and consider policy changes that could improve outcomes for low-income families and their kids.
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One Year into Vision 2020, Momentum is Building
by Vicky Selkowe
Our campaign, developed in partnership with WISCAP and the WI Head Start Association, to end child poverty in Wisconsin is taking root in communities across the state. The coalition now includes 70 organizations, and nearly 900 state residents have pledged their support. Read all about it here.
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On the ground with...
Sherrie Tussler , Executive Director, Hunger Task Force
interview by Bob Jacobson
In this interview, Sherrie Tussler describes the impact rising food costs and a lousy economy are having on hunger and the ability of agencies to help people facing food insecurity.
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Register Now! :
2008 Poverty Matters
Renewing Economic Opportunity Conference
(formerly the Women & Poverty Conference)
September 18-19, 2008
Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton 
Sponsored by our Vision 2020 partners the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP), this unique opportunity supports the sharing of ideas, development of new strategies, greater integration of services, and a better understanding of how low-income residents in poverty and helping organizations in Wisconsin can work together toward self-sufficiency. The Conference will feature an entire track related to the Vision 2020 Campaign and taking action on poverty issues. See www.wiscap.org for details and registration info.

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Did you know that you can access all sorts of useful data about the well-being of Wisconsin's children and families via the WisKids Count portion of our website? There are a lot of tools available for county-by-county comparisons and generating tables, charts, etc. Check it out.

And did you know that WCCF publishes e-newsletters on a variety of specific issues, including health care, early education, economic support, juvenile justice and other youth issues, and budget and tax matters? Well, we do. If you are interested in any of these issues, please consider signing up for one or more of these email bulletins. You can also sign up via that page for action alerts and for one or more of our campaigns. Once you see the impressive volume of work we are doing on the issues that matter to you, you will no doubt feel moved to help support this work by making a donation to WCCF.