| NEW NEWS Volume 3, Number 1 |
October 1998 |
The Nevada Empowered Women's (NEW) Project is a grassroots, multicultural alliance whose mission is to further the rights of women and children who are living in or near poverty by addressing relevant issues such as welfare, child care, child support, housing, and health care, and by changing negative public perceptions.
This Month's Contents:
Be Aware in October: Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Look Out Las Vegas! NEW Project is here at last!
Wellstone Amendment Defeated - Study Takes Its Place
The Child Care Crisis Up Close
Be Aware in October: Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
by Rocío A. López
October is a very important month because it is not only Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many women think that neither of these will happen to them, but the truth is that they can. Both of these situations cut across class, ethnic, and racial lines, and we must all be prepared and informed about Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer.
Nearly one out of every four women in the United States will be abused by a current or former partner during her lifetime. In Nevada, over 36,000 women are battered every year. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a time to celebrate abused women who have ended the cycle of violence in their lives and in the lives of their children. It is also a time to mourn the loss of those women and children who have died needlessly at the hands of violence. Last year, six women in our own local area were killed by their abusers. During the fiscal year 1997-1998, the Committee to Aid Abused Women (CAAW) was contacted by 12,067 people needing information and / or support regarding domestic violence. On October 21, CAAW will hold a SPEAK OUT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE from 5:00 to 6:30pm at Reno City Hall. Survivors of domestic violence, advocates, community supporters, and CAAW staff will be given the opportunity to tell their stories and address the issue of domestic violence in our community. If you would like to participate in this event, call Marge with the Committee to Aid Abused Women at 329-4150.
If you or someone you know is living with violence, help is available. Contact the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence at 828-1115 or CAAW at 329-4150. There is also a 24-hour statewide Victim Assistance Hotline, (800) 500-1556. There is NO excuse for domestic violence.
Breast Cancer is also an important issue women should know about. The American Cancer Society (ACS), in conjunction with local mammogram centers and doctors' offices, is seeking to raise awareness in the community about the importance of breast cancer screening. ACS will provide every woman who gets a mammogram with a pink cloth ribbon, which she can wear in honor of those who have been affected by cancer. Did you know...
- By the end of the decade, approximately 1.8 million women and 1,200 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
- Approximately 44,000 women and 300 men die of this disease every year.
- When breast cancer is confined to the breast, the 5-year survival rate is over 95%.
For special screening events and more information on breast
cancer, Nevada residents can call the Women's Health Connection
at 687-4800. Outside of Nevada, call your local ACS office. 
Look Out Las Vegas! NEW Project is here at last!
After months of planning, preparation, and searching for just the right person, NEW Project is very pleased to announce the opening of its Las Vegas office on October 5th. Cyndi Stearns-Estes will be our Las Vegas Advocate / Organizer and will temporarily be working out of the PLAN (Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada) office at 3135 Industrial Road. For now, she can be reached at (702) 791-1965, but she will soon be moving to a larger space (also with PLAN). Stay tuned for more information next month. And now, without further ado, meet Cyndi!
Hi!! My name is Cyndi Stearns-Estes, and I have been given the opportunity to coordinate the Las Vegas / Southern Nevada office of the Nevada Empowered Women's Project. When I read about this job in the NOW (National Organization for Women) newsletter, I knew it was the change I have needed. I will be leaving the medical field, where I have worked for 15 years. I am thrilled to work with NEW Project so I can help women gain the skills and respect they deserve, regardless of social status or income.
I have worked for women's rights in the past when I served as Public Affairs Coordinator for a small Planned Parenthood clinic in New Mexico. In that position, I learned how to lobby politicians, speak out for what I believe, and fight for women. It was that experience that made me so excited about the NEW Project position.
I am new to Nevada, and (like many people in Vegas) have only been here a year. I was born in Durango, Colorado and lived most of my life in the Four Corners area. Living in Las Vegas has been a wonderful experience for me. I love the diverse population and also knowing that you can find something to do at any time of the day or night.
I am married with two children, ages 18 and 19. My children are both in Vegas. This is my second marriage, and my husband has two daughters, 16 and 17, who live with their mom in Utah. I married for the first time when I was 18, and I had my son a little over a year after that. My first husband was also very young, and we went through many financial hardships. When we lived in Louisiana for a short time, we collected food stamps and used food from the local food bank. When we divorced, I again had to use food stamps for a while.
