The Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) met Sept. 22 on the 18th floor of the County Center. The meeting was all about planning for the future.The COSW started the meeting with budget discussions concerning the total budget and the amount of money needed to make brochures for an upcoming event. They have $300 to print brochures and a total of $2,347 in the budget after the upcoming event, group secretary Felicia Crosby-Rucker said.
"The budget period ends at the end of (September), so we have to spend all our money now, or we'll lose it," member Susan Leisner said concerning the budget cut that COSW is facing.
The County Commission has to approve the COSW's budget, but the COSW is not required to get the commissioners' approval on how the money is to be spent.
After budget issues were established, the members of the Commission discussed plans for 2009. The themes of the meeting were clear: connecting with the community and bridging the gaps between agencies and non-profit organizations and the people of Hillsborough County.
The members decided that they needed to put some goals together for the next year, 2009, because COSW will have no funding.
They could do this by identifying some areas that members are interested in and have workshops, Leisner said.
During the meeting, women's health, as well as children's health, was one such area. Members wished to take the recommendations and research from their reports and address issues affecting both women and parents, such as immunizations and the theory that immunizations cause autism.
Member Gealdine L. Twine spoke of helping women and children in the community by putting together workshops or small teaching sessions. These workshops could be designed to educate mothers, fathers and their children about preventative healthcare, as well as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and smoking.
The COSW could partner with other organizations, Twine said, to educate people about these issues and women’s health.
When Leisner questioned Twine, asking what value COSW bring to these issues, Twine answered that the value is awareness. Instead of just researching the issues, COSW can act on them to make the research work in the community.
“(This) could open more doors and reach more people who need health services,” member Dotti Groover said. It could also add more credibility to COSW.
The COSW plan to focus on women's healthcare during the first quarter of 2009 and then on children's needs in the second quarter.
The date of the next meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women is Oct. 27. Members will address the issue of affordable housing in Hillsborough County.
3 comments:
Good post. It was very easy to read (like a news story) and had a good mix of quotes and information.
Very streamlined story. Good job of breaking up the paragraphs.
I liked the way you included quotes in your post.
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