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Civic Causes. Child Abuse. Homelessness. Juvenile crime. Public parks and libraries. Affordable Transportation. All of these issues - and many more - have a profound impact on how our communities function. And they all go well beyond the destruction of individual lives (which is enough of a reason to work for change), but they also create a significant economic drain in the form of increased healthcare and police services, lost wages and a cosmic "turning a blind eye" to many of our cities. It is no wonder that so many millions of private dollars and hours are spent in support of these civic causes.

Of course, these civic issues all weave in and out of our other coverage sectors - The Arts, Education, Healthcare, The Environment and International Issues - but they need to be looked at on their own as well as in part of the whole.

JUST CAUSE will be following these important issues because we believe that we can work together and create a better community for all of us.

What kinds of stories will we cover? Too many to list here, but here is a brief glance at what you might find:

The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start , a Head Start , a Fair Start , a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. They have never taken government funds.

Grants from The Laura Bush Foundation will be made to school libraries across the country to purchase books. An advisory committee of experts in children's literature, reading , and education will design the grant application and administer the grant process. Money to fund these grants will be raised by the Leadership Council of the Laura Bush Foundation. These books are landing on shelves in schools in underserved areas - areas where many children don't have books in their home, so the school library is the only place they will get them. But the other thing we like about this story is that it is yet another way to remind us all that it is not reasonable to judge a person by their political affiliation. Whether you are a republican or a democrat, we hope to show you that the first lady is doing amazing things - and remind us all that we can come together around a JUST CAUSE.