Background
Leadership 18 is a coalition of this country's largest and most well respected non-profit organizations that believe strongly in putting people first. Members are national organizations that support the work and accomplishments of local affiliates, members and chapters. This coalition represents long-established charities, faith-based organizations, and social and health groups that support and promote the safety, health, well-being and social and economic development of people across America. These well-known organizations have been collaborating as “Leadership 18” for nearly 25 years. They work together day-in and day-out with each other on a variety of programs, projects and initiatives in small towns and big cities nationwide.
Current members of Leadership 18 include:
- AARP
- Alliance for Children and Families
- American Cancer Society
- American Red Cross
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
- Boy Scouts of America
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Camp Fire USA
- Catholic Charities USA
- Child Welfare League of America, Inc.
- Girl Scouts of the USA
- Girls Incorporated
- Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
- Lutheran Services in America
- National Council of La Raza
- National Mental Health Association, Inc.
- National Urban League, Inc.
- The Salvation Army
- United Cerebral Palsy Association
- United Way of America
- Visiting Nurse Associations of America
- Volunteers of America
- YMCA of the USA
- YWCA of the USA
Leadership 18 Gulf Coast Initiative
view the webcast archive from this event
Leadership 18’s Gulf Coast initiative is focused on addressing the human needs of the long-term recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast area specifically the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that were so negatively impacted by Hurricane Katrina. These organizations worked hand-in-hand in the hardest hit states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi throughout the grueling 2005 hurricane season as well as in the neighboring states of Texas and Florida that also suffered damage.
There are 3 main components of the Gulf Coast Initiative. They are:
- A collective commitment on behalf of the participating organizations to help focus on the human side of rebuilding lives in the Gulf Coast area.
- A listening initiative that will aggressively engage people, listen to their needs and take those messages to those who can most affect change. This effort will begin in the first quarter of 2006 and include visits to communities throughout the affected areas.
- A call to the Administration and Congress to approve $10 billion over the next five years targeted toward rebuilding strategies that emphasize human needs.
Because much has been said thus far about rebuilding buildings, structures, homes and businesses in the Gulf Coast area, Leadership 18’s Gulf Coast Initiative will specifically focus on rebuilding a better state of human existence particularly in these four areas:
- Ensuring the viability of neighborhoods
- Providing for the development and education of children
- Encouraging the self-sufficiency of the citizens of the area
- Empowering local leadership and involving the community
The specific members of Leadership 18 that are participating in the Gulf Coast initiative include:
- Alliance for Children and Families
- American Cancer Society
- Boy Scouts of America
- Camp Fire USA
- Catholic Charities USA
- Girls Incorporated
- Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
- Lutheran Services in America
- National Mental Health Association, Inc.
- National Urban League, Inc.
- The Salvation Army
- United Way of America
- YMCA of the USA
- YWCA of the USA
In conjunction with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Leadership 18 is pleased to release this report of the findings from its 2006 Gulf Coast Listening Initiative. The listening initiative was commissioned by Leadership 18 for the purpose of directly engaging citizens living in the Gulf who have been impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The research was recently conducted in eight Gulf Coast communities to help determine what their most pressing needs are, how they have tried to rebuild their lives and what their short and long term challenges are in trying to do so.
