The Power of Presence
As the mother of Wes Moore, whose memoir about overcoming the obstacles that face a fatherless young black man was a huge bestseller, Joy is constantly asked: How did you do it? How can you be a good parent, have a career and stay healthy when you don’t have a partner to pick up the slack? How do you connect with a child when you can’t always be there? Joy’s answer is “presence.” Specifically, seven different ways of being a force in a child’s life, ensuring that they feel your influence. We can’t always be physically there for our children, but the power of presence can help us to be a voice in the back of their minds that guides them through difficult times.
In The Power of Presence, Moore explores seven pillars of presence–heart, faith, mind, courage, financial freedom, values, and connectedness–that all parents can use to positively influence their children. Using compelling stories from women who have been there and practical advice on everything from savings accounts to mindfulness, this book is a compassionate look at what it takes to raise great kids even in less than ideal circumstances.
Joy Thomas Moore
Joy Thomas Moore is a Peabody Award winner and President and CEO of JWS Media Consulting. Prior to founding JWS Media, for fifteen years Moore managed the media impact portfolio for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, a private philanthropy dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children and families in the United States. There she developed and supported media products to support and enhance the Foundation's mission. The Casey Foundation is one of the numerous organizations she works for as a consultant through JWS Media Consulting. Previously, Moore was a freelance writer and field producer for television in New York City. In Washington, DC she earned a Peabody Award for her documentary work in radio. She also served as an adjunct professor at Howard University. Moore earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at American University in DC. She has three children, two grandchildren and resides in Pasadena, Maryland.
Doug Nelson
Douglas Nelson is the retired President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). He is a leading advocate for children and a widely recognized expert on state, local and national policies to improve the lives of low-income families. He is also regarded as one of America’s leading thinkers on the strategic role of philanthropy in advancing racial justice and positive social change. He assumed the presidency of the Casey Foundation in 1990 and, for 20+ years, led AECF through one of the most remarkable and innovative transformations of a philanthropic organization—from a moderately-sized regional institution providing foster care services to disadvantaged children to one of the nation's most influential and respected large foundations. Mr. Nelson currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the CDC Foundation; Program Chair for Health, Peace and Human Rights on the Board of Trustees of the Carter Center; Vice Chair of the Heart Mountain Foundation; Senior Advisor to the Race to Equity Project, a groundbreaking initiative to reduce the state of Wisconsin’s exceptionally wide racial disparities between whites and populations of color. Nelson is also a director of Case Commons, Inc. (New York City). He previously served as Chair of Living Cities, a national collaboration of America’s major foundations and corporations involved in equitable urban development; Vice Chair of the Foundation Center; and Chair of the East Baltimore Development Initiative. Closer to home, Nelson serves on the boards of the Urban League of Greater Madison and Forward Community Investments.