SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
You must be at least 18 years old to register.
Where
UVA Aquatics and Fitness Center
450 Whitehead Road
Rooms MP1, MP2, and MP3
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Questions?
Contact Lexie
Piedmont CASA, Inc.
434-971-7515
poverty@pcasa.org
Coffee and lunch
will be provided
Most children served
by Piedmont CASA
are from households
surviving at or below
the poverty line
Nearly 1 in 5 American children are living in poverty. Two-thirds live in working families. Because of the challenges these youngsters face living in poverty, their health suffers as does their performance in school. Every year that we keep children in poverty costs our nation half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, poorer health, and increased crime.
---- Child Defense Fund
Poverty and Mistreatment of Children Go Hand In Hand.
---- The National Bureau of Economic Research
Could you survive a month in poverty?
For those of us who have enough, it is difficult to truly understand the stress families living in poverty experience every day - the constraints that become barriers to escape.
In FY18, 86% of the children served by Piedmont CASA came from households living at or below the Federal poverty line. Most parents living in poverty are remarkably resilient and possess strong coping skills in the face of such adversity. But it is also clear that parents living in poverty face a range of issues their peers do not, such as a lack of access to jobs and services, a lack of affordable housing, high-crime environments, a lack of medical and mental health care, and isolation. These factors may act independently of each other but are also likely to interact. Too often, the problems of poverty are compounded when the system holds socially-excluded people responsible for their own marginalization.
That is why we are inviting you to walk a mile in their shoes.
As a participant in The Community Action Poverty Simulation - or CAPS - you will assume the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget. You may be a mom with two kids, or a dad who's just been laid off. You could be disabled, or a senior citizen on social security. Whatever your circumstances, your goal will be to keep a roof over your head and pay your bills during the course of four 15-minute "weeks".
While trying to meet your basic needs, you will interact with human service agencies, schools, employers, pawn shops, payday lenders, and the health care system.
Although play money is used, CAPS is not a game.
It is a simulation that will enable you to look at poverty from a variety of angles. We hope it will give you a broader awareness of the reality of poverty. It is a challenge for those who must struggle in it, and for our entire community.
HOSTED BY
AND
Piedmont CASA recruits, screens, and trains volunteers to advocate in court for abused and neglected children in our community. Once inducted by the court and assigned to a case, these Court Appointed Special Advocates have the constant support and supervision of professional staff as they conduct independent investigations and compile written reports for the judges regarding the best interests of the children, always promoting safe, permanent, nurturing homes.
Piedmont CASA. Advocating for abused and neglected children in our community since 1995.
PIEDMONT CASA | 818 EAST HIGH STREET | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22902 | 434.971.7515 | ADVANCEMENT@PCASA.ORG | PCASA.ORG