Sustaining Our Connections through Families and Communities.

All families face numerous challenges today in balancing work and family responsibilities, in creating a nurturing environment for their children, in coping with an increasing level of violence, and in struggling with a changing health care system.

These challenges are even greater for families living in poverty. According to the Census Bureau, in 1998 13.5 million American children were living in poverty. Although the growth of our economy in the past decade has decreased the number of poor families, not all families have benefited equally. In New York State, according to a 1999 New York State Assembly report, the wealthiest families increased their income by nearly 30 …