Hits and Misses
City Mission’s Chief Development Officer Dr. Sally Mounts reads a quote on the wall in one of the rooms at Sally’s House, which is City’s Mission’s next-step house for homeless women on their way to independence.
Mark Hofmann/ For the Observer-Reporter
Associated Press
This 2011, photo shows “Sesame Street” muppet Elmo posing for a portrait with the assistance of puppeteer Kevin Clash in the Fender Music Lodge during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to promote the documentary “Being Elmo” in Park City, Utah. Elmo got a COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, according to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind “Sesame Street.”
June 23, 1972, was an extremely eventful day in the presidency of Richard Nixon. On the minus side, that was the day the infamous “smoking gun” tape was recorded that led to Nixon’s ejection from the White House two years later. On the plus side, that was the day Nixon signed Title IX into law. Designed broadly to increase educational opportunities for women by prohibiting gender-based discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal funding, it has helped boost the participation of girls and women in sports and academia. When Title IX received Nixon’s signature, only about 300,000 girls participated in high school sports. Today, that number stands at more than 3 million. Also, a half-century ago, women received just 10% of all doctoral degrees. Today, 54% of those receiving doctorates are women. Title IX was meant to open doors and break down barriers, and it has done its job extraordinarily well.
Amid all the news about the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion decision, the findings of the Jan. 6 committee, the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising prices, COVID-19 has moved to the inside pages of newspapers. But it’s still out there in the world, causing about 400 deaths every week across the United States. It’s likely we’ll be visited by another outbreak in the fall once colder weather arrives and school resumes. It’s also likely there will be more cases due to waning immunity and variants that continue to evolve. But the groundwork is being laid for updated booster shots tailored to fight the variants that are dominating the COVID landscape right now. This week, a committee of experts recommended to the Food and Drug Administration that a booster be made available that would combat omicron variants. The hope is that it will boost overall immune response. But will people get the revamped booster? As of the end of June, just 47% of American adults who have been fully vaccinated have received a booster shot. In Pennsylvania, it’s 43% of fully vaccinated adults. The number of people getting boosters needs to improve so that we can avoid more sickness and more death in the months ahead.
A U.S. senator should have a lot on his or her mind right now, but Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Criuz can always seem to find a minute to pick on “Sesame Street.” Last year, Cruz was in high dudgeon because – horrors! – Big Bird received a coronavirus vaccine on the children’s program. This week, Cruz was angry over the fact that Elmo received a vaccine and that the puppet, according to a tweet from Cruz, was “aggressively” advocating that children younger than 5 receive the vaccine. And what’s wrong with that? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that young children be vaccinated. Would Cruz be happier if there’s a “Sesame Street” episode where Elmo gets the virus and spreads it to his family and friends? The Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and Grover had better watch out – they could be the objects of Cruz’s ire pretty soon. We assume he’ll spare his kindred spirit, Oscar the Grouch.
Sometime this month, Washington’s City Mission will open Sally’s House, a 15-bed, temporary home for women who are moving from homelessness to independent living. It’s located across the street from the City Mission’s campus on West Wheeling Street, in a Victorian-style home that’s been refurbished thanks to a contribution from an anonymous donor. According to Dr. Sally Mounts, the development director for City Mission, “There is a real need for services for homeless women in our area, and this facility is going to open up more beds in our program and provide a comfortable and caring home for women in need.”