America’s Families to Call on Nation’s Leaders
to Adopt National Family Platform

Seattle, WA -- One hundred and fifty families from 12 states will unveil the Equal Voice for America’s Families national family platform in Washington D.C. on February 11, 2009. The families will call on the nation’s leaders to adopt the family platform created last year by families from across America. The platform identifies key issues affecting families and asks that legislators address the needs of families comprehensively rather than turning their needs into single issues to be addressed one by one. The families are part of the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign, which brought together over 30,000 families to create a national family platform.

“Piecemeal solutions have failed families,” said Luz Vega-Marquis, president and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation, “When 30,000 families from across the country come together and call for the adoption of a national family platform – we as a nation need to listen. On February 11, families will travel across the country not to ask for a bailout but to ask that the nation adopt a national family platform that puts the needs of families first.”

Families will give their perspective on what an economic stimulus package that puts families first should look like and put forth their vision for a national family agenda that responds to the essential needs of America’s families.

States represented include: Washington, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Indiana. A family spokesperson is available from each state for interviews.

The Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign was a yearlong campaign supported by Seattle-based Marguerite Casey Foundation and its grantees to elevate the voices of America’s families in the public debate.

Press Conference
Wednesday, February 11, 9 a.m.
National Press Club
529 14th Street NW
Washington DC

To learn more about the campaign, view “The Journey So Far”