SEATTLE, Dec. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — United Way of King County, the King County Bar Association and the Seattle Mariners announced today the launch of a $3 million community partnership to help tackle King County’s homelessness crisis. Home Base will reduce the number of people who lose their homes due to eviction, which is a leading cause of homelessness. The prevention program works to keep thousands of people in their homes by providing legal representation, flexible funding and case management.

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty reports that evictions are the leading cause of homelessness. A September 2018 study by the King County Bar Association and Seattle Women’s Commission found that 87% of eviction filings were because of nonpayment of rent with roughly three quarters of those cases involving an average of $1,237 or less owed to the landlord.

For many low-income renters, the combination of scarce resources and high rent means no flexibility when facing an emergency like a serious illness, a death in the family or temporary job loss. There’s often little time for renters to come up with rent as Washington law allows landlords to file evictions against tenants in as little as 3 days after rent is due.

“United Way knows that our community won’t begin to see a difference in the crisis until we can stop more people from becoming homeless in the first place,” said Jon Fine, President and CEO of United Way of King County. “Through Home Base, we are working upstream by providing eviction prevention. This is a game changer and we’re so pleased the Seattle Mariners and King County Bar Association have stepped up in a big way.”

While the Seattle Mariners are generously providing the initial funding, United Way is committed to identifying and leveraging additional funding from the public and private sector to scale Home Base to a 3 year, $10 mil program.

For more information on donating to United Way of King County to make sure that people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable, click here or visit United Way of King County’s website at https://www.uwkc.org/donate.

CONTACT:
Sabrina Register, Assoc. Dir. of Public Relations
206-461-8414
[email protected]

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SOURCE United Way of King County

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — March of Dimes, the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health, has earned the Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition from the charity watchdog agency GuideStar, for the second consecutive year. The March of Dimes page can be viewed online at https://www.guidestar.org/profile/13-1846366.

The 2018 Platinum Seal of Transparency demonstrates March of Dimes focus on measuring progress and successful results toward its mission to fight for the health of all moms and babies, according to GuideStar’s criteria.

“We’re very pleased to be able to demonstrate to our supporters and donors in a user-friendly way that March of Dimes is achieving real results for moms and babies throughout the United States,” Stacey D. Stewart, March of Dimes president. “The Platinum Seal of Transparency demonstrates that March of Dimes is successfully expanding proven programs and innovative solutions to improve care for moms and lower the nation’s preterm birth rate.” 

To reach the Platinum level, March of Dimes added extensive information to its nonprofit profile on GuideStar, including in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission. By taking the time to provide this information, March of Dimes has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate the organization. This information is shared with the more than 200 philanthropic websites and applications powered by GuideStar data.

March of Dimes also meets all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability of the Better Business Bureau, as listed on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance Web site Give.org.

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies by:

• Working to ensure women have access to preventive and supportive care before, during and after pregnancy.   
• Delivering programs to improve the care that moms and babies receive. Group prenatal care can reduce health disparities, and March of Dimes is expanding its group prenatal care program, called Supportive Pregnancy Care,
• Empowering families and communities with the knowledge and tools to have healthier pregnancies.
• Supporting moms through every stage of the pregnancy journey, even when everything doesn’t go according to plan. The Share Your Story online community unites and supports families during their most vulnerable time. As families navigate the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), March of Dimes offers information and comfort with its NICU Family Support® program and its My NICU Baby™ App.
• Advancing research at our six Prematurity Research Centers. Experts study the causes of premature birth, knowing that the answers are going to involve a combination of interventions to prevent and solve this urgent health crisis.  
• Advocating for policies to protect moms and babies and give them the best possible start.
• Amplifying the voices of all women and their families. We mobilize communities across the country to work toward achieving birth equity.

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every baby can have the best possible start. Building on a successful 80-year legacy of impact and innovation, we empower every mom and every family. Visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org for more information. Visit shareyourstory.org for comfort and support. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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SOURCE March of Dimes

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — To make American roads safer during the holiday season, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) and Ad Council today announced the launch of the 15^th annual “Project Roadblock” effort, the largest annual TV station-supported initiative of a single PSA campaign. Under the Project Roadblock banner, local broadcast TV stations donate airtime to support the national “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” public service advertising (PSA) campaign from the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8462751-ad-council-project-roadblock-anti-drunk-driving/

Since 2004, local broadcast TV stations have participated in Project Roadblock by airing Buzzed Driving Prevention PSAs between December 26 and 31, including a simultaneous airing on New Year’s Eve at 10 p.m. local time. To date, local broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated over $66 million in media to support this effort, including $7.9 million in 2017 alone.

“The dedication local broadcast TV stations show to this lifesaving message every year is truly remarkable,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “We’re so proud to celebrate 15 years of Project Roadblock and keeping our communities and roads safe during the holidays.”

“The holiday season should be one of the happiest times of the year, but when drinking and driving mix, it turns into one of the deadliest ones,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King. “For 15 years, Project Roadblock has been spreading the message through donated airtime on TV stations across the country that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving, helping us ensure Americans have a safe season on the roads.”

In recognition of Project Roadblock’s fifteenth anniversary, the Ad Council and TVB are conducting additional outreach to TV stations in the 15 states that accounted for nearly two-thirds (65%) of all alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2017: Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Michigan, New York, Arizona, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee.

“Local broadcast TV stations strive to provide integral news and lifesaving information to their communities every day,” said Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of TVB. “Proudly participating in Project Roadblock since its inception 15 years ago, local broadcasters have increased awareness of this critical initiative and helped make roads safer across the United States during the holidays.”

Over 1,000 local broadcast TV stations from all 50 states have already pledged their support for Project Roadblock 2018. Broadcast groups ABC; CBS; Cox Media; Entravision Communications Corporation; Graham Media; Gray Television, Inc.; Hearst Television; ION Media Networks; Liberman Broadcasting; NBC; Nexstar Media Group, Inc.; Sinclair; Tegna, Inc.; Telemundo; Tribune Media Company; Univision Communications; and Weigel Broadcasting have pledged full support from their stations.

Participating stations will exclusively debut a new TV spot, created pro bono by media and creative agency OMD and production company HYFN, which features a young man identifying one of his buzzed warning signs and making the decision to take a ride share home instead of driving. This is the first in a series of seasonal PSAs created by OMD to be released throughout the year, all of which end with the tagline “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving,” reminding drivers to find a safe way to get home instead of getting behind the wheel.

Extreme Reach, the cloud technology platform for TV & Video ad workflow and Talent & Rights management, has donated support to this year’s Project Roadblock effort.

For more information about Project Roadblock, visit tvb.org/projectroadblock, and follow the campaign online using hashtag #ProjectRoadblock on Facebook and Twitter.

DATA SOURCE
NHTSA.gov: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving

NHTSA
For more than four decades, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has served as the key federal agency charged with improving automobile safety on our nation’s roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA is working to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by promoting the use of safety belts and car seats; helping states and local communities address the threat of distracted,  drunk and drug-impaired drivers; regulating safety standards and investigating safety defects in motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards; conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and providing consumer information on issues ranging from child passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information visit www.nhtsa.gov.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.

TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s $21 billion local broadcast television industry. Its members include over 800 individual television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium’s multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including tvb.org, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.

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SOURCE The Ad Council