Texas Hold'em: Betting Against Poverty
-By Amy Souza
Poverty. This is an issue that plagues the nation. Enliven Foundation is fighting to give those in poverty a chance to better their lives for themselves and their families. Enliven Foundation is in the business of equipping and empowering parents to achieve personal and academic success by providing practical needs, academic guidance, and emotional support.
In 2010 15.1 percent-46.2 million Americans-lived in poverty. In the last half of the century there came a growing trend that is called the feminization of poverty. Homes that are headed by single women make up over half of all poor families as of 2010. This is over 23 million single mothers fighting to provide a better life for their children; mothers that are in the welfare system and trying to get governmental aid in their attempt to stay afloat in their hard times. The system is set up to help single mothers receive food stamps and cash assistance to help these women and their families stay off the streets. There is, however, a glitch in the system. The people who receive cash assistance, or TANF, have requirements put on them by the system which calls for them to attend 20+ hours a week on certain job searches or job preparation classes. If someone was going to take on a full term credit load and is working a part time job, there is not enough hours in a day to meet the TANF requirements, therefore they are kicked off of cash assistance and left to use all their financial resources and remain in the same state of poverty.
Our vision is to provide a home for these women and their children by purchasing a multi-unit complex that will be rent free while one is attending college, and will also provide educational and emotional guidance while they earn their degree. This is where YOU come in!
Enliven Foundation is having a Texas Hold'em Poker tournament on March 15th at 7:00 pm with registration beginning at 6:00 pm. It is being held at the Lebanon Elks Lodge. We are hosting this tournament in an attempt to raise the funds for the legal fees to pay for the 501(c)3 non-profit organization status needed to begin our foundation. If you are interested in attending this tournament you can per-register on our website at www.enlivenfoundation.org . Here you can also learn more about our vision, goals, and if you feel led, you can also give donations through this website. When you pre-register for the tournament on our website you will be given extra chips on the night of the fundraiser. Please note there is a 5 dollar cover charge for all those who are not playing in the tournament, this charge will cover a free slice of pizza and one free soda. To add to the excitement that evening, we will also be holding a 50/50 raffle. There will be a bar at the Elks Lodge serving drinks that evening as well. We at Enliven Foundation want to thank you in advance for supporting our vision.
