On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, MEND -- the San Fernando Valley’s largest anti-poverty agency -- will host its first MENDing Poverty Conference, themed “Reframing Poverty.” The day’s event will cover many issues affecting poverty, including myths, the media’s role in shaping public perception, the clients who seek assistance, a blueprint for change, and much more. For more information and to register, please visit www.mendpoverty.org.

The opening keynote address, “Re-Thinking Poverty—Telling the Story Effectively,” will be given by Andy Goodman, author of “Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes;” Frank Gilliam, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor and Director, Center for Communications, UCLA; and Thomas E. Backer, Ph.D., Executive Director, Valley Nonprofit Resources, will serve as the keynote moderator. Los Angeles City Councilmember, Richard Alarcon and moderator Alicia Lara, Vice President, Community Investment United Way, will address “The Myths of Poverty.”

Morning Workshops

• How the Media Think about Poverty
• How Funders Think about Poverty
• When Poverty Makes You Sick

Afternoon Workshops

• Involving Millennials in Poverty Issues
• Diversity Across the Board
• Pay it Forward: How Poverty Clients Give Back to the Community

Finally, Torie Osborn, Senior Strategist to Foundations and The Mayor’s Office will address “Ending Poverty—A New Blueprint for Change,” which will be followed by closing comments by Thomas E. Backer, Ph.D. and Marianne Haver Hill, MEND Executive Director.

For more information about the conference or to receive a full brochure with a complete schedule, please visit MEND’s website www.mendpoverty.org. You may also contact Marianne Haver Hill, Executive Director, MEND, at 818-897-2443, Ext. 7321 or Marianne@mendpoverty.org.

The MENDing Poverty Conference Sponsors include: MEND – Meet Each Need with Dignity, Valley Nonprofit Resources, Honorable Richard Alarcón, Jewish Community Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California Edison, United Way and Honorable Zev Yaroslavsky. The Conference is also funded in part by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation.

About MEND
In the early 1970's, MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) opened its doors in an effort to transform the lives of the neediest residents of the San Fernando Valley - poor children and their struggling families. Starting as a small group of volunteers working from a garage, MEND has grown primarily by word-of-mouth into one of the leanest operating non-profit organizations in existence. More than 95% of the support and donations received by MEND, now the largest poverty agency in the Valley, provides emergency food, clothing, medical, vision and dental care, job skills training and job placement assistance, English as a Second Language classes, youth activities, and a Christmas program. In 2007, MEND served over 40,000 individuals each month utilizing a workforce of more than 2600 volunteers.