From the Desk of Marian Brannon - Project Manager

July 19, 2007 - ”Two Men in a burning house do not have time to argue”

This is an Ashante proverb that means that in times of crisis survival is less about the individual but rather about the combined efforts of all that are being affected by the occurrence. Here at The Partnership our efforts to address poverty are grounded by this principle. Our Bridges Out of Poverty training helps service providers and professionals to begin thinking about classism and how, by increasing knowledge and heightening their self awareness, they can improve their relationships and effectiveness with the poor. Our Getting Ahead training provides individuals who are living in poverty the tools to understand this condition and make plans to change if they choose. Both of these efforts are aimed at improving the quality of life in Lucas County and even though the target audiences are different, the goal of affecting poverty is the same. Our community is divided and suffering because of poverty related issues and it’s going to take a combined effort of all the “classes” to make improvements. The house is on fire, that fire is poverty, and this is not the time to argue.