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Dear Supporters of Ohio's Children - The Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio team is pleased to share with you a few updates of the work for children that has taken place here on the ground in Ohio over the last few months. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Program Award Ceremony On the evening of April 22, the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio along with over 200 child supporters honored five incredible youth from across the state at the 2015 Beat the Odds Awards Ceremony in Columbus. Alberto Jones, Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne High School), Britiny Lee, Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland School of Science and Medicine), Kaylyn Sigman, Albany, Ohio, (Alexander High School), Ayriq Sims, Cincinnati, Ohio (Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School), and Walter Thompson, Columbus, Ohio (Walnut Ridge High School) all have overcome tremendous adversity to excel academically and give back to their communities. Your generosity allowed each student to receive a $5,000 scholarship, a laptop computer, and event attire. Our honorees join over 800 Children’s Defense Fund Beat the Odds students from across the country as proof that no one should EVER give up on a child. Join us in wishing them all good things as they are preparing for their higher education journey!
Although our Founder and President, Marian Wright Edelman, could not be with us at the Beat the Odds Scholarship event, she sent a prayer to honor Alberto, Britiny, Kaylyn, Ayriq, and Walter and leave all of us inspired to do more for our children.
We look forward to seeing you at next year’s Beat the Odds Scholarship Award Event! A Sampling of Beat the Odds Press: Walnut Ridge Senior Earns Scholarship as a Reward for his Perseverance – Columbus Dispatch Child Watch: All in the Family – Huffington Post Despite Poverty, Taft Student a Leader – Cincinnati.com
Urge Ohio Legislators to Keep Coverage for Pregnant Women in the Budget! In the past few months, Ohio legislators have been working on a new state budget that would possibly eliminate Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women whose incomes fall between 138 and 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. We are very pleased that the Ohio Senate has decided to remove this change and keep coverage for pregnant women intact, as access to prenatal care is crucial to bringing down Ohio’s dismal infant mortality rate. In addition, lower-income children are less likely to have health insurance coverage if their parents are uninsured, even when children remain eligible. Other states have experienced drops in coverage for eligible children after cutting Medicaid for adults. To ensure that pregnant women and their babies retain coverage, we urge you to contact Senate President Keith Faber and House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and ask them to ensure that Ohio does NOT roll back coverage for pregnant women in the budget!
Children's Defense Fund-Ohio in the News Department of Justice Unveils Settlement to Reform Cleveland Police - NPR Here and Now New Approach Needed to Juvenile Offenders, Group Says - Columbus Dispatch Local Groups Work Toward Kindergarten Readiness For Latino Students - WYSO Thousands of Children Secluded or Restrained in Ohio Schools - Public News Service Ohio |
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