While I was single, I went to community college and got my Associate's Degree in Psychology. I used grants, loans, and anything else I could to help me make it through school. I believe education is the most important component in helping people, especially women, become financially independent.
I'm looking forward to working with the NEW Project Board, staff and everyone associated with this fantastic group. We all have to work together to make our dreams come true. Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.
WELCOME, CYNDI!
Wellstone Amendment Defeated - Study Takes Its Place
by Lisa Appelrouth Guzmán
If you've been on our mailing list for the last few months, you no doubt are familiar with the Wellstone Amendment to the Higher Education Reauthorization Act, which would expand educational opportunities for women on welfare. Specifically, the Amendment proposed increasing the limit on vocational education from 1 year to 2 years, allowing 2 years of postsecondary education to count as a work activity, and removing teen parents from the 30% cap on the number of welfare recipients who can be meeting their work requirement through voc. ed. programs. While the Amendment was making great progress and had passed the Senate, it failed to pass through Conference Committee at the end of September. Instead of helping low-income families access educational programs that will help them leave the welfare rolls for good, the General Accounting Office (GAO) will be studying the effectiveness of educational programs in helping welfare recipients become employed and self-sufficient. Apparently, our tax dollars will be used to duplicate existing research that already supports the benefits of education for low-income women. The report is to be completed by August 1, 1999. Thanks to all who helped advocate for this Amendment. Senator Wellstone has not given up, and neither have we!
Teresa Benitez
Hello NEW Project members,
As usual, I hope that all is going well. This month, I want to share a little fable with you. Once there was a little bunny who won the Miss Nevada Community Service Award in June, 1998. Consequently, the little bunny's platform, Poverty: A NEW Focus, was submitted to the contest's national level. Well, the alligators at the National Community Service Award department of the Miss America contest decided that poverty was not an issue that deserved national attention. Moral of the story - we are all little bunnies in a world full of alligators. Regardless of how much we value our little bunny work, there will always be alligators that can't fully appreciate the mission that we are trying to accomplish. Will alligators deter this particular bunny? NO. Why? Because there are thousands of other bunnies out there living in poverty and, if you are reading this, you know we still have a long way to go.
The Child Care Crisis Up Close
by Nora McGinley
At our last meeting on September 16, we were joined by three friendly, informative women from the Children's Cabinet's Early Education and Care Department (EEC), formerly known as the Child Care Resource Council. This agency is near and dear to my own heart because of the past financial help with child care it provided me. This organization truly strives to help meet the child care needs of low-income families.
Margot Chappel of the EEC's Caregiver Support Network (CSN) explained this fantastic new program to us. The CSN is a child care program that works in two ways - one, by providing substitute caregivers to child care facilities, and two, by providing in-home child care for working parents who have a mildly sick child. Providers are available on a first-come, first-served basis to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program is currently only available to families in the Reno / Sparks area, but there are plans to expand to other areas after the initial program is up and running successfully. All caregivers must complete a specialized training program that includes cpr, first aid, child health care, and behavior management. Caregivers are NOT prepared to care for seriously ill children and are able to use their discretion in regards to taking or completing a particular assignment. Caregivers are advised not to take on situations beyond their abilities. Before being able to access CSN services, a family must complete a registration packet and be enrolled in the program. You may think that these much-needed services would cost a fortune, but we were very happy to find out that sliding fees are available to qualifying families - even down to $1.40 / hour! That was sure a nice surprise! For more information, contact Margot at 856-6210 (N. Nevada) or statewide at (800) 753-5500.
Brenda Price, EEC Case Manager, was also on hand to talk with us about her work at the Reno Welfare office. Brenda receives most of her referrals from eligibility workers and works with parents to help them find quality, affordable child care. (This is no easy task!) She also helps facilitate home day care with friends or family members. There are guidelines that must be followed by home caregivers when EEC is helping pay the costs. Many of Nevada's welfare offices have EEC workers there on site, although they are not always as visible as Brenda who is right in front. Talk with your welfare worker or call EEC if you have child care questions, especially in regards to meeting welfare's work requirements.
Bette Katz, Program Manager of EEC's Parent Support Services, explained funding sources to us and how families are prioritized to receive EEC's services. The Children's Cabinet provides several other useful services, including tutoring, parenting classes, information on selecting a child care provider, and resource referrals. For more information, or to receive their newsletter or schedule of training events, call 856-6210 or (800) 753-5500. Thanks to Margot, Brenda, and Bette for sharing this useful information with us!
