Disrupting the Fight on Poverty
Toledo, Ohio –Mosaic Ministries announces the creation of The Mosaic Family Zone (MFZ), a comprehensive collection of programs that will impact the lives of families in the Old South End of Toledo, Ohio. The ministry is carving out the community activities it has started into this separate organization to allow greater focus and development of their “Cradle to Purpose” pipeline. The efforts are designed to facilitate moving families from poverty to financial selfsufficiency.
The Mosaic Family Zone will be open and freely accessible to all families in the area, many of whom have been deeply affected by generational poverty, lack of access to educational resources, and a dearth of socially enriching experiences.
Breaking the cycles of poverty is of the utmost importance, and while quality education stands at the center of this process, Founders David and Kelly Kaiser point to volumes of research showing the challenge of beating generational poverty. David Kaiser said “Data from the Brookings Institute reports a child growing up in our neighborhood has just a 17% chance of moving out of poverty over the course of his or her lifetime. That is unacceptable.”
The Family Zone incorporates Community Health Workers, Mobility Mentors and volunteers to help families set goals, access resources and form the networks needed to escape poverty. Examples of these steps include one to one support for GED, child and teen mentoring. The first step in this pipeline is the highly successful Baby University, a parenting education focused on proven measures to promoting family stability.
The methods and practices at the foundation of The Mosaic Family Zone are based on a model that has been successfully implemented in several communities throughout the country, most notably in the form of the Harlem Children Zone in New York City.
David Kaiser, Executive Director of the MFZ, says, “Launching the Family Zone is a dream that we’ve had since we started working in the Old South End 15 years ago. It is so exciting to see that dream moving to reality. Establishing and evolving this wholistic and longitudinal pipeline allows us to extend our reach and help more families in the Old South End.”
The Mosaic Family Zone will continue to incorporate the practice of Collective Impact, which is the commitment of a group of key people from different organizations to a common goal for solving the challenges faced by families in the Old Sound End. “We work closely with other organizations and residents in the neighborhood including the Broadway Corridor Coalition Toledo Public Schools, the Historic South Initiative and others. It takes a village to develop this village” according to Kelly Kaiser, Executive Director of Baby University, an affiliate of the Mosaic Family Zone.
Press Release Contact Name: David Kaiser
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 419.517.6221
Organization Name: Mosaic Family Zone
Website or Link:
Organization Address / City / State: 860 Orchard Street Toledo, OH 43609