 August 2013
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Catalyst Team
Ravi Shah
Program Associate
Lauren Kay
Communications Manager |
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From the Desk of Paul Vandeventer
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Investing in the Young Like Our Lives Depended On It
 Dowell Myers keeps a very sympathetic perspective on how most of us cling to views forged by past realities, even when the facts that framed those views have changed. Take, for example, the matter of immigration's impact on Southern California. The U.S. Congress is weighing legislation at this very moment to shore up our southern border defenses: more surveillance drones in the sky, beefed-up patrols on the ground, the mother of all fences demarcating America from everything south of it. All this occurring, by the way, as birth rates in Mexico and Latin American plummet and illegal border crossings have slowed dramatically. (See Table 35 in Homeland Security's Yearbook on Immigration Statistics.)
What many saw as an immigration tsunami that tripped societal and economic alarms prior to 2001 has slowed to a trickle today. Still, many Americans remain stuck on "react" with no new input to help them update their views. Media hysterics, racist hyperbole, vigilantes roaming California deserts - not to mention the very visible fact that millions of immigrants in the 80s and 90s settled in cities and towns across the Southwest - all left an indelible impression on the public mind.
To read the entire article, please click here.
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Project in the Spotlight
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Discussing Trayvon Martin: Communities Gather
 | | Avis Ridley-Thomas (standing) listens with participants. |
In the wake of the controversial verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles, a project of Community Partners, has been doing what it does best: offering a way for individuals to come together to voice their concerns, connect with others, and channel their feelings constructively through a series of Day of Dialogue events.
"People really enjoy the process and find it productive," said Avis Ridley-Thomas, who co-founded the Institute in 1995 and serves as its project leader. "It's really a wonderful way to raise awareness and address highly controversial issues...in a way that lets people find constructive ways to take action."
People of all ages are encouraged to attend the next Day of Dialogue on Trayvon Martin, on Saturday at 10AM, August 17 in the West Adams District.
More than 200 people have already attended two Days of Dialogue events, one at Price Chapel A.M.E. and another co-hosted by the Empowerment Congress, another project of Community Partners. A diverse array of community members, congregants, law enforcement, facilitators, elected officials - including Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, and LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (Avis' husband) -- gathered in South LA and Exposition Park at events in the last two weeks. Both NBC and radio station KPCC provided coverage of the community discussions.
The Institute, which provided training to facilitators prior to the Day of Dialogue events, offers peer mediation training through USC, UCLA and a number of LAUSD schools, helping students to learn to resolve disputes peacefully and productively.
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Projects in the News
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As a guest on KCRW's "Which Way LA" (89.3 FM), Dan Rosenfeld, of the George Crenshaw Development Company, Community Partners' new LLC, weighed in on what the Inglewood Forum's revival will mean for that city's redevelopment plans. Dan is the former economic development deputy to Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas; his project is focused on helping develop around the planned Crenshaw Line.
The Social Justice Learning Institute was on KTLA recently, talking to reporter Gayle Anderson about 100 Seeds of Change.
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Alchemy Leadership Seminar
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Applications are now being accepted for Alchemy Leadership Seminar, the Annenberg Foundation's signature three-day capacity building training.
Community Partners works in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation and has helped shape a core part of the Leadership Seminar curriculum, in which both board chair and executive director participate. Together they work through a dynamic program that addresses fundraising, board effectiveness, public involvement and accountability.
The free training is now open to nonprofits from Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The sole cost of admission is the attendance of both the executive director and the board chair during the three days of training. For more information, click here.
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Welcome Our Newest Staff
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 Jelyn Hermosa Finance Assistant jhermosa @ CommunityPartners.org
Jelyn supports the finance department in matters relating to accounts payable, office administration, contracts, and grants. She spent two years studying economics at the University of the Philippines and a year studying accounting at Portland State University. In her three years in the United States, Jelyn has lived in Portland and Illinois, but has fallen in love with California and thinks it's where she wants to stay. In her spare time, she is an avid gamer and writes for a couple of gaming websites.
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Welcome Our Newest Project
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 Project Leader: Lisa Nerenberg Our newest project is a statewide membership organization that mobilizes a network of professionals and advocates to take proactive steps to protect the safety and security of older adults. |
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Events and Learning Opportunities
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 | Little Ethiopia 12th Annual Cultural Street Festival
Sunday, September 8
Ethiopian Community Development Center, a new project of Community Partners, is serving as a co-host for the 12th Annual Little Ethiopia Cultural Street Festival. The public is invited to join in the festivities, including live music, art and food.
|  | Liberty Hill's Change LA Party
Sunday, September 8
Meet L.A.'s visionary, next-generation leaders in business, arts, politics, community, culture and progressive donor activism. Space is limited.
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Conference: Volunteer Management
Wednesday, September 11
Hosted by the Los Angeles Chapter of Directors of Volunteers in Agencies, Education Day is a day-long professional development and networking conference for nonprofit professionals who work volunteers in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is designed for all levels of an organization, from the executive director and volunteer manager to volunteers themselves.
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Charity Begins at Home: Companies Making A Difference in LA
Thursday, September 12
Join local corporate leaders as they discuss the innovative ways they they leverage corporate assets to make change happen in Los Angeles. Panelists include directors from Mattel Children's Foundation, the Walt Disney Company, DirecTV, Los Angeles Dodgers, and more.
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6th Annual Women in Pain Conference
Friday, September 13
For Grace, a project of Community Partners, is hosting its 6th annual Women In Pain Conference at the California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities. The 2013 theme, Getting Real: Transforming Hidden Truths Into Positive Action," will focus on chronic pain and coping, with a special emphasis on positive actions and forgiveness. A select number of free passes are available for women in pain and their personal caregivers.
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Applications Open for Young Professionals Fellowship
Deadline: September 15
NewGround, a Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, is now accepting applications for its young professionals fellowship, which provides the expertise and relationships needed to transform Muslim-Jewish relations and collaborate on issues of shared concern. NewGround encourages applications from emerging leaders ages 20-40, though all outstanding applicants are encouraged to apply.
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From the Field
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5 Ways to get to 100% Board Giving
Having 100% board giving is often seen as a meaningful measure of board commitment. If your organization is struggling to meet this goal, Blue Avocado offers five ways to get board members to make their annual contribution.
|  | 111 Low-Cost or Free Online Tools for Nonprofits
Looking for something to organize social media updates? Edit pictures online? Text small groups for free? There are apps and tools for all of that and more. Check out Nonprofit Tech for Good's list of 111 low-cost or free online tools for nonprofits.
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Never Too Early: Year-End Fundraising Planning
The holiday season is the most charitable time of the year, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all individual giving. Here are some great resources to help you prepare for a successful campaign:
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About Us
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Community Partners works with social entrepreneurs, grantmakers and civic leaders to imagine possibilities, design solutions and see them through to results. Our work includes fiscal sponsorship, grantmaker partnerships, thought leadership and knowledge sharing.
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1000 N Alameda St, Suite 240 Phone 213.346.3210 info@CommunityPartners.org
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Fax 213.808.1009
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