From: Denise Harlow
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 1:14 PM
To: ExecutiveDirectors; ballen@acapinc.org; Sherry Charlebois (scharlebois@ceo-cap.org); sbrowne@eoc-nassau.org
Cc: Tom Coffinger; Jennifer Green; Kristine Speth; Liz M. Hughes; Annette Marchese; Barbara Goldstein; Beatrice Murray; Cindy Denick; Conloy Finn; Craig Howard; Debra Relyea; Emmett Ferris; Evelyn Harris (eharris@dos.state.ny.us); Frances Hanna; James Kovarik; Katharine Hand; Kathy Wright-Austin (kwright-austin@dos.state.ny.us); Linda Snead (lsnead@dos.state.ny.us); Lisa Nieves ; Martha (Nancy) Pfohl; Nancy Flowers; P Wright; Patricia Purcell; Robert Grace; Suzanne Lehtonen; Tim Luse; William Breidinger; William Harlow
Subject: NYSCAA News and Updates 7-13-07

Good Afternoon, Folks-

 

Here are some NYSCAA News and Updates along with other items that may be of interest.

 

NYSCAA News and Updates

 

Upcoming NYSCAA Events

 

NYSCAA Member Executive/Senior Management Retreat.  Please plan on joining your colleagues in Seneca Falls/Waterloo September 19th-21st for the Executive/Senior Management Retreat.  The retreat will begin with networking on Wednesday evening and will conclude by 12:00 on Friday.  The registration cost is $275 and will include 2 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, and 1 reception.  Hotel rooms are $89/night and need to be reserved with the hotel at 315-539-5011.  You may also secure the discount hotel rate online at www.hiwaterloo.com and clicking on Rates and Reservations and entering discount code CAA.  For more information on the retreat and to register online, go to  http://www.nyscaaonline.org/Events_Events_NYSCAAEvents.aspx. You may also register by phone by calling Kristine Speth at 518-690-0491, ext. 27.   The retreat is open to all Executive Directors/CEOs and their senior management team and sessions will include ED/CEO-only time as well as combined sessions.  Several scholarships are available for agencies that may need them.  Please contact Denise if you are interested in the scholarships at dharlow@nyscaaonline.org

 

Regional Risk Management Roundtables.  Please join us in Cortland (at CAPCO) on Tuesday, July 24th and in Batavia (at Terry Hills Golf Course) on Wednesday, July 25th for a session covering risk management issues and changes to the Workers’ Comp law and 10:00-2:00. The cost is $10 and will include lunch.  The sessions are open to all interested staff at your CAA.  You may want to pass this along to your HR person as well.  Presenters include Harry Bucciferro of Marshall and Sterling Insurance and Peter Andrew, CEO of Council Services Plus.  Sessions will also be held in Westchester and Saratoga later this year.  You can register at http://www.nyscaaonline.org/Events_Events_NYSCAAEvents.aspx

 

Technology Training.  NYSCAA is conducting technology training this summer in Excel Basic on August 8th and Intermediate Excel on August 22nd.  Sessions on the APR are scheduled for this September.  There are only a few slots left for the Excel classes so sign up soon.  For more information, see http://www.nyscaaonline.org/Events_Trainings_NYSCAATrainings.aspx.

 

Certified Community Action Professional/CCAP Webinar.  NYSCAA will be hosting an online CCAP Orientation Webinar presented by Dr. Jim Lopresti, Director of the CCAP Program for Community Action Partnership since the inception of the CCAP program on Tuesday, August 21st at 10:00-11:00.  This free session will include a discussion of the value of CCAP for present and emerging managers and leaders, as well as the advantages for agencies to have CCAPs on staff. We will examine the steps in the process of becoming a CCAP and provide some insights in how to be successful as CCAP candidates.  To register go to http://www.nyscaaonline.org/Events_Trainings_NYSCAATrainings.aspx.

 

NYSCAA Job Opportunities

NYSCAA is currently hiring for a full time Project Director and part time Finance Manager.  As many of you know, Jen Forster Green is going back to school in the fall to get her MSW (Congratulations, Jen!) and we are looking for someone to take over the breadth of her responsibilities, not an easy slot to fill.  In addition, we are seeking a Finance Manager 25-30 hours/week.  For more information on the positions, please see http://www.nyscaaonline.org/AboutNYSCAA_NYSCAAJobs.aspx.  Please forward this link to anyone who you think might be interested.

 

Assembly Social Service Committee Chair to visit the North Country July 25-27th CAAs.  As you heard in an earlier update, Assembly Social Services Chair Keith Wright is planning on visiting CAAs in various parts of the state.  He will begin his trek in Plattsburgh on Wednesday, July 25th, Canton on the 26th and Watertown on the 27th and spending considerable time 10:00-4:00 with the CAAs and touring other nonprofits in the area learning about poverty in these communities.  We will update you on dates as they get set and share the coverage of these events.

 

NYSCAA Committee Meetings

The Membership Development Committee is meeting via conference call on Friday, July 20th at 10:00. 

