Every night, a Walla Walla organization wins $1000 from the box office of the Harper Joy Theatre.  The organization may also receive extra money from audiences, if viewers added cash to the pile.  These organizations have identified the services they offer within the five approaches How To End Poverty in 90 Minutes utilizes to frame the conversation of fighting poverty each night. Those five approaches are:

1. Daily Needs
2. System Change
3. Education
4. Making Opportunities
5. Direct Aid

Here are the winners of the $1000 (and added audience donations) from each night of the run!

13 April 2016: DIRECT AID – YWCA: Corinne  – $1,025

Corinne has a housing voucher.  The housing voucher is a type of assistance that helps individuals, like Corinne, find an apartment.  She had to apply for multiple apartments, a process that involves an application fee and a background check, and a price tag of $45 for each apartment application.  She was turned down multiple times by landlords who would not take vouchers.  When she found an apartment where the voucher would be accepted; she couldn’t apply for it because she was all out of money for the application fee, having paid over $500 in fees already.  The $1,000 will help Corinne find stable housing which will cover apartment applications, rental deposits, and utility deposits.

To learn more about the YWCA Walla Walla, visit http://www.ywcaww.org/

14 April 2016 – MAKING OPPORTUNITIES:  INK-OUT  – $1,057

The INK-OUT project is designed for youth and adults who wish to remove visible tattoos that reflect gang, drug, or anti-social behavior.  These tattoos can have adverse effects on an individual’s employment opportunities, self-esteem, and social mobility.  The project seeks to coordinate tattoo removal with mentoring, community service, and other social support services.

To learn more about the INK-OUT project, visit http://thehealthcenterww.org/ink-out-and-the-health-center/

16 April 2016, Matinee: DIRECT AID – CHILDREN’S HOME SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON: The Lutton Family  – $1,030
The Lutton family is striving make sure that there is a safe place for their child.  The Luxtons are on a fixed income of $610.00 per month from SS and $320 from TANF.  $550 of rent goes toward their non-functioning hotel room, taking a majority of their income.  The hotel conditions are less than desirable: there is no kitchen space to prepare meals, there is a leaky sink that causes mold, and there is a lack of space, which is affecting the child’s development and the well-being of the parents.  The family would be able to increase their stability if they had a regular apartment or housing unit to call home.  $1,000 would allow them to put down a deposit and get an apartment.

To learn more about the Children’s Home Society of Washington, visit http://www.chs-wa.org/

16 April 2016, Evening – EDUCATION:  WALLA WALLA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION – EARLY LEARNING COALITION  – $1,169

Mobilize the community to support parents as their children’s first teacher and improve access to high-quality early learning opportunities for all young children in the Walla Walla Valley.

To learn more about the Walla Walla Community Foundation, visit http://earlylearningwallawalla.org/

Thanks for having these conversations with us!  To learn more about How To End Poverty in 90 Minutes (With 99 People You May or May Not Know), visit http://www.sojourntheatre.org/how-to-end-poverty-in-90-minutes