WICHITA — The registration deadline for the Kansas Conference on Poverty has been extended to July 18 and the late fee has been waived, organizers announced today.

The event provides education and training on poverty issues and is aimed at policymakers, employees of government and social service agencies, advocates for the poor and volunteers.

It is scheduled for July 25 through July 27 in Wichita.

Interested persons may register online at the Kansas Association of Community Action Programs website. Registration costs $160.

Among the speakers scheduled for the event:

Deborah Weinstein

Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, has more than 30 years of advocacy experience on a wide range of issues at the state and federal levels. Before joining the coalition, Weinstein worked at the Children's Defense Fund on policy strategies aimed at lifting children and families out of poverty, including policies dealing with housing, nutrition, equitable taxes, jobs and wages.

Joel Blackwell

Before becoming a grassroots consultant, Blackwell was an award-winning editor at the Miami Herald. His book "Keep on Voting After the Election," is a manual used across the country for improving advocacy results. He has worked for associations and corporations in 47 states and Washington D.C., helping them get out their message to the public, policy makers and the media.

Greg Kaufmann

Kaufmann writes the "This Week in Poverty" column for The Nation magazine. His work also has appeared at NPR.org, CBSNews.com, Tikkun.org, AlterNet and Common Dreams.

Candy Whirley

Whirley is a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader and performer at Starlight Theater. As a professional speaker and humorist, she has 20 years of experience helping professionals improve their job performance. She co-authored the book, "Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Success."