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2,367 domestic violence victims were turned away from shelters in Virginia in 2005 because no beds were available. An increase in funding is imperative in order to build more shelter space to accommodate victims (Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. (2005) Domestic Violence Services in Virginia)

30 percent of adults in Appalachian Ohio attend college, compared to 62 percent for the entire U.S.

Coal producing counties are among the poorest in the nation. McDowell County, West Virginia, has produced more coal than any other county in the U.S., yet suffers from a 37.7% poverty rate

Between 2000 and 2006, the number of women and children staying in domestic violence shelters has doubled (The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Data Collection System, 2006)

1 in 5 Appalachian children (77,000 total) live in poverty ($14,630/year or less for a family of three)

In 2005, 20 children were killed by their caregiver in Virginia (Virginia Department of Health, 2005 Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Report)

77% of children living in Appalachia go without three meals a day

Every day in America, at least eight million children and youth are left alone and unsupervised once the school bell rings

Seven of the U.S Census Bureaus's list of 50 poorest counties are in Eastern Kentucky

The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services (Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the US, 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centers for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA)

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime (findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, 2000)

78 counties in Appalachia qualify for distressed county status on the basis of low per capita income and high rates of poverty and unemployment

Unsupervised after school hours are the peak time for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex

Helping Kids Succeed Through After-School and Summer Enrichment Programs in Phoenix, Arizona

Pine Ridge After School Program According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, approximately 26% of the Maricopa County, Arizona 12th graders surveyed in 2006 reported using a drug within the past month and approximately 11.7% of Maricopa County 8th graders, 18.6% of 10th graders, and 20.1% of 12th graders surveyed reported being drunk or high at school within the past year in 2006. In communities faced with such staggering realities, there is a dire need to present teens with other options.

That is why we at Americans Helping Americans are so pleased with the results of our recent effort to bring positive after-school activities to the young people of Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona. Americans Helping Americans® and our partners at the Chris-Town YMCA teamed up to provide children and teens at the Pine Ridge Apartments with a safe and enriching environment where they receive homework help, play soccer, basketball and other sports and are surrounded with positive after-school mentoring.

2009 Raffle Winners

When Dave and Cindy saw the UPS truck pull up with a mystery box, they were curious as to what the brown package could contain. The 2009 spring raffle winners told Americans Helping Americans® staff,

“We were both thrilled and shocked to learn that we had won the quilt. As we read your letter, it became even

Long time supporters Dave and Cindy were thrilled to win the 2009 raffle.

more significant to us as the quilt was made by people in West Virginia. My husband is a native of West Virginia. He had to leave the state in the 1960's to find employment but still has family in a few different counties. We visit West Virginia yearly and our hearts are saddened to see the struggles many people have. Our lives have been very blessed and we hope that in some small way our donations enable the wonderful work of your organization to help people in the Appalachian area. Please convey our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all those in the sewing program”.

Thank you to all our 2009 raffle participants; your steadfast concern to fight poverty in the Appalachian hills is helping to rebuild the lives of men, women and children each and every day.

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