College of the Ozarks to host 2020 S. Truett Cathy Poverty Summit Friday, Feb. 21

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — College of the Ozarks will host the 2020 S. Truett Cathy Poverty Summit on Friday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Poverty Summit provides programming for teachers, ministry leaders, church staff members, and government officials who want to be more effective in helping struggling individuals by revealing the "hidden rules" of class and by providing practical tools for reaching those in need. This year’s summit will focus on the in-depth study of poverty in Stone & Taney counties, identifying the top five opportunities for action and how one can connect with the issues. The summit is named in honor of S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A and friend of College of the Ozarks.

Susan McLarty, coordinator at Greenville Homeless Alliance (GHA), is the main speaker. As the Coordinator for the GHA, McLarty works with a broad public-private partnership to propel collective action to address homelessness in Greenville County. GHA's common agenda is to make homelessness brief and rare by increasing housing options for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and by strengthening support services, which will ensure stability and prevent future homelessness.

“Over the past 18 months, a steering team of leaders representing a wide variety of sectors have been collecting data, conducting focus groups, and visiting other communities who are finding success in addressing the issue of poverty,” said Dr. Sue Head, vice president for cultural affairs and dean of character education. “One of those site visits was to Greenville, South Carolina, where high collaboration and clearly defined goals with measurable outcomes are improving the lives for members of their community who are in poverty. Susan McLarty is leading the charge there, and we are looking forward to learning from her experience.”

For additional information, contact Pamela Spears (417) 690-2242 or pspears@cofo.edu