Good Afternoon, Folks-
Some news and information that you might find of interest.
NYSCAA News
We have a new NYSCAA staff member starting on Monday. Please join us in welcoming Vanessa Saari as our Administrative Coordinator. Vanessa comes to us from the NYS Assembly where she was a Legislative Associate. As we had hoped, we were able to hire an individual that we believe will be able to add real value to the staff and programs of NYSCAA and be able to grow within the organization as opportunities arise. Vanessa has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from Rockefeller College at the University at Albany. She will be a tremendous help on both the office management side and program side of the organization. She will be reachable at vsaari@nyscaaonline.org.
Reminder for board members: The NYSCAA board meeting is scheduled for 12:00 on Monday 9/18 at the Hilton Garden Inn and Suites on Albany Shaker Road. The Executive Committee will meet at 9:00 also at the hotel.
Gordon Hazel and Denise Harlow will be meeting with the directors of the downstate membership and DOS staff on Thursday 9/21 to discuss how NYSCAA can be more responsive to the needs of all of our members. Thank you to Winston Ross and WestCOP for hosting this important meeting and to DOS for arranging the meeting.
Congratulations to the Albany Community Action Partnership (formally Albany County Opportunity, Inc.) on celebrating your 40th anniversary on Thursday 9/14 and formally announcing your new name!
Articles and Other Pieces of Interest
While it is not up on their website yet, NCASP’s August newsletter’s lead story in an interview with David Bradley on his outlook for CSGB, LIHEAP and Head Start. If you don’t receive a hard copy, their newsletters are posted here http://www.nascsp.org/publications.htm. Keep an eye out for August’s issue.
FRAC Guide Offers Strategies for Food Stamp Outreach. A new publication by the Food Research and Action Center titled “FRAC’s Guide to Food Stamp Outreach Collaborations” provides an overview of promising partnerships that are working to increase participation in the Federal Food Stamp Program (FSP). In FY 2004, only about 60 percent of eligible people received food stamps – the program missed four in ten qualified individuals. With the support of the UPS Foundation, the guide offers suggestions on ways to leverage federal matching funds and other supports to maximize the reach of food stamp education campaigns and boost food stamp participation. It describes approaches to engaging different stakeholders on collaborative outreach, from school officials, state legislators and city officials, to food pantry operators, grocers and employers. Together, stakeholders partnering on food stamp outreach can make important contributions to the health and well-being of families and communities. For more information check out http://www.frac.org/html/news/fsp_guide2006.html. FRAC Guide Details Promising Partnerships and Strategies for Food Stamp Outreach,” frac.org, September 7, 2006)
Free Board Training Workshops. The Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc. (CCSNYS) is offering free board workshops in September in Poughkeepsie (9/18), Buffalo (9/21) and New York City (9/28). Topics include:
Human Resource Issues For Boards of Directors | 9am-12pm
Creative Restructuring & Mergers | 1-4pm
Legal Obligations of the Board of Directors | 5:30- 7:30pm
As you may recall CCSNYS is the entity that worked with NYSCAA and NYSDOS to develop the board training DVD released last year. While the sessions are open to board members of all types of nonprofits, CCSNYS trainers are familiar with Community Action Agencies and should be able to answer specific questions. Check out www.ccsnys.org for details on location and registration information.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Denise
Denise Harlow
Chief Executive Officer
New York State Community Action Association
2 Charles Blvd.
Guilderland, NY 12084
(518) 690-0491
Fax: (518) 690-0498
www.nyscaaonline.org
A Member of the Community Action Partnership-Helping People. Changing Lives.