Two Michigan volunteer centers are now offering HandsOn Connect - an online volunteer management system for nonprofit agencies - and are the first centers in the country to do so!

Both VOLUNTEER Lenawee! and HandsOn Battle Creek went live with HandsOn Connect in late 2010 which allows them to quickly complete tasks, such as the creation and management of volunteer opportunities, registration, tracking, and verification of volunteer activities, as well as customizable reporting. This is welcome news for nonprofits who need better volunteer recruitment, volunteer management, and statistics to secure funding, fulfill grant recruitments, and help manage budgets.

Users can access VOLUNTEER Lenawee's HandsOn Connect system by visiting http://volunteer.lenaweecf.org and HandsOn Battle Creek's Hands On Connect system at www.handsonbc.org/.

HandsOn Connect is brand-new technology that has been piloted at volunteer centers across the country. It is exciting the first two agencies to go public are located in Michigan - congratulations to both VOLUNTEER Lenawee! and HandsOn Battle Creek!

broadly shared about Michigan's largest city. "I'm a Believer" was launched by Major David Bing on Tuesday, January 11 in an effort to project a positive message about the city and engage volunteers.

Detroiters will now see and hear messages related to the "I'm a Believer" campaign via billboards and print, radio, and television ads. The messages will encourage them to become local change-makers and volunteer with projects located across the city - from turning vacant lots into playgrounds and urban gardens to renovating homes.

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC), together with

our partners the Michigan Department of Human Services, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Volunteer Centers of Michigan, Michigan Campus Compact, The LEAGUE Michigan, the Corporation for National and Community Service - Michigan Office, and the Michigan Association of United Ways, encouraged organizations and individuals to get involved and plan service projects for the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. 

Key highlights of those efforts include:

• 2011 MLK Day projects primarily focused on education, economic opportunity, supporting veterans and military families, health, clean energy/environmental stewardship, disaster preparedness, and public safety.
• Thousands of citizensvolunteered via 73 service projectsin Michigan for MLK Day, some of those projects included:
• Hundreds of volunteers joined City Year Detroit and United Way for Southeastern Michigan in projects that included painting murals to beautify schools, making blankets for the homeless, and creating greeting cards for military service people.
• The Lenawee Community Foundation and VOLUNTEER Lenawee! hosted the "Iron Chef: Health Eating Edition" competition at the Adrian Public Library. Twenty-five young people participated in the cooking portion of the event, while nearly 100 spectators made cards for military service people.
• The West Michigan AmeriCorps Collaborative members organized a free showing of award-winning, Emmy-nominated "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North," a documentary by Katrina Browne. The film was shown at Celebration Cinema in Grand Rapids and was followed by a meet-and-greet reception with Browne and a volunteer fair as well.
• The Arts Council of Greater Lansing joined local youth and community members together to create an uplifting public mural commemorating Dr. King's legacy at the Black Child and Family Institute.
• Members of the North Dickinson County High School Student Council in Michigan's Upper Peninsula lead an educational service project for local fourth graders, emphasizing how their day off from school could be turned into a day "on" for service.

Thank you to those who served - for more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mcsc.

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The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) received $4.2 million in Social Innovation Funds to help low-income residents secure their financial future. As a result they will establish and expand Financial Opportunity Centers in 10 metropolitan areas - including Detroit.

Seven community organizations in Michigan will receive grants from LISC; including Detroit Metro, Focus: HOPE, Lighthouse of Oakland County, Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency, Operation ABLE of Michigan, SER Metro-Detroit Jobs for Progress, and Southwest Housing Solutions. The funds will help families find jobs, reduce inappropriate debt, gain financial literacy, and build assets.

The Social Innovation Fund, authorized under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of April 2009, is a federal program that addresses major challenges confronting communities by growing high-impact nonprofit organizations delivering proven solutions.

For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) and Learn and

Serve - Michigan are excited to mobilize youth across the state through volunteerism this April as part of the 2011 Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). This annual opportunity, held on April 15, 16, and 17, encourages children and youth to address the world's most critical issues by partnering with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and government.

GYSD is led by Youth Service America, with the MCSC serving as a GYSD Lead Agency to encourage service locally. As part of the MCSC's efforts, we are inviting you to participate in the 2011 GYSD Michigan Coalition.

Help the MCSC illuminate the efforts of our young people this April...here's how you can get involved by committing to support the 2011 GYSD in Michigan in the following ways:

• Plan a Global Youth Service Day event in your community.
• Post your project to www.gysd.org.
• Post information about the 2011 GYSD on your website - if applicable.
• Encourage the young people in your community to create their own GYSD projects.

As an incentive for individuals and organizations to coordinate projects, the MCSC, The LEAGUE Michigan, and Youth Service America are awarding $11,000 in mini-grants as part of the 2011 Global Youth Service Day.

Organizations in Michigan; including national service grantees, Volunteer Centers, 501(c)3 organizations, K-12 and higher education institutions, etc. are eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must complete the application and budget worksheet in the format requested. Applications will be accepted by mail, email, or fax. To view the guidelines and application, click here.

Applications must be submitted by Monday, February 28, 2011 by 5:00 p.m. The application MUST be written by at least one youth who plans to participate in the planning and implementation of the project. Youth must also be incorporated as volunteers of the planned project.

Veterans and Military Family "Toolkit"
The Corporation for National and Community Service has worked to develop a veterans and military family "toolkit" - a collection of general information and resources - to introduce you to the world of veterans and military families, if this area of service is new to you. The toolkit contains basic information on veterans and military families as well as sample materials for you to use or adapt as you reach out to organizations and agencies in this world. Here's the linkto the most recent draft: http://nationalserviceresources.org/veterans-militaryfamilies-toolkit/home.

The Review - The Michigan Municipal League's Official Magazine
Check out this bi-monthly magazine that features a story on a special environmental education effort in the Upper Peninsula. Pages 12, 13, and 14 on this link: http://www.mml.org/resources/publications/mmr/pdf/jan-feb2011.pdf highlight environmental stewardship projects throughout Copper Country.

College Goal Sunday

This February a collaborative effort of the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association, and EduGuide will occur in the form of College Goal Sunday. Hundreds of volunteers will work with thousands of college-bound Michigan students and their families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid - or FAFSA - at more than two dozen, statewide College Goal Sunday events on February 13, 2011.

Students under the age of 23 are encouraged to attend with a parent or guardian. Parents and students should bring their completed 2010 Federal tax return (1040) if possible, or their W-2 and 1099 forms. Valuable prizes will also be awarded during the events, including a $1,000 scholarship, three $500 scholarships, an iPod Nano, and a Dell laptop computer. For a complete list of locations, visit www.micollegegoal.org. Please note that two events will be held on Saturday, February 12 at Delta College and the Urban League of Detroit.