The Audit and Finance Committee is meeting via conference call on Thursday, July 26th at 9:00. 

For both calls, please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter code 3162050# at the prompt.

 

Governor Spitzer Visits Albany Community Action Partnership.  Governor Spitzer paid a visit to Albany CAP’s Early Learning Center this past Monday.  Congratulations to Albany CAP for focusing the spotlight on the good work that you are doing in the Capital District.  To see a photo of the Governor’s visit see http://www.ny.gov/governor/photos/0709071.html  and http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/index.html to link to an audio download of his remarks. 

 

Other Items and Publications of Interest

 

Feeding More Kids this Summer. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free nutritious meals to children 18 and younger during the summer months while school is out. The program is underutilized across the state and we need to reach more kids! Key reasons for low participation are a lack of groups to sponsor the program and provide a site, and a lack of education about the program.

Summer meals are typically served by schools, camps, food programs, housing authorities, pools and parks, faith groups, and others who agree to be the local SFSP sponsor or site.  If your program serves children during the summer, you may be eligible to distribute meals to the kids. Even if you can’t be a site, you can tell your community about the program. For information on SFSP locations, call toll-free (800) 522-5006 or in NYC call 311.  For more info or outreach materials, contact Francisco at fmercado@hungeractionnys.org or 212-741-8192, x 6#.

 

Food Stamp Outreach Project in Hudson ValleyDid you know only about 50% of people eligible for Food Stamps are receiving them? Hunger Action kicked off our outreach campaign to increase access to the Food Stamp Program in the Hudson Valley. We are coordinating workshops, trainings, providing new forms of outreach, and running a free Food Stamp pre-screening help-line, among other initiatives. To find out how this project can benefit you and your community in the Hudson Valley, please contact Veda at 212-741-8192, ext. 2# or vmeyers@hungeractionnys.org.

 

Measuring Income and Poverty in the United States http://peerta.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=viewTopic&sectionTopicId=18#general Currently, most measures of poverty focus mainly on income and income level and do not include other aspects of economic status such as assets or debt. From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this fact sheet reviews the current measures of poverty in the United States. Authors also provide alternative ways that economic hardship can be measured to accurately portray poverty.

Beyond the Safety Net: A Brief Review Forty Years after the War on Poverty http://peerta.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=viewTopic&sectionTopicId=18#general   This paper focuses on poverty in the last 40 years in the United States, focusing on policy and poverty in the African American community. Between 1968 and 2005, the African American poverty rate fell from 35 percent to about 25 percent. However, in 2005, African Americans were more than three times as likely as whites to be in deep poverty, meaning incomes below 50 percent of poverty. Additionally, Hispanics were twice as likely as whites to be poor (8.6 percent versus 3.5 percent).

 

Award/Pathways to Excellence Peer-Expert Reviewer Training
Take your expertise to the next level. Become qualified as a Award/Pathways to Excellence peer-expert reviewer in Community Action's initiative to recognize and promote excellence and continuous improvement among CAAs nationwide. This training will qualify you as an eligible reviewer of agency self-studies completed under the Award for Excellence in Community Action and the Pathways to Excellence initiatives. Training will be held during the 2007 Annual Convention at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, San Diego, California. More>

 

Other Events

 

Community Action Partnership Annual Conference.  Time is Running Out! 3 Days Left to Receive Registration Discount.  Register now for the Community Action Partnership Annual Convention, AUG. 28-31. General sessions will highlight issues crucial to the Community Action network, such as the New National Conversation on Poverty and Economic Security. Words of inspiration will be shared by special speaker Devon Harris, a member of the first Jamaican bobsled team, which inspired the Disney movie Cool Runnings. Nearly 100 workshops will cover such topics as housing, Head Start, legal accountability, fiscal management, human resources, energy issues, board training and more. Registrations received by July 16 qualify for the early registration discount. For more information on the convention and to access the registration form, click here http://www.communityactionpartnership.com/convention.asp.

 

Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc.  CCSNYS’ Annual Money for Mission Conference is schedules for July 19, 2007 in Verona, NY (Turning Stone Casino).  Keynote speaker will be Katya Andresen, VP of Marketing, Network For Good Author, Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes.  $99 for CCSNYS members, $129 for nonmembers See http://www.ccsnys.org/events_conferences/conferenceDetails.asp?conferenceid=6 for more information.

 

 

I will be out of the office most of the next two weeks at ROMA training, the Roundtables, and Assemblyman Wright’s visit to the North Country but will be checking voicemail and email.

 

Thanks,

Denise

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise Harlow, CEO

New York State Community Action Association, Inc.

2 Charles Blvd.

Guilderland, NY  12084

518-690-0491, ext. 24

FAX 518-690-0498

dharlow@nyscaaonline.org

 

Join the Call for a Statewide Commission on Poverty and Economic Security.  Learn more and add your name and organization to the list of supporters at http://www.nyscaaonline.org/FirstPageNewsArticles/StateWidePovAndEcoSec.aspx