Douglas County Thrives to host Dec. 8 screening of documentary on motherhood in America

Douglas County Thrives will host a screening of “No Country for Mothers,” a documentary that explores the challenges facing mothers in the United States, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, in the auditorium at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.

The film examines the systemic and cultural barriers many mothers face, including limited access to paid family leave and affordable child care. The documentary is led by activist and Moms First founder Reshma Saujani, who travels across the country to hear directly from mothers about their experiences and the support they need to thrive.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Before the screening, attendees can view local data about families, children and single-parent households in Douglas County. A facilitated community discussion will follow the film. The event is scheduled to conclude by 8 p.m.

“This documentary highlights many of the same challenges we see in Douglas County,” Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur said. “By bringing people together to watch the film and discuss local data, we hope to increase awareness, inspire conversation and identify ways our community can better support families and create pathways to economic stability.”

Douglas County Thrives is an economic mobility initiative led by representatives from Douglas County, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, United Way of Kaw Valley, LiveWell Douglas County, K-State Extension Douglas County, DCCCA, Community Children’s Center and Heartland Community Health Center.

The focus group works to increase the percentage of single female-headed households in Douglas County living at or above the ALICE standard. ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, describes households that earn more than the federal poverty level, but less than the income needed to cover basic household expenses.

Supporting families’ economic stability is a key objective of the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Plan’s anti-poverty strategy.

In Douglas County, the following populations are disproportionately affected by financial hardship and live below the ALICE threshold:

• 61.3% of preschoolers
• 64% of single female-headed households
• 30% of Baldwin City households

“Behind every statistic is a family, a parent and a child trying to build a better future,” said Vicki Collie-Akers, director of Community and Environmental Health at Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. “We hope this film sparks meaningful conversations about the realities many mothers face and the role all of us can play in supporting families in our community.”

The event is free and open to the community. To help plan for attendance, please register by completing the form on the Moms First website.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.