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Office of Community Partnerships - Community Engagement Cluster 

Newsletter
August 2012
, Issue 52

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In This Issue

Learning Circles

Rockville Women's Business Center

Young Nonprofit Executive Director Network

Storm Preparation

Deadline for Funding Application

Salvadoran-American Festival

County Agricultural Fair

Ethiopian Festival

NACo Achievment Awards

Community Development Funding

Iftar

Asian-American Homeownership

Comcast - Internet Essentials

Selection of Karla Silvestre

Storm Preparation (more)

Internet Essentials (more)

Volunteer Center Award (more)

Calendar

U40ED FIRST MEETING

"The future of the non-profit sector through the lens of young Executive Directors: A facilitated discussion." 
Lunch on September 18, 2012, at the Nonprofit Roundtable's DC headquarters.
Faiths in Action Concert for Mobile Med Sanctuary 
Concert and Reception
Sunday, October 14, 4:00 PM
The Potomac United Methodist Church and Montgomery County Government present "Faiths-In-Action" Concert with Washington Vocal Artists, directed by Rosemary Dyer.  The Honorable Isiah Leggett will be our Keynote Speaker.
Mobile Med Care, Inc. will receive all donations from this concert as we help our community continue to deliver healthcare to those in need across Montgomery County. Phone:  301-299-9383
General Election 
Remember the upcoming election November 6, 2012
Learning Circles

Bruce Adams

Director, Office of Community Partnerships

 

Our office is the result of a learning circle organized by leaders in the nonprofit sector in 2006. Studying national best practices, listening, and sharing led to a recommendation to County Executive candidates that they create an Office of Community Partnerships inside the government with responsibility for working with the nonprofit sector and support creation of an organization outside the government to advocate for and strengthen Montgomery County's nonprofit sector (what is now Nonprofit Montgomery).

 

Communities across the state and across the region are facing challenges similar to those we face. Not all wisdom resides in Montgomery County. In that spirit, we invited folks from across the region doing community engagement to join us at one of our Friday morning staff meetings. Staff leadership from the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives and Howard County's Constituent & Community Affairs office met with us on July 13 at the Eastern Montgomery Regional Center.

 

Izzy Patoka, the head of the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, has been particularly helpful to us as we have invented our office. We all recognize that community engagement in our ever changing world will always be a work in progress. It has been extremely valuable to me to be able to check in with Izzy as we have adjusted course along the way. Izzy created Baltimore's highly regarded Office of Neighborhoods in 2001 when Governor O'Malley was the Mayor of Baltimore. When we were working to create the County Executive's Middle Eastern Advisory Group, we followed the Governor's lead. When Izzy was developing the Governor's African and Caribbean commissions, he consulted with us. When funding for Montgomery County AmeriCorps members through Project Change was proposed to be terminated last month, Izzy helped us restore the program.

 

On July 13, each of us described engagement practices that had proven particularly effective. We shared what is working and what is not. The July 13 meeting was just a beginning. My hope is that we will continue to share what we are learning and that our circle will grow to include engagement staff from other jurisdictions in the region. Stay tuned. These discussions will provide ideas and strategies and relationships that should bear fruit in the coming months and years.

Learning Circle?
Staff from Montgomery Office of Community Partnerships, Montgomery Community Engagement Cluster, Howard Constituent & Community Affairs, and Governor's Office of Community Initiatives met on July 13.
Rockville Women's Business Center 
The Rockville Women's Business Center (RWBC) offers a series of Workshops and Seminars.  See the website at www.rockvillewbc.org/
For an example:
Orientation to RWBC Programs and Small Business Resources
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Free orientation session - programs available through RWBC
Under 40 Executive Director Network
The Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington is providing support for a network of young nonprofit executive directors, to be called U40ED (Under 40 Executive Director Network).

Executive Directors under the age of 40 possess unique insights while facing a number of challenges. Currently in the DC Metro region there are not opportunities for the U40ED's to gain knowledge and support from others of the same age range and experience level. This network aims to bring together U40EDs in a nonjudgmental environment where we can learn from colleagues we admire while making connections with our peers. See the calendar for details of the first meeting, September 18, 2012.
Are You Ready for the Next Storm?
While Montgomery County winds down its clean up efforts from the June 29th storm, its preparation for the next storm is ongoing. Every resident, business, and organization plays a critical role in making sure Montgomery County is prepared for the next event.

Are you ready?

Just like the June 29th storm, disasters can strike with little or no notice. By taking a few, simple steps now, you can help ensure the whole community is ready to respond. 
Read more.
grantSharing Montgomery Fund Grants Available

DEADLINE: 5:00pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Community Foundation for Montgomery County is currently accepting Letters of Inquiry (LOI) for the Sharing Montgomery Fund's FY13 grant cycle. The Sharing Montgomery Fund was established to address the needs of Montgomery County's lowest income children, adults, families, and seniors. To download a copy of the LOI and submission guidelines click here

Salvadoran-American Day Festival Sunday August 5th 
Free festival featuring live music from local and international groups, food & craft vendors, a health fair with free health screenings, and community based service providers.  See fliers (English or Spanish) for more info.
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair 
County Fair
The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is scheduled for August 10 - 18, 2012 in Gaithersburg.  Maps, cheese, and further information are available on the website.
Ethiopian Festival
Ethiopian Festival 

Second Annual Ethiopian Festival at Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring, July 22, 2012. One of the features of this year's festival was Montgomery County's first Sister City in Africa, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Montgomery County Volunteer Center Wins NACo Award    
Recognition for a job well done is always appreciated. Each year, the National Association of Counties (NACo) presents achievement awards to local government programs for innovations that make a positive difference in service delivery.   
MCVC's 25th Anniversary of Community Service Day 2011 was selected along with 18 other County programs for a NACo Achievement Award.

