MDC Connects South Alabama's Asian Communities to Emergency Preparedness
The small fishing village of Bayou la Batre, Alabama, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in late 2005. However, nearly 30 percent of residents of the surrounding areas are Southeast Asian immigrants working in the fishing industry, and many of their needs were unmet by responses to Hurricane Katrina. By working with the community to identify their needs, MDC helped connect the four Asian communities - Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, and Cambodian - to local emergency management agencies and to the Community Foundation of South Alabama, as well as helping each community complete projects on emergency preparedness. This video documents MDC's work in south Mobile County after Hurricane Katrina, and the results for the Asian communities.
MDC Awarded $3.8 Million 'Pathways Out of Poverty' Federal Training Grant
MDC was one of eight national organizations to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's 'Pathways Out of Poverty' program, a national green jobs initiative. The $150 million in grants to 38 local and national organizations, authorized as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will support programs that help low-income and disadvantaged populations attain economic self-sufficiency through good jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
Through
Career Pathways for a Green South
, MDC proposes a new model for workforce investment in the region that draws on untapped potential of the region's citizens and relies on strong community colleges as hubs. MDC will use its $3.8 million grant to work with four communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina that have suffered manufacturing job loss in recent years to help low-wage and unemployed workers find work in emerging green industries. By creating partnerships with local community colleges, workforce investment boards, and other organizations, MDC will bridge gaps between disadvantaged individuals and the training and support that lead to industry-recognized credentials and placement in green jobs.
Read the full
MDC News Release
and the DOL News Release about 'Pathways Out of Poverty' grants:
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20100039.htm
.
William Trueheart selected as Chief Executive Officer of Achieving the Dream
Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a national initiative that MDC leads as managing partner, announces that William E. Trueheart will be the initiative's first Chief Executive Officer. Trueheart will work with MDC in Chapel Hill, where Achieving the Dream will be incubated until it becomes an independent nonprofit organization. MDC has managed the $100 million initiative since its inception in 2004, and has overseen Achieving the Dream's expansion to more than 100 institutions in 22 states, serving more than 1 million students.
As a former college president, philanthropic executive, and nonprofit leader, Trueheart brings a well-rounded perspective that will serve Achieving the Dream well during its national expansion. Prior to joining ATD, he served as president of Bryant College (now Bryant University); president and CEO of Reading is Fundamental, America's oldest and largest children and family literacy organization; and most recently was the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Foundation, one of the nation's largest community foundations.
To read a press release about Trueheart's selection, visit the Achieving the Dream Press Room:
http://www.achievingthedream.org/NEWSROOM/new_ceo.tp
.
Read a Community College Times
article
about ATD's transition to a nonprofit, as well as a
Q & A
with William Trueheart.
Community colleges and states selected for Developmental Education Initiative
MDC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced
$16.5 million in grants to 15 community colleges and five states
to expand groundbreaking remedial education programs that experts say are key to dramatically boosting the college completion rates of low-income students and students of color.
The grants will fund the Developmental Education Initiative, which is being led by MDC and will build upon the most promising programs developed through
Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count
, a national initiative led by MDC to boost graduation rates at community colleges, particularly among low-income students and students of color. The remedial education models developed by the 15 community colleges receiving these grants represent some of the most promising work in the country aimed at boosting college completion rates among community college students. Nearly 60 percent of students enrolling in the nation's community colleges must take remedial classes to build their basic academic skills. For low-income students and students of color, the figure topped 90 percent at some colleges.
What moves people into the middle class and places out of poverty:
MDC's Quick Primer
>>