Children's Health Insurance Victory!

Dear Clergy, Leaders, and Friends,

We are victorious on the children's health insurance expansion! Given the tremendous work of PICO over the last two years on SCHIP expansion, PICO associated volunteer leaders and clergy were invited by the Obama administration to be present when he signs the legislation. See the PICO news update below.

Peter

Peter Hasapopoulos
Executive Director
Faith Works
1785 S. Escondido Boulevard, Suite B
Escondido, CA 92025
760.745.1630

Affiliated with the PICO National Network
www.piconetwork.org

--- On Tue, 2/3/09, PICO National Network wrote:

Dear PICO staff and leaders,

Tomorrow afternoon at 3:15pm EST President Obama is expected to sign legislation that will provide health coverage to 11 million children in the United States.

MICAH-New Orleans leader Ashanti George-Paulin and her son Joshua have been invited to participate in the signing ceremony as a family that benefits from SCHIP. Rev. Wiggins, from Camden Churches Organized for People and Rev. Dr. Cummings, from Oakland Community Organizations have also been invited by the Obama Administration to represent PICO at the signing ceremony. It is all very exciting and the result of so much hard work and faith by so many. As Rev. Wiggins has reminded us often: "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3

With help from Faith in Public Life PICO is holding a national press conference call at 11am EST.

We also wanted to give you a head's up that as part of our network's ongoing campaign to stop preventable foreclosures, on Thursday PICO is releasing a joint report with the Center for Responsible Lending that looks at what works in preventing foreclosures and calls on the federal officials to do more to keep at least 3 million families from losing their homes. We'll send you a copy when it is ready.

Many thanks for everyone's work on this great step forward for children and families and for our PICO network. For a reminder about how far we have come take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyRcbGME2Xs.

Best,
Gordon Whitman, PICO national staff

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