Intervalley Project

The Intervalley Project (ivp)'s major activities during the prior year were in three areas:support for community campaigns - we supported our member organizations in their community campaigns to win concrete changes that will lead to greater social and economic justice. As examples, during this period ivp member groups successfully worked on their own and in coalition with others in support of the following:- expanding the provisions of the Connecticut domestic workers bill of rights - while, as a result of our earlier work, home healthcare and other workers are now recognized as workers entitled to state protections, benefitting thousands of low-wage workers, naugatuck valley Project organized with allies to win many other provisions of a basic rights program, such as protection from wage theft.- naugatuck valley Project continued to organize to preserve the community benefits provided by Connecticut non-profit hospitals when they are converted to for-profit status. This includes, as an example, outreach provisions to reduce readmissions.- berkshire interfaith organizing continued to organize to win an increase in emergency food funding in Massachusetts by linking their work into a statewide campaign.- kennebec valley organization continued to organize to win funding for 250 units of elderly housing, and a significant increase in head start funding in Maine.- rhode island organizing Project continued to organize in rhode island with dual eligible" residents -- those old enough to receive medicare and poor enough to receive medicaid, making it easier for them to receive all of their benefits.support for leadership and organizer development:- supported the development of leadership and organizing skills for hundreds of leaders and a dozen organizers through the ivp summer organizing and through local workshops for leaders, as well as through weekly in-person and phone meetings with the 11 organizers who work with our member organizations.financial self-sufficiency training and support: - increased the financial self-sufficiency of ivp and its member groups through training workshops on fundraising and by focusing more of our leader and organizer time on individual giving. The result was a significant increase in individual giving for the network.