| October 2008 Think our community needs improving? Engage with TMT and volunteer today Accentuate the Positive scheduled for October 9, 2009 TMT is already busy planning Accentuate the Positive, our community-wide celebration honoring new "Silver Stars" nominated for making a significant improvement in our community’s 33 Quality of Life Indicators. Although Silver Star nominations won’t be available until next spring, there are still lots of opportunities to get ready for the event next year. If you’re interested in volunteering for the ATP 2009 planning committee, please contact Elaine Lancaster, ATP 2009 co-chair for more information on how to get involved or become a sponsor today! Community's Quality of Life Indicators 2007 American Community Survey Online graphs and data metrics have been updated for individual & family economic wellbeing including the percentage of families in poverty, median family income, and the percentage overpaying for housing. According to the United States Census Bureau (USCB), American Community Survey data for 2007, the percentage increased for the number of Washoe County married couple families whose income in the prior 12-months was below poverty level. Washoe County median family income decreased during the same time period, while homeowners and renters continued to pay a greater portion of their household income for housing than US or Nevada owners and renters. The percentage of children, families and seniors living in poverty in Washoe County increased to 10% in 2007, which impacts community responsiveness to its most vulnerable populations, but continues to remain below Nevada (10.7%) and the national average (13%). Affordable housing continues to be an issue, however, the percentage of owner-occupied housing in Washoe County remained the same in 2007. On the more positive side for economic development, Washoe County educational success, as measured by educational attainment for our population over age 25 with a bachelor’s degree or higher, grew slightly in 2007 with the greatest increase for those with a graduate or professional degree. Excel data tables can be downloaded and used internally by 2008 TMT members. Click here to become a member. Caught in the Act of Improving our Community’s Quality of Life Recognizing those significantly impacting our community’s indicators Individuals to be honored at TMT annual meeting Click on the names of the following individuals to see how they have been "caught in the act" of improving our community’s quality of life. Then join us in honoring these individuals at TMT’s annual meeting December 11th. Read more about the efforts and contributions of these individuals on TMT’s Community Forum and congratulate those caught in the act. Please note: You must be logged on to the TMT Web site in order to post a comment. Rebecca LeBeau, Child Assault Prevention (CAP) -- for her work helping young children deal with abusive adults, improving the public wellbeing indicators. Nancy Brown, Charles Schwab Bank -- for creating partnerships between banks and nonprofits helping people become financially stable, improving the economic wellbeing indicators. Betty Rose, United Way of Northern Nevada & the Sierra -- for improving the philanthropy indicator through United Way’s volunteer-driven, allocation process funding community programs that further improve our quality of life. Neecie Schlessener and James Pezonella, Truckee Meadows Water Authority -- for continuing efforts to educate school children about one of our most valuable resources, clean & available water. Have you "Caught" someone in the act of improving our community's quality of life? Nominate them today by sending their name, affiliation, the Quality of Life Indicator the person has affected and why they should be recognized to TMT by using the "contact us" page on the TMT Web site. |