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Statewide
Opportunity
Tour
to
Examine
how
to
Invigorate
our
Communities
In
August,
my
staff
and
I
embarked
on
a
tour
of
Indiana
to
learn
more
about
individual
communities
and
what
would
help
them
improve
the
lives
of
people
living
there.
This
was
part
of
an
ongoing
effort
our
office
has
undertaken
since
the
spring
to
form
relationships,
better
understand
problems,
and
ultimately
create
solutions
that
improve
the
lives
of
Hoosiers
in
Opportunity
ZIP
Codes.
Opportunity
ZIPs
are
the
state’s
most
distressed
communities,
based
on
factors
such
as
poverty,
unemployment,
housing
vacancy,
and
more.
Read
more
about
Indiana’s
Opportunity
ZIPs.
Below
are
examples
of
just
three
of
the
stops
I
made
during
the
state
work
period
as
part
of
my
Opportunity
Tour.
United
Caring
Services
I
visited
United
Caring
Shelter
in
Evansville
to
learn
more
about
the
work
they
do.
United
Caring
Shelter
is
a
part
of
the
broader
United
Caring
Services,
which
provides
services
to
men
and
women,
many
of
whom
were
recently
or
still
are
homeless.
Some
of
their
innovative
work
has
been
shown
to
cut
return
visits
to
local
hospitals.
You
can
read
more
about
what
United
Caring
Services
is
doing
for
the
Evansville
community
on
their
website.
Christian
Center
in
Anderson
I
had
the
chance
to
visit
the
Christian
Center
in
Anderson.
They
are
doing
great
work
helping
our
state's
most
vulnerable
people
get
back
on
their
feet.
The
center
offers
a
comprehensive
set
of
services
designed
to
move
people
towards
self
sufficiency
and
success.
Those
services
include
life
skills
education,
abuse
education
and
recovery
programs,
and
providing
food,
shelter,
clothes,
and
other
necessities.
Evansville
Vanderburgh
School
Corporation
Further,
in
Evansville,
students
at
Evansville
Vanderburgh
School
Corporation’s
(EVSC)
AIS
program
taught
me
how
to
properly
wash
my
hands
for
a
medical
setting.
The
AIS
program
helps
students
prepare
for
careers
as
a
Certified
Nursing
Assistant.
America’s
Role
in
the
World:
Why
Leading
Globally
Matters
for
Indiana
In
Indianapolis
last
Monday,
I
participated
in
a
panel
discussion
with
the
U.S.
Global
Leadership
Coalition
on
how
American
leadership
&
engagement
benefit
Indiana.
If
we
are
going
to
keep
America
safe
and
prosperous
at
home,
then
we
must
remain
engaged
and
lead
abroad.
Approximately
95%
of
the
world’s
consumers
are
outside
the
U.S.;
over
812,000
Hoosier
jobs
are
tied
to
international
trade;
and
Hoosiers
export
more
than
$34.7
billion
a
year
to
foreign
markets.
The
economy,
jobs,
and
prosperity
in
our
state
depend
greatly
on
talented
and
hardworking
Hoosiers
having
the
ability
to
access
markets
abroad
and
compete
internationally.
If
America
doesn't
lead,
other
countries
will.
That’s
why
I
introduced
with
Senator
Shaheen
the
National
Diplomacy
and
Development
Strategy
Act
of
2017.
I
am
pleased
to
report
that
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee
passed
a
version
of
this
legislation.
I
will
continue
to
pursue
this
legislative
priority
until
it
becomes
law.
One
more
thing
before
you
go:
Secretary
Chao
Visit
The
South
Shore
Line
project
is
critical
to
job
growth
and
economic
activity
in
northwest
Indiana.
I
am
encouraged
by
the
overwhelming
support
for
this
investment.
Last
week, Secretary
of
Transportation
Elaine
L.
Chao
was
able
to
see
firsthand
the
momentum
behind
this
project
and
all
of
the
involved
stakeholders
have
done
a
tremendous
job
of
putting
together
a
solid
proposal.
I’m
looking
forward
to
continue
working
on
economic
issues
in
NW
Indiana
and
the
continued
progress
on
South
Shore
Line.
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