Read more

Community Development Block Funding Available

Montgomery County is now accepting applications for the FY2014 Montgomery County Community Development Block Grant funding. The application and instruction packet are available on the Montgomery County website.

Montgomery County to Host Iftar Celebration

Montgomery County will host an Iftar celebration on Tuesday August 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Executive Office Building Cafeteria, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville. The event is co-hosted by the County Executive's Office of Community Partnerships and the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF).

 

Ramadan, which began on July 19 and will end on August 18 this year, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Muslims fast during daylight hours of Ramadan, and it is a time of reflection and self-discipline. Iftar is the meal served at sunset which breaks the fast. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett will be present at the celebration to give remarks.  

 

To register, contact President of MCMF, Mr. Guled Kassim at  [email protected].

For more information, contact Diane Vu at 240-777-8320 or [email protected].

Asian American Homeownership Workshop

On Saturday, July 14, 2012, the Asian-American Homeownership Counseling, Inc. (AAHC) provided vital education to residents through its "Homeownership Matters in AAPI Communities" workshop at John F. Kennedy High School. Speakers included Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, and Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, John D. Trasvi�a.

 

Many Asian Americans face housing issues due to language barriers, misinformation, and discrimination. Workshop attendees listened intently to topics such as fair housing laws, mortgage debt forgiveness, affordable housing programs, and loan modification scams. Translators in seven different languages were on hand to provide information and outreach.

 

For more information, please contact AAHC at [email protected].

Internet Essentials from Comcast: Closing the Digital Divide

Comcast launched Internet Essentials last fall with a focus on closing the digital divide and getting more low-income Americans connected to the Internet.  Since that time, Comcast has developed a 2012 Internet Essentials Progress Report which highlights Comcast's successes and achievements since the initial launch and also shares some of the lessons learned and new enhancements that will be made to the program in the year ahead.  

Read more.  

Karla Silvestre Selected for 2012-13 Leadership Montgomery Class
Our OCP colleague Karla Silvestre, Latino liaison and manager of the Gilchrist Center, has been selected as a member of the Leadership Montgomery Class of 2012-13. Congratulations to Karla! For a full list of members, please click here.
SSLcompleteStorm Preparation (More) 
1. Sign up for Alert Montgomery
     Receive storm alerts and updates directly to your cell phone or e-mail. Learn more and register at Alert.MontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
     Know other ways to get updates following the storm. Battery-operated radios are great resources for news when the power is out.

2. Assemble an Emergency Kit
     Put together an emergency kit with non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, a radio, medicine, a first aid kit, and copy of your important documents.
     Don't forget your pets. Make sure you have extra food, water, and leash for your pet.
     You can use the items in your kit if you're at home without power, or you can grab it and go if you need to evacuate quickly.

3. Keep a List of your Utilities' Phone Numbers to Report Outages
     When you lose electricity, your power company doesn't automatically know. Report your electrical outage by calling your power company's outage phone number.

4. Check on Neighbors, Friends, and Family
     Encourage your neighbors, friends, and family to take the necessary steps to prepare for the next storm.
     After the storm, check on neighbors - especially those who may need some extra assistance.
     When facing high heat, encourage those who are vulnerable to extreme temperatures to visit libraries, recreation centers, shopping malls, and other public places with air-conditioning.

For more information on storm and other disaster preparedness, visit the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/OEMHS.
  cfwmoreInternet Essentials (More)  

Internet Essentials has a partner portal website: https://www.internetessentialspartner.com/. Once an organization or individual registers on the portal, you can view and order all brochures, flyers, posters, etc., and download material such as web banners, inserts for newsletters, etc.

The Internet Essentials Program offers eligible participants:

         Low-cost 3Mbps broadband service for $9.95 per month (plus taxes) with no activation fees, additional equipment rental charges, credit checks, or long-term contracts;

         The option to purchase a pre-configured computer for 149.99 (plus taxes); and

         Access to digital literacy training - in print, online or in-person.

 

It is available to households:

         Located where Comcast offers Internet service;

         Have at least one child receiving a free or reduced school lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP);

         Cannot have subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days; and

         Does not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment.

 

For more information, please contact Joshua Bokee, Director, Government Affairs, Comcast, at  [email protected] or 301-917-6949.


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nacoNACo Achievement Awards (More)  

Community Service Day's Silver Anniversary in 2011 was a year-long celebration of volunteering in Montgomery County.  It included the innovative "Pledge 25" challenge where County residents of all ages pledged to volunteer at least 25 hours, between the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Community Service Day.

 

We would not have received this achievement award without your commitment to volunteer service.  So congratulations to you and thank you for all you do to infuse Montgomery County with a culture of service.

 

Click here for a complete list of the 19 programs in Montgomery County recognized by NACo with Achievement Awards. Go, Mo Co!

 
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