Goal is to improve the lives of low-income residents

Jackson, Miss. – More than 200 social workers and other low income advocates from across the state gather in Jackson this week to tackle challenges facing Mississippi’s poorest residents.

These low-income advocates are at the 2010 Annual Partnership Conference sponsored by Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies and Entergy Mississippi, Inc.

Under the theme of “Making an Impact, Making a Difference,” the conference runs June 29-July 1 at the Jackson Marriott. A session on global climate change, numerous workshops, a national legislative update and a forum on poverty are on the agenda.

“Census figures show about 25 percent of Entergy Mississippi’s 435,000 customers live in poverty,” said Liz Brister, manager of external affairs for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “That’s one out of every four people! This is unacceptable to us.”

The best tool for dismantling poverty is education, and Brister says this year’s forum will focus on that.

“The panelists represent some of the state’s top leaders in the goal to improve school readiness for Mississippi’s underprivileged children,” she said. “They represent organizations like the Children’s Defense Fund, Delta Health Alliance and Mississippi Building Blocks.”

The summit will also feature a national speaker from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Jenny Denney Lawson will address the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, a changing climate and how proposed federal legislation might affect the state’s low-income population..

“Whether it’s destruction from Mother Nature, an economic downturn or an oil spill crisis, every day brings another example of why communities must work together to address the difficult issues so many of our fellow Mississippians face,” said Willie Martin, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies. “We’ve made progress over this past decade, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“Every time we succeed it not only helps our low-income residents, it helps build a more promising and productive future for all of us.”

The low income summit was started 11 years ago when Entergy Corporation committed to increase resources and work toward improving the lives of low-income customers.

“Since that time, Entergy Mississippi has invested more than $2 million in grants and direct program expenses and countless hours of its human capital to address poverty in our state,” said Brister. “We’ve also raised more than $3 million for the Power to Care fund to help low income elderly and disabled customers pay their utility bills.”

Entergy is recognized nationally for its efforts to improve the lives of its low-income customers. In 2009, Entergy Corporation received Chartwell Inc.’s Best Practices Award for Serving Low-Income Customers for the company’s “exceptional commitment and innovative approach to helping poverty-stricken customers move toward self-sufficiency.”

A low-income progress report will be given during the conference. The 2009 low-income progress report can be accessed at http://www.entergy.com/our_community/low_income_reports.aspx.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 433,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

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