The Cross-Stream Connector
Michigan's Cross-Stream E-newsletter
January 2011

 

In This Issue
Communication Corner: Have you heard about Volunteer Michigan?
Collaboration Cafe: the 2011 MLK Day is almost here
Talking about Training & Technical Assistance
Quick Links 
 

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Outreach Outlook
Providing the tools you need to educate
others about national service.

Inform and Educate: Gaining Support for National Service Programs (Part III)
Outreach
This article is part three of four of the "Inform and Educate" series. You can view parts one and two by clicking here


The Importance of Educating New Leaders

At every level of action legislative bodies set public policies. Some of these may become laws. Some of these may affect you.

Five new Congressmen were sworn into office this January. They are Justin Amash (District 3 - Barry, Ionia, and most of Kent County), Tim Wahlberg (District 7 - Eaton, Calhoun, Branch, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, and most of Washtenaw), Hansen Clark (District 13 - metro Detroit area), Bill Huizenga (District 2 - Holland/Zeeland, Muskegon, and Cadillac), and Dan Benishek (District 1 - U.P. and northern lower peninsula/Petoskey). Many new state legislators are also now seated in Lansing. They will all be among the leaders making decisions that affect the course of service this year and beyond.

 

Do you know these new elected officials? Do they represent your geographic area? Now is the very best time to educate and inform these new leaders and their staff about what your national service program is, what service is occurring in their area, and what impacts are attributable to this program.

 

Do your homework...find out what issues these new leaders are interested in. Provide them with information about how your programs and service activities are making a significant impact on these issues.

 

Take advantage of District Work Periods to invite them to visit programs and participate in service events. For example, if you are hosting a 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event, invite officials and their staff to attend and participate. Let them see things first-hand. Actions do speak louder than words. Let the visit be the beginning of a continued relationship. Find tips and templates to help you invite your legislator on a site visit by going to http://www.voicesforservice.org/action.htm.

 
You can also write and call legislators' local and Washington, D.C. offices with updates on your projects and outcomes, and attend town hall meetings during recess periods. 

 

So...who are the individuals you need to educate?

  • Senators and members of the House of Representatives - especially the people that support your district. It is important for them to know what is occurring on their home turf.
  • Policy aides (otherwise know as staffers) need to know about your efforts so they can inform the officials they work for. There are aides in Mayor's offices, city hall, the Governor's office, and legislative offices.
  • Congressional committees and subcommittees.
  • The Governor's office.
  • State legislators - find yours by visiting http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29701_31713---,00.html. 
  • Local elected officials.

Through this outreach and direct experience, your legislators gain better understanding of the power and potential of service in our communities and country.

 

Look for the next issue's segment on Developing Partnerships to Inform, along with Communication Pointers!

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Communication Corner
Offering you the latest in cross-stream
news and resources.

Volunteer Michigan to Tackle Health and Public Safety Issues
Service

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) recently announced their most recent initiative, Volunteer Michigan. Seven volunteer connector organizations encompass this initiative in an effort to use service as a strategy to address local health and public safety issues.


Volunteer Michigan is a new statewide initiative that will facilitate the increased recruitment, engagement, and tracking of volunteers. It will also increase the capacity and infrastructure of organizations to more effectively engage volunteers, including those who are highly skilled, in Michigan communities. Volunteer Michigan supports volunteer connector organizations and their community partners who seek to use volunteerism to address public safety or health related issues; builds community awareness, service, and linkages around National Days of Service; and implements HandsOn Connect, a volunteer management platform that will generate volunteer opportunities and connections across the state.


Below is a complete list of the MCSC's 2010-2011 Volunteer Michigan grantees - some of which may be in your area:
 

  • Allegan County United Way and Volunteer Center
    The Allegan County United Way and Volunteer Center will work to significantly increase the number of highly-skilled volunteer healthcare professionals providing pro bono care through the creation of a Volunteer Medical Corps.
  • Resource Genesee
    Resource Genesee will address health by strengthening the efforts of key partners striving to provide more food and healthier food to the needy through soup kitchens, food banks, and community gardens.
  • United Way of Ionia County/Volunteer Connections
    The United Way of Ionia County will focus on food stability, in the form of support and expansion of community gardens, as a way to engage community members in solving the issues of hunger and poor nutrition. They will work with community leaders to connect them with groups of volunteers to support each specific garden. They will also assist the gardens in developing a structure to communicate volunteer needs and instructions to the groups of volunteers that provide periodic support.
  • Volunteer Center of Greater Kalamazoo
    The Volunteer Center of Greater Kalamazoo will address three categories of safety issues within local neighborhoods: neighborhood policing, personal safety, and environmental hazards.
  • Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan
    The Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan will work to address the community issue of childhood obesity. 
  • Volunteer Lenawee/Lenawee Community Foundation
    The Health Access in Lenawee effort (consisting of Volunteer Lenawee and the Lenawee Community Foundation) will focus on access to healthy foods, physical activity, and volunteer engagement to address the health crisis in their community.
  • Volunteer Muskegon
    Volunteer Muskegon will work to develop a prevention education curriculum for low-income families - particularly women - that addresses the major factors leading to obesity, diabetes, smoking, STDs, and access to health care focusing on maternal health.
For additional information on Volunteer Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/mcsc. For additional information on the Volunteer Generation Fund, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

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Collaboration Cafe
Showcasing cross-stream partnerships in Michigan.

2011 MLK Day - Time to Collaborate 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." To honor his words of inspiration and encouragement, we invite you to join us and others across America in a day of service on Monday, January 17, 2011.


