Transcript
CHUCK BEAN: Good morning. This is your one-minute coffee warning. Get your caffeine and your sugar. We're going to start in one minute, and panelists, if you could come on up, that would be great.
Good morning. I'll try that again. Good morning. Every day in our region, from Prince Georges to Prince William, nonprofits raise the quality of life for all of us. And every day in our region, nonprofits are the lifelines to the regions most vulnerable.
Let me be a little more specific. Last night, Alternative House in Fairfax County took in a runaway youth with nowhere else to go. This morning, For Love of Children is caring for an abused and neglected child. Today, Community Family Life Services is providing a job and permanent housing for a homeless person. Today, Northern Virginia Family Service will continue to care for a survivor of the attack of the Pentagon two and a half years ago. This afternoon through Heads Up, a child will find his future in college and not on the streets. This evening, families will be enriched by a recital at Dance Place, and other families will be enriched by the outdoor programs of the Audubon Society. If, God forbid, a family is burned out of their home tonight, the Red Cross will be there, helping them to put their pieces of their life back together.
That's today in greater Washington, but nonprofits are stretched thin. What about tomorrow? We hope tomorrow nonprofits won't be stretched to the breaking point, but much of that hangs in the balance with the budgets, which are now in full bloom throughout our region. The economic downturn facing the region since 2001 has had serious, negative effects on human service nonprofits and the tens of thousands of area residents, our neighbors, that they serve. And that's what we're here to learn about today.
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