by Ken Toll
Maya Angelou once penned an essay titled, “I’ve Learned.” She offered some great nuggets of wisdom, including this one: “I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.”
Having lived nearly all of my life in Jackson, and after many years leading this United Way, I echo Angelou’s insight.
I keep learning of the breadth and depth of Jackson County’s compassion. The pandemic made that crystal clear. We rose up as a community, we faced the challenges, and we did what we could to ease the burdens of those most affected.
I keep learning that building a financially stable community for everyone is incredibly complicated. It’s not just about income. It’s about generational poverty. It’s about racial inequity. It’s about access to critical needs like child care and health care and transportation. It’s about success in school, and financial literacy, and supportive government policies. And yes, it’s about income, too.
I keep learning that not everyone understands that complexity. Not everyone realizes that poverty, as horrible as it is, tells only part of the story of financially unstable families.
That’s where ALICE comes in. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE represents hard-working individuals and families who live above the Federal Poverty Level but barely manage to get by. ALICE is the clerk at your favorite store, the server at your favorite restaurant, the receptionist at your favorite business. ALICE might be able to pay their bills—often by cutting back on essentials like food or medicine—but can’t save money, or generate assets, or build a retirement fund. Just one unexpected cost, like a broken water heater or a car repair, can push an ALICE household into poverty.
In 2016, United Way of Jackson County committed to building partnerships and investing in programs to create a financially stable community for everyone. Part of that commitment means learning the many needs and challenges ALICE faces—and making sure you do, too.
Over the next couple of months, we’re doing a deep dive on ALICE. We’re using an array of communication tools to raise awareness and understanding about poverty and ALICE across Jackson County. And I thought kicking off this initiative right after #JacksonWeGotThis Week is a great start.
In her essay, Angelou offered another learning: “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt in both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.”
Jackson County knows that. Jackson County proves that every day. And as we learn more about ALICE, we’ll all be equipped to come together and make a difference. Because ALICE is the people we count on. When ALICE succeeds, we all succeed.
Let’s start learning.
Ken Toll is President & CEO of United Way of Jackson County.