Good Morning, Folks-
Here are some NYSCAA News and Updates along with other items that may be of interest.
NYSCAA News and Updates
Calling for a Statewide Commission on Poverty. Hoping to build on the energy created at the Symposium on Poverty and Economic Security, the NYSCAA Public Policy Committee is considering calling for a Statewide Commission on Poverty and Economic Security. Using the NYC Commission for Economic Security as an example, the committee is convening a committee meeting in Syracuse on April 27th at PEACE, 10:00-3:00 for all those interested in becoming involved in the planning for the call for a Statewide Commission. The NYSCAA Executive Committee will also be involved and I encourage anyone who is interested in participating to attend. Calling for this Commission will take strong leadership and involvement from the CAA network and will engage us in the policy environment in a new and exciting way. We hope you can join us. If you can’t join us but would like to be kept in the loop on future meetings, please let me know. While we encourage folks to attend in person if at all possible, conference calling will be available for those unable to make the trip. To call in, please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter code 3162050# at the prompt. Representatives from New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness and the Fiscal Policy Institute will be joining the meeting as well.
CSBG Legislative Hearing. Please mark your calendars for the CSBG Legislative Hearing on June 5th at 10:30 in the Roosevelt Hearing Room C in the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Albany. The Public Policy Committee will be strategizing on NYSCAA’s testimony and any potential “ask” to the Legislature so please send along any input you would like to see included in NYSCAA’s testimony or participate in the upcoming committee meeting. If you can’t attend the April meeting but would like to receive updates on committee meetings, please let me know.
National Symposium on Poverty and Economic Security Scholarship. NYSCAA has one TEAM registration scholarship available for a NYSCAA member agency that will cover the registration fees for the Executive Director/CEO, a board member, and a customer for the National Symposium in Bethesda, MD, May 2-31, 2007. Total value is $885 ($295 per person). The funds can only be used to cover the registration fees and the scholarship is designed for a three-person team to attend. We only have one of these scholarships so please contact Denise Harlow at dharlow@nyscaaonline.org as soon as possible if you would like to apply for this team scholarship opportunity.
NYSCAA/NYSWDA Annual Professional Development Conference and Annual Meeting. Please plan to join us June 11-13 in Poughkeepsie, NY at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel for our annual event. NYSCAA has moved to one Professional Development Conference this year and we hope you can join us. There will be a special Advanced Fiscal Institute on Tuesday with training provided by Hilda Polanco, CPA, of Fiscal Management Associates in NYC. Anita Lichtblau from CAPLAW will also be joining us on Monday for the opening plenary and will be offering a workshop on bylaws for Community Action Agencies. Registration will be open soon but to see a copy of the Save-the Date flyer with hotel information, please go to http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx
NYSCAA Annual Awards. NYSCAA’s annual awards will be announced on Tuesday, June 12th at the Annual Dinner during the Conference and nominations are currently being sought. We have moved up the deadline for nominations in order to allow the committee to review all nominations. Please have all nominations in by May 4th. Nominations can be mailed, emailed or faxed back to NYSCAA. To encourage nominations, everyone who nominates a candidate for an award will be entered into a drawing for an MP3 player that will be awarded the night of the dinner. Please see the nominations materials attached to this email.
Community Action in the News. If you receive the New York Nonprofit Press, please see Page 6 in the April edition for an article on the Symposium on Poverty and Economic Security and a photo of Deputy Mayor Gibbs. Here is a link to the current edition: http://www.nynp.biz/
NYSCAA Website. NYSCAA technology staff have been busy in recent weeks finalizing the design of the new NYSCAA website. It will be launched on April 16th and we hope that you find the new site useful and east to navigate.
Staffing Changes. NYSCAA’s Fiscal Director, Gary Washburn, left the agency last week to accept a position with the NYS Department of Tax and Finance. We wish Gary well and will be using the services of CFO for Hire for the next several weeks as we go through our annual audit. Please contact Denise Harlow at dharlow@nyscaaonline.org if you have any questions.
