Alleviating misery

Have you heard about the misery index that measures the impact of changing economic conditions on people?

Created in the 1960s, the  misery index is a combination of housing prices, the consumer price index, and the unemployment rate. Together, these factors are intended to measure the level of economic misery people are experiencing in different geographic areas. Wichita State University released the 2018 misery index for Kansas in early March, and according to their calculations economic misery in Kansas has decreased from  2018 and is well below the misery felt by the rest of the country (for more information, visit kansaseconomy.org/local-indices/misery-index). 

But consider how people who struggle with less-than-a-living-hourly-wage might feel when economists declare that they should be feeling less miserable. In Manhattan, the living wage calculated by MIT is $12.40/hour, but the minimum wage is $7.25/hour.  It can feel pretty miserable to live in this gap. Thrive! is not only with people who live in this gap, but is with people who set a goal to live beyond the misery. Join us!  

Every other month, Thrive! provides training for volunteers who want to work with people who live in poverty. The next six-hour training is scheduled for Saturday, April 27 (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; light lunch provided) and equips volunteers to become Thrive! allies.  Allies are asked to volunteer for 12 months to be purposeful friends of people who want to move beyond financial and relationship instability.

For more information, contact: 
Elaine Johannes, Thrive! Ally Coordinator, at 785-410-2249 or [email protected].