Step Up Silicon Valley has stepped up to the challenge.
Step Up Silicon Valley: the Campaign to Cut Poverty in Santa Clara County is a community-based initiative that includes community-based organizations, the public sector, faith communities and businesses, and is part of the national Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.
In response to the growing social and moral crisis of poverty, Catholic Charities USA launched a campaign in January 2007 to reduce poverty by 50% by the year 2020. In early 2007, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County brought the campaign home by convening a meeting of representatives from local non-profits, social services agencies, businesses, faith-based organizations, and government to discuss how to cut poverty in half by 2020. Over the course of the next 18 months, the list of participants grew to more than 90 organizations.
We believe our community will step up to the challenge of cutting poverty.
Silicon Valley is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, its drive for innovation, and its ingenuity in solving complex problems. Private and public organizations are strongly committed to caring for the needy and they have a proven track record of making a difference. Whether we consider it providing for the common good or simply good business practice to have a thriving community, we can and must commit to cutting poverty. And ultimately, we must work to end it.
2009 Leadership Team
Teresa Alvarado, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Assemblymember Jim Beall, Jr. California State Assembly
Emmett Carson, PhD, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Michael Engh, SJ, Santa Clara University
Fred Ferrer, The Health Trust
Mary Ellen Fox, Community Leader
Don Gage, Santa Clara County Supervisor
Paul Gentzkow, Robert Half International
Carole Leigh Hutton, United Way Silicon Valley
Liz Kniss, Santa Clara County Supervisor
Zoe Lofgren, United States Congresswoman
David Lopez, National Hispanic University
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, Roman Catholic Diocese of San José
Mayor Chuck Reed, City of San José
John Michael Sobrato, Sobrato Development Companies
Dan Warmenhoven, NetApp
The Leadership Team of Step Up Silicon Valley is committing to help cut poverty in Santa Clara County through their own institutional efforts and through mutual cooperation. The team knows that cutting poverty will ultimately take greater financial resources of the community. They hope to create a greater awareness of the issue and to promote policies that can bring about the changes to help families move out of poverty.
2009 Steering Committee
Advocacy - Poncho Guevera, Sacred Heart Community Service
Integrated Systems - Dana McQuary, Santa Clara County Social Services Agency
Awareness - Pat Plant, San Jose Presbytery and Jay Pecot, Sacred Heart Community Service
Partnerships - Patrick Soricone, United Way
Funding - Keith Fox, Fox Family Foundation
Education - Martiza Maldonado, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Health - Candace Roney, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford
Food - Cindy McCown, Second Harvest Food Bank
Housing - Carol Lamont, Destination Home
Income - Greg Kepferle, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
The Steering Committee for Step Up Silicon Valley is comprised of the lead person from each of the issue work groups and the mission task forces. The goal of the steering committee is to manage all the facets of the campaign.
Funding
Major resources for the Step Up Silicon Valley: the Campaign to Cut Poverty provided through Community Service Block Grant funding from Sacred Heart Community Service, the local Community Action Agency, and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
Contact Step Up Silicon Valley
Terrie Iacino
Director, Step Up Silicon Valley
tiacino@ccsj.org
408-325-5132
2625 Zanker Road
San José, CA 95134