To all who care about others:

Now is the time to invest in the American worker!

240,000: Jobs lost in the U.S. economy in October; 10.1 million: Number of Americans who are unemployed; 6.5%: Unemployment rate as of October.

0.4%: Increase in the unemployment rate in October; 1.7%: Increase in the unemployment rate over the past 12 months.

1.2 million: Job losses in 2008 for the manufacturing, construction, and service-providing industries.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The economy

Rough economic times are ahead.  The Labor Department reported that the economy shed 533,000 jobs in November which is the largest monthly drop in payrolls since December 1974.  Currently, non-seasonally adjusted total non-farm employment shows a figure of 137,100,000, a loss of 1.47% from November 2007.  Job losses caused the unemployment rate to increase to 6.7% which is the highest it has been in 15 years.

In Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett has pointed out that in some parts of our great city African-American unemployment is as high as 58%.  This is tragic. The world of work in Milwaukee is changing due to a host of social, political, and economic influences such as globalization, climate changes and deregulation.
 
In our most recent chaotic times, we have maintained our agency's core principles, vision, and mission, remaining focused on our role in society. We aim to continue to contribute to the social, economic and cultural development of our community.
 
Esperanza Unida is ready to meet the challenge

 Esperanza Unida continues to work toward self-sustainability by participating in innovative capacity building activities, and improving its job programs with three green initiatives, all designed to give central city residents access to training for green collar jobs that will become in demand in the near future.

With new executive leadership and board guidance, Esperanza Unida has begun planning and developing initiatives that build on the agency’s earlier work in conservation and green initiatives.  Esperanza Unida is moving to establish green job training programs to expose central city residents to green technologies training, such as manufacturing and weatherization.  Our programs will provide participants of all ages with training in green technologies allowing them to gain practical skills and experience in important green career fields of employment. In addition, Esperanza Unida was instrumental in establishing economic, educational and cultural exchange partnership with the country of Turkey by establishing a Sister City with Manisa, Turkey. Through networking with officials from the country of Turkey, several new projects at Esperanza Unida are in the development stage.
 
We need your financial support to be able to achieve these goals. We must be able to cover capacity building costs as we move to train our most needy residents to become competitive in the growing Green Economy.
 
Please, give $5, $10, $20, whatever you can, so that Esperanza Unida can continue to do the work it has been so successful in doing for the past 30 years.  To donate simply click on the "DONATE NOW" icon.  Google Checkout is a convenient methods that allows you to make your donation instantly using your credit or debit card. The Google Checkout fraud protection policy covers you against unauthorized purchases made through Google Checkout.

To make your donation now using Google Checkout, simply enter the amount of your donation in the box above and click the Donate button. You'll be taken to our checkout page. It's that easy!

Thank you for your consideration.
 
Regards,
 
Robert Miranda
Executive Director