For some families in Carroll County, there is too much month and not enough money to pay for basic monthly expenses, such as food, rent, and utilities.
Circles of West Georgia (CWG) is dedicating an entire week in August to bring awareness to poverty in Carroll County. Poverty Awareness Week (PAW) hopes to raise awareness of issues related to families who are struggling financially. Throughout the week, community members will have an opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that bring them face to face with the barriers that so many people living paycheck to paycheck in our county experience on a daily basis.
Through this in-depth look into the lives of those who struggle, CWG hopes the community will become more involved in making a change. CWG invites the community to take up the cause and commit to the challenge.
“The goal of Circles is to help individuals and families to move into a permanent pattern of self-sufficiency,” said CWG Coordinator Leslie Davis. “In order to accomplish this, building social capital for those living in lower socioeconomic situations is imperative.”
Davis stressed that it’s important for the community to be aware that it’s not just financial assistance that’s needed: it’s access to critical relationships and social networks that are sometimes taken for granted by those from a generational middle economic background.
“Poverty Awareness Week is going to build a platform for conversations to begin around how we, as a community, can support people who are looking to better their situations,” she said.
PAW kicks off Aug. 21 with a documentary screening at The AMP in Carrollton presented by Tanner Health System. “A Place at the Table” will be shown starting at 7:30 p.m.
“In Georgia, 15.7 percent of households have difficulty finding enough food because of a lack of money or resources,” said Gina Brandenburg, program manager at Tanner’s Get Healthy, Live Well. “This documentary shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation.”
CWG will also present a Photovoice project.
Activities continue at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 22, which will be Community Voice and Personal Challenge Day. Personal Challenge brochures can be found on CWG’s Facebook page, at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and in many downtown establishments.
On Aug. 23, participants will meet at the Carroll County Agriculture-Education Center where Communities in Schools of Carrollton City and Carroll County will host a “Poverty Simulation” from 3 to 6 p.m. Participation is limited so make sure to sign up ahead of time.
There will be another Personal Challenge Day on Aug. 24. On Aug. 25, Carroll Tomorrow will present a Community Forum titled “Poverty in the World of Work” from 6 to 8 p.m.
Another Community Voice session will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 26. The session will be followed with lunch at noon. Lunch will be provided by First Baptist Church of Carrollton and seating is limited.
CWG asks that any posts made about the week include the hashtag #PAWCarroll. For more information or to participate, contact Leslie Davis at 678.551.4395 or [email protected].
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