The latest numbers on poverty among U.S. children are so striking that they make you do a double take. In 2009, 31 million kids were living in families with incomes below twice the federal poverty threshold. That’s 42 percent of the kids in the United States who are just a few of mom’s or dad’s paychecks away from economic catastrophe, says Patrick McCarthy, CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released the statistics this week as part of its latest Kids Count study.

Nearly 8 million children in 2010 were living with at least one parent who was unemployed.

You can explore more of the findings focused on children and families here. And there’s plenty of other data to pore over — about disturbing trends at the national level and what’s happening in your state.

Breakaway Devotional Project for Incarcerated Youth

Breakaway Outreach is developing a new spiritual growth resource for youth in juvenile detention centers.  The goal is to publish a devotional resource that will help incarcerated kids begin a daily walk with God.  The devotions will be written by a diverse group of individuals ranging from Christian professionals, athletes, music artists, entrepreneurs, authors, youth pastors, and more.  We are seeking your participation in this project.

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Today, in America, there are more than 14 million youth under 18 who are defined as “at risk” (of not reaching a productive adulthood). They face a relentless assault of negative influences which often result in drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, poor academic performance, violence, even death.

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The Chattanooga Mentor program provides the opportunity for adults from our community to be matched with young people who need or want a caring, responsible adult in their lives.

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