Upcoming NSYCAA Committee Meetings
Membership Development Committee. The next meeting is set for Tuesday, April 10th, at 2:00, at the NYSCAA offices with Evelyn Harris and the team from NIQCA (Northeast Institute for Quality Community Action). For those unable to make the trip, conference calling will be available, please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter in code 3162050# at the prompt.
Governance Committee. The committee is meeting by conference call on Thursday, April 12th at 2:00. Please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter in code 3162050# at the prompt.
Public Policy Committee and Executive Committee. As noted above, the committees are meeting in Syracuse at PEACE, Inc., 10:00-3:00 on Friday, April 27th. Other NYSCAA members interested in participating are encouraged to attend. For those unable to make the trip, conference calling will be available, please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter in code 3162050# at the prompt.
Publications of Interest
WIC Is One of Government’s Top-Performing Programs (“Assessment Shows Oregon WIC Works,” salem-news.com, March 21, 2007) A U.S. Office of Management and Budget assessment confirmed that the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of government’s top-performing programs. According to OMB, WIC was one of only 20 programs to receive the highest ranking possible among 179 “Programs Related to Health and Well Being.” Of the total 977 federal programs assessed, WIC came in among the top 17 percent. OMB found WIC’s 2006 performance had a positive impact on birth outcomes and children’s nutrition and immunization rates. The program also received high marks for efficient use of program funds and maximizing its ability to serve eligible clients. WIC “reaches families most in need of preventive health services who otherwise would not have access to them,” said Katherine Bradley of the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division. OMB identified childhood obesity as a future challenge to be addressed by the program. “WIC is making changes to its food package to address the obesity issue. Improving breastfeeding rates will help because breastfed babies have a lower risk for obesity later in life,” Bradley said. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march212007/wicworks_032107.php
Low-Income Families Pay Extra In Time and Money for Lack of Proximity to Basic Retail and Services. (“Lack of Access to Services Taxing for Poor, Study Finds,” post-gazette.com, March 15, 2007) Residents in low-income communities pay a ‘time tax’ of extra money or loss of personal time to access basic retail and services. According to Dr. Neckerman, a Columbia University sociologist, in some communities, residents must take a cab to get to the bank, rely on costly check-cashing agencies and take two buses to get to the supermarket. Neckerman also is co-investigator of a National Institutes of Health project on the impact of land use, public transit and housing on physical activity, diet, obesity and other aspects of health. She found that, on average, low-income families earn $15,000 a year, but because of special inequality, large chunks of their earnings are gobbled up by spending up to $2,000 a year on check-cashing service. “Time is money,” said Dr. Neckerman, and all the time and costs put pressure on families. Gentrification can exacerbate further the displacement of the poor as higher-income white residents move closer to the city’s line and its amenities and employment. For more information see: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07074/769646-85.stm
Other Events
FDANYS Annual Conference and National Dialogue. Join your colleagues for the two days of FDANYS event in Albany in May. On May 23rd will be the National Dialogue on Family Development and on May 24th, the Annual Conference and FDC & FDLC Recognition Ceremony will be held. Both events will be at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. To register online, go to http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx.
Support Center for Nonprofit Management. The Support Center will sponsor Meet the Grantmakers in Westchester on Friday, April 20, 2007, 8:30am-12:00pm. For more information, go to http://www.supportctr.org/view_entry.php?id=2635.
Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc. and CS Plus. Peter Andrew, CEO & President, Council Services Plus will present a session on Employee Benefits on 9:00am - 12:00pm on May 15, 2007 at the Support Center of Nonprofit Management, 305 Seventh Avenue (at 27th Street), New York, NY 10001. For more information, go to http://www.ccsnys.org/events_conferences/eventsDetails.asp?eventsid=37.
Sage MIP Fund Accounting Software. Sage MIP Fund Accounting Software is conducting a free online webcast for Community Action Agencies on their MIP Fund Accounting Software Package, April 18, 2:00-3:00. To learn more, go to www.sagenonprofit.com/capwebcast.
Thanks,
Denise