LIFT, people working to overcome poverty

My friend Elizabeth (above, center) and I traveled to DC this morning for breakfast with the staff of the non-profit organization LIFT, that her daughter Kirsten (to Elizabeth’s right) started 14 years ago when she was a college sophomore. Kirsten and her well-trained staff guide volunteers to listen carefully to people in financial trouble and help them achieve economic stability and well-being. They are on the front line of our country’s fight against poverty and they’re winning. As one who remembers Lyndon Johnson’s “war on poverty,” which established commissions and passed landmark legislation like Head Start, I heard this morning about a more sensitive one-to-one approach that seems to work better and last longer. In 2012 alone LIFT has served 11,000 clients, an increase of 22% over 2011. Visit http://www.liftcommunities.org and see for yourself an innovative, practical operation that is making a big difference. I am proud to be a staunch supporter.