Everyone grows up knowing how to make a grocery list and follow it, how to budget a paycheck to be able to pay the rent at the end of the month or how to be on time for work every day. Right?

Not necessarily.

According Beth Kirsch, Washington school counselor and member of Mental Health America of Daviess County, there’s more to poverty than just a lack of money.

People living in poverty also lack mental, emotional, spiritual and physical resources; support systems; role models; and knowledge of hidden rules. For example, they may not know which words to use in certain situations. Or they may live for the moment rather than planning for the future, believing they can do nothing to change their circumstances.

To combat poverty in Daviess County, Mental Health America of Daviess County will host “Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities” from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 6 or 7 at Eastside Park Community Building. Funded by Lilly Endowment and Daviess County Community Foundation grants, the workshop will help professionals such as business people and faith community leaders understand the mind set of people in poverty and help them move overcome it.

Speaker Philip DeVol of Marengo, Ohio, has been training and consulting on poverty issues since 1997. He will not just speak about the culture of poverty but will help those attending develop steps to combat poverty in the community, said Kirsch.

“We want to give them opportunities to utilize the information they get at these workshops, for it not to be just a book or manual on the shelf that collects dust,” she said.

After the Southern Indiana Network of Education received the $19 million grant in 2000, they began working with teachers in southern Indiana to change the culture of poverty among students in their schools, said Kirsch.

The Indiana Youth Institute, citing U.S. Census estimates states that in 2004 19.5 percent of children in Daviess County were living in poverty. In 2002, Daviess County had the seventh lowest median income in the state, added Kirsch.

So Mental Health America decided to work with SINE to educate adults so principals taught in schools are reinforced in homes. By reducing poverty in the county, Mental Health America hopes to increase people’s self esteem, brighten their future and reduce their need for mental health services, said Kirsch.

Also, employers will be able to retain their employees longer, and charitable groups will be better able to recognize those truly in need — and what it is they need.

If you want to go

Mental Health America of Daviess County will host “Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities” from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 6 or 7 at Eastside Park Community Building. Registration is $10, which includes lunch. Call 254-2800 or 254-2423 by July 31 to register.