DANVILLE – (May 10, 2012) DRF,
in partnership with United Way of
Danville-Pittsylvania County (UWDPC)
and The Future of the Piedmont Foundation (FOP), have released the 2011 Dan
River Region Community Report Card. This annual Report Card is the third
issued, with the first released in 2009.
This inclusive tool traces 20
socioeconomic indicators across 5 key categories – education, economic
stability, vitality, health and civic capacity.
All three partners envision this
collaboration as a way to aid in the improvement of the daily lives of Dan
River Region residents.
While a team effort is essential to
the success of this goal, each organization’s mission contributes in its own
way.
The strength of the Future of the
Piedmont Foundation is innovation of workable options to enhance economic
vitality. United Way uses the Report Card data in the direction of its
"Advancing the Common Good" agenda in education, income, and health.
DRF serves the region through the creation of innovative strategies to better
health and wellness, educational attainment, community engagement and economic
transformation.
UWDPC Board Chairman Jeff Liverman
stated, “The Report Card is a result of a collaborative effort between
organizations that will use it to improve our community. This tool is very
important in that it helps target regional issues, around which we can identify
solutions and then implement a plan to get results.”
“In a time of constrained resources,
we have to understand where we are making progress and where we are not,” said
Karl Stauber, President & CEO of DRF. “This report card helps non-profits
in the region better compete for precious resources and it helps us all target
our efforts.”
The findings of the 2011 Report Card
demonstrate both positive and negative trends in the Dan River Region.
City of Danville and Pittsylvania
County, Virginia
•
Educational data was encouraging with 8th
grade math proficiencies meeting or
exceeding averages in the Commonwealth, but while high school on-time
graduation rates in Pittsylvania County are greater than that of the state
average, Danville lags behind both.
•
From economic stability and vitality perspectives, results were mixed. Per
capita income continues to rise from 2006 to 2010, but the percent of children
at the poverty line remains elevated above the Virginia average. While wages
have increased and held at a steady rate, unemployment stays above the state
average.
• The health data improved since last
year’s report card. The death rates for heart disease, stroke, and cancer have
all decreased, as have teen pregnancy rates.
However, infant mortality rates
remain high with Danville reporting a rate approximately 2.5 times higher than
Virginia and Pittsylvania County coming in at a rate about 1.75 times more than
the average within the Commonwealth.
Caswell County, North Carolina
•
Eighth grade math proficiency, the percentage of adults attaining a four-year
college degree, and on-time high school graduation rates all continue to
improve. However, all indicators remain below the state average. Third grade
reading proficiency declined for a second consecutive year, staying under the
average in North Carolina.
•
As a whole, the economic stability and vitality of Caswell County brings to
light both positive and negative trends. Bright spots are that per capita and
median household incomes and weekly wages have all increased. Unfortunately,
poverty levels and free/reduced children lunch, home ownership rates and
unemployment rates all reported at a higher level than the state average.
• Death rates related to heart disease,
stroke and cancer have all decreased and continue to close in on state
averages. However, obese children, teen pregnancy and infant mortality have
increased. One positive note is that the teen pregnancy rate has fallen lower
than the North Carolina state average.
Assembled
by DRF interns, the Report Card offers active links to the source of each
statistic. With all indicators, findings were drawn from the most recent data
available from independent or government agencies. It is important to note that
none of the three sponsors of the Report Card collected any of the data used.
The partnership plans to continue the
release of an annual Dan River Region Community Report Card to offer a
longitudinal view of indicator tendencies, while analyzing plans of action to
improve them.
Comprehensive and comparative
versions of the Report Card are available at www.drfonline.org or www.liveuniteddpc.org.
For more information contact DRF
Senior Program Officer Starling McKenzie at 434.483.4273 or email at smckenzie@drfonline.org.