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About Mara Powell

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So far Mara Powell has created 119 blog entries.

Kentucky Teens Speaking Up to End Youth Vaping Epidemic

Every child deserves to grow into a healthy adult. While youth cigarette smoking has declined in Kentucky, e-cigarette usage among children and teens surged from 2016 to 2018. Kentucky can end the epidemic of e-cigarette use among youth by enacting a tax on e-cigarettes, prohibiting tobacco sales to anyone under age 21, and strengthening state investment in tobacco use prevention and cessation programming. This week, Kentucky Youth Advocates joined our many partners in the Coalition [...]

By |2020-01-16T18:17:05-05:00January 16th, 2020|Blog, Health|
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The Countdown is On: Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol is January 23rd!

With Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol only days away, be sure you’re registered to join hundreds of advocates and youth from across Kentucky in Frankfort on January 23rd. Kentucky kids need advocates like you to speak up on their behalf on Children’s Advocacy Day and throughout the 2020 Kentucky legislative session. As you prepare for Children’s Advocacy Day, check these to-do items off the list: Register for Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol so you don't [...]

By |2020-01-09T16:30:23-05:00January 8th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Youth Justice|
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Launching the 2020 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children

Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the commonwealth are launching the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children's 2020 policy and state budget priorities! The Blueprint for Kentucky's Children is a coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations that speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for Kentucky kids. The Blueprint stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families launch successful kids, and successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky. [...]

By |2019-12-03T10:36:47-05:00December 3rd, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Medicaid, Youth Justice|
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UPDATE: 86 percent of Kentucky school districts are now tobacco-free!

Schools, policymakers, students, parents, and health advocates celebrated a big win for student health in the 2019 Kentucky legislative session with passage of House Bill 11, which established a statewide tobacco-free school campus policy. All are celebrating again at the start of the school year as school districts are acting early to comply with HB 11. When the bill became law, only 72 of the state's 173 school districts, or 42 percent, were tobacco-free [...]

By |2019-08-29T11:19:04-04:00August 29th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|
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Complete Streets Make Roads Safe and Comfortable for Everyone

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on August 14, 2019. By Emilee McCubbins When I made the decision to go out of state for college, I knew that my heart would always pull me back to this place — Beechmont. Louisville is my hometown, but the steps of Iroquois Library is where I think of when I think of home. Traversing Woodlawn Avenue, popping into the corner store by the gazebo, and [...]

By |2019-08-14T16:51:02-04:00August 14th, 2019|Blog, Health|
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The Family First Act and You!

Social workers and educators, judges and prosecutors, nonprofit leaders, state legislators, and many other advocates for Kentucky kids and families have been travelling near and far over the last few weeks to learn more about the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, implementation in Kentucky, and what it will mean for Kentucky families. The Family First Regional Convenings seek to share information about the federal legislation, anticipated changes in Kentucky over the coming months and [...]

By |2019-09-05T12:52:01-04:00June 26th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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6 Takeaways from the 2019 National KIDS COUNT Data Book

This week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 30th edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book. The annual Data Book uses 16 indicators of well-being to rank each state across four domains — health, education, economic well-being and family and community — and calculate an overall rank. Kentucky ranks 34th in the nation in overall child well-being, 37th in economic well-being, 27th in education, 25th in health, and 43rd in the family and community domain. [...]

By |2019-06-27T11:12:38-04:00June 19th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count|
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Let’s See Those Cute Kentucky Kids!

Kentucky Youth Advocates is looking for photos of Kentucky kids to include in the 2019 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book and other Kentucky Youth Advocates publications. We know you all proudly share pictures of your kids and grandkids by hanging them on your refrigerator and posting them on Instagram and Facebook. Here’s your chance to promote those cute kids through Kentucky Youth Advocates’ materials. We need your photos by August 31st so please start sending them in. In order [...]

By |2019-05-31T09:06:43-04:00May 31st, 2019|Blog, Kids Count|
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Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on Majority Leader McConnell’s Tobacco-Free Youth Act

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Child welfare and juvenile justice have animated Leader McConnell’s commitment to kids. With his sponsorship of the Tobacco-Free Youth Act, you can add health to his legacy as a champion for children. Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Tim Kaine filed the Tobacco-Free Youth Act to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products nationwide [...]

By |2019-05-20T13:09:37-04:00May 20th, 2019|Health, News Room|
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Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on HB 2 Passing Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates By all accounts, a real asset in Kentucky are the thousands of kinship caregivers who are stepping up for children who cannot remain safely with their parents. We know that children who’ve experienced abuse or neglect do better when they are placed with relatives as they experience less trauma when separated from parents, less disruption to their education, [...]

By |2019-02-27T12:08:15-05:00February 27th, 2019|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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