The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Servicetogether with our partners, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Volunteer Centers of Michigan, Michigan Campus Compact, the LEAGUE, the Corporation for National and Community Service - Michigan Office, the Michigan Association of United Ways, and the Michigan Department of Human Services are leading the effort to increase MLK Day participation in our state. You can join an organized service project in your area or coordinate a project of your own. 

What better time to collaborate with other national service organizations? Partner organizations have resources to offer such as volunteers, books, tools, project supplies, project management expertise, specialists, consultants, and so forth. In addition, resources may already exist in your community that could be utilized to strengthen partnerships, such as free city tool lending programs, emerging neighborhood leaders, or free how-to training programs. We even offered a mini-grant opportunity for 2011 projects - check www.michigan.gov/mcsc next year for the chance apply!

Can't think of folks to collaborate with? How about other nonprofits, faith-based organizations (churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, various places of worship), municipalities (such as neighborhood services, parks and recreation, city council, and other city services), K-12 schools and colleges, senior programs, AmeriCorps programs, neighborhood associations, as well as other community-based organizations are all potential partners. It is important to know whether there any types of organizations your program will/will not work with and then be able to articulate the reason(s) to the public or potential partner.

Interested in partnering with our national service programs in Michigan? Search for those in your area by visiting the Michigan National Service Directory, available at www.michigan.gov/mcsc. The Directory compiles information about AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, and Senior Corps programs across the state for interested users.

For additional information and resources on MLK Day, visit www.michigan.gov/mcsc or www.mlkday.gov.

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Talking about Training
& Technical Assistance
The latest opportunities to strengthen
national service programs.

How to Find Free Training Opportunities

Are you looking for free training opportunities for yourself, your staff, your volunteers, or your members? Are you unsure of where to find these opportunities? This month's Cross-Stream Connector has compiled a few go-to places you can turn to:

Wild Apricot Blog
The Wild Apricot Blog is dedicated to small associations and non-profits and discusses the challenges faced by volunteer and small-staff organizations, covers web technologies that help you do more with less, and keeps you up-to-date on software. To check them out, visit http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/.

Michigan Community Service Commission
The MCSC provides a variety of free training opportunities (often in the form of webinars) on various topics, including national days of service and funding opportunities. Find out what training opportunities are available at www.michigan.gov/mcsc. Mentor Michigan, an initiative of the MCSC, also offers free monthly webinars on various mentoring topics. Visit www.mentormichigan.org for more information.

The Resource Center
The Corporation for National and Community Service's Resource Center strives to connect service programs with targeted training and information. The majority of these trainings are geared towards national service programs. To view their opportunities, visit http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/


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Funding Opportunities

Aetna Foundation (Deadline: February 15, 2011)

The Aetna Foundation wants to understand the contributors to obesity, particularly among minority populations, and what supports and sustains better choices that can stave off overeating and reduce inactivity. Grant-making in this area focuses on initiatives that create a better understanding of the root causes of the obesity epidemic. For more information about this grant opportunity, visit http://grantsalert.com/grants.cfm?id=4&gid=33654.

 

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (Deadline: April 15, 2011)

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS), will accept applications for grants to establish and administer Assets for Independence (AFI) projects. Grantees provide an array of supports and services to enable individuals and families with low incomes to become economically self-sufficient for the long-term. For more information about this opportunity, visit http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=42135.


The Eisner Prize (Deadline: January 31, 2011)

The Eisner Foundation is soliciting nominations of individuals and nonprofit organizations that demonstrate excellence in uniting multiple generations, especially seniors and youth, to bring about positive and lasting changes in their communities. Nonprofit organizations may self-nominate; individual candidates must be nominated by an individual or another group. Five finalists will be awarded $5,000 in cash. After an in-person interview with The Eisner Foundation staff and board, a winner will be selected in the summer of 2011, presented with $100,000, and honored at a celebration. To nominate your group or an individual for The Eisner Prize, please visit http://www.eisnerfoundation.org/eisnerprize/.

NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program Project, U.S. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Deadline: February 2, 2011)

NOAA delivers funding and technical expertise to restore Great Lakes coastal habitats. These habitats support valuable fisheries and protected resources; improve the quality of our water; provide recreational opportunities for the public's use and enjoyment; and buffer our coastal communities from the impacts of changing lake levels. For more information about this opportunity, visit http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=61674.

 

Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching from the National Science foundation and the White House office of Science and Technology Policy (Deadline: May 2, 2011)

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. The teachers are recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make progress in mathematics and science. In addition to honoring individual achievement, the goal of the award program is to exemplify the highest standards of mathematics and science teaching. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. For more information about this grant opportunity, visit http://grantsalert.com/grants.cfm?id=4&gid=33651.

 

WaysToHelp.org Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)

WaysToHelp.org invites teens in the U.S. to apply for grants to fund their community service ideas across any one of 16 issue areas. Applications are short - just 5,000 words or less - and should summarize the following: how the project will involve others, who it will help, what effect it's expected to have, when it will start, and how the funds will be used. Grant requests are reviewed and responded to on a monthly basis. Visit www.waystohelp.org for more information.

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What is Cross-Stream? 
Cross-stream refers to the three national service initiatives within the Corporation for National and Community Service: AmeriCorps (State, National, VISTA, and NCCC), Learn and Serve, and Senior Corps (RSVP, Senior Companions, and Foster Grandparents). The Cross-Stream Advisory Team was created to enhance and strengthen Michigan's national service efforts and is comprised of program staff representing each stream of service. Key activities of the Advisory Team include planning the bi-annual Team Up Michigan! conference, hosting informative trainings, developing communication materials, and producing the bi-monthly Cross-Stream Connector e-newsletter.

For additional information on Michigan's cross-stream efforts, contact Megan Sargent at [email protected] or (517) 241-3494.