Voices In The Family

June 2005 Voices In The Family shows

6/6/05
Welfare Brat

Mary Childers grew up on welfare in the Bronx, one of seven children in a fatherless family. She was determined to change her life from an early age on, even though the rest of her family laughed at her ambitions. Childers describes her childhood and the effects of poverty in her new book Welfare Brat. We'll also discuss the current state of welfare and welfare reform with Nellie Sepulveda is the director of the EARN Center, which stands for the Employment Advancement Retention Network Center. They provide services and support to move individuals off of welfare and into jobs in the North Philadelphia / Kensington area. Listen »

6/13/05
A Month of Sundays

When her sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Julie Mars decided to live with her, and care for her. Her sister's suffering and death left Julie searching for spirituality and faith. We'll hear about Mars' quest to find spiritual guidance; she went to a different place of worship every Sunday for thirty-one weeks, and describes her experience in her book A Month of Sundays. We'll also discuss spirituality without organized religion with Dr. David Hufford. He is the Chairman of the Department of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine and a member of the Board of directors of the Metanexus Institute for Religion and Science. Listen »

6/20/05
Military Spouses

The war in Iraq has been going on for over two years, and many military spouses have spent this time living with fear and uncertainty. But even during peace time, being "married to the military" brings many challenges. Our guest is author Karen Houppert. For her new book Home Fires Burning Houppert spent a year with military wives. Houppert describes how these women manage their daily lives while their husbands are deployed, discusses issues like domestic violence, and argues that there is a lack of support for military spouses. Listen »

6/27/05
Nursing Shortage

As America's population ages, the country is also facing a nursing shortage. Why are so many nurses leaving their profession? And how will this trend affect health care? Our guest is author Suzanne Gordon, she's written Nursing Against the Odds. We'll also hear from an acute care nurse, and from Claire Fagin, Director of the John A. Hartford Foundation national program, "Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity. Listen »