July 21, 2008
Issue
#74
Nestle seeks the ‘Very
Best in Youth’
The Nestle
Very Best in Youth Program, sponsored by Nestlé
USA, honors young people ages 13 to 18 who have excelled in school and
who are making their community and the world a better place. The young
people, selected from nominations from volunteers, parents, and
teachers, will be featured in a special publication and honored at a
black-tie ceremony in Los Angeles in July 2009.
To be eligible, applicants must be legal residents
of the United States or its territories and be between 13 and 18 years
of age. Students will be judged based on the information provided on
the entry form  (i.e., strong academic record; special
contribution to school, church, or community; demonstration of good
citizenship or a personal obstacle the youth has overcome).
Judges will select twenty-five outstanding youths
to be profiled in a book, which will be published in the summer of
2009. If a winner is unable to attend the awards ceremony, his/her
prize will be forfeited and another winner may be selected.
Each winner will also receive a trip with his/her
parent or legal guardian to Los Angeles for the Nestlé Very
Best In Youth awards ceremony. The trip will include round-trip air
travel, hotel accommodations for three nights, and $500 in spending
money. In addition, Nestlé will donate $1,000 in the name of
each winner to the charity of his or her choice.
For complete program information and application
materials, click here.
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Kresge funds health and
environmental programs
The Kresge Foundation, a
rare charity that gives money to nonprofits for capital projects, has
announced a new focus on health and environmental programs,
particularly those that address social issues that affect minority,
low-income, and other underserved communities.
The foundation is interested in working with
organizations that advance Kresge's values and address health issues
associated with the natural, built and social environments of
low-income communities. Its goal is to assist in the creation
of safe, healthy communities for underserved populations. For
more information and to learn how to apply, go here.
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Online resource for nonprofits
unveiled by Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation has a new online resource
for nonprofit organizations, called NGO
Connection, aimed at helping charitable organizations
better utilize technology and network with other groups  globally. NGO Connection will
act, in part, to promote Microsoft products but will also help
nonprofits access technology resources, share knowledge, build
communities and examine case studies. The site will be published in six
languages.
For more information about NGO Connection, click here.
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Funding available for
vets’ mental health
Major League Baseball
and the McCormick
Foundation have launched Welcome Back Veterans,
an initiative designed to raise public awareness about issues facing
today's veterans and to raise funds to support programs and services
that these returning soldiers need to repair and restore their
lives. In particular, the effort is focused on providing
mental-health care to returning soldiers, sailors and airmen and
helping them find employment.
The initiative will include an apolitical series
of national fundraising and awareness activities from the
Fourth of July weekend through September 11th to support the ongoing
return of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
For games throughout that period, all MLB clubs
will wear "Stars & Stripes" caps that are available for sale to
the public, with a p ortion of the
proceeds going to Welcome Back Veterans. These official New Era caps
can be purchased at the MLB.com Shop. Each club will also
auction off a set of bases, game-worn caps and a specially designed
team jersey to benefit Welcome Back Veterans.
To encourage giving, the McCormick Foundation will
match the first $4 million raised, at 50 percent. Major League Baseball
and McCormick will also pay all expenses associated with the
initiative, so that 100 percent of the funds raised, plus the matching
dollars, will go directly to programs and services for
veterans.
For more information about the initiative and how
to contribute, go here.
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Staples funds job, education
efforts
The Staples Foundation for Learning
funds nonprofits supporting or providing job skills and/or education
for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth.
Grant decisions are made three times a year. For
the upcoming January 2009 foundation meeting date, proposals must be
submitted between October 10 and October 24, 2008. For more
information, click here.
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Armstrong focuses on disability
programs
The Ethel
Louise Armstrong (ELA) Foundation grants funds for
programs in the areas of arts, advocacy and education to nonprofits led
by or support adults with disabilities. The foundation encourages
distinctive projects that change the face of disability in a community.
Priorities include programs that impact the lives
of people with disabilities and are supported by the local community
— including foundations, corporations and individual funders.
It is ELA's vision to Change
the Face of Disability on the Planet by providing grant
support for the implementation of cutting-edge programs. Grants from
the ELA Foundation range from $1,000 to $5,000. For more
information, click here.
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Bush Foundation funds literacy
The Barbara Bush Foundation for
Family Literacy has started its 2009 national grant
competition.
This year, $650,000 is available to develop or
expand projects that improve literacy skills for adult primary care
givers and their children. Grant requests up to $65,000 will be
considered.
 Eligible
organizations must operate an instructional literacy program that has
been in existence for at least two years and includes one or more of
the following components: literacy for adults, parent education,
pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-k to grade three,
and intergenerational literacy activities (Parent and Child Together
time or P.A.C.T. time).
For more details, click here.
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Frueauff
funds education, minority issues
The Frueauff Foundation
supports higher education and programs helping disadvantaged youth and
minorities.
Supporting persons leaving welfare, preparing
students for employment in nonprofit agencies, tutoring at-risk youth
and revitalizing neighborhoods are just some of the creative programs
the foundation has supported. Although large grants usually are not
given, foundation funds have been given to support building campaigns
and major fund drives.
The foundation awarded 158 grants last year (of
the 548 applications received) for a total award distribution of $5.1
million. Awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000 in 2006, with the
average grant award of about $30,000. For more information,
click here.
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Workshops focus on nonprofit
finances
The Nonprofit Finance Fund
will present several workshops in the coming months.
On Wednesday, October 22nd, from 8:45am-3:30pm,
the organization will host Linking
Money to Mission: A Balancing Act, which will present
information about what matters most when reviewing your financial
statements; balancing mission, programs and infrastructure needs with
capital structure; and opportunities and challenges presented by
growth, earned income ventures and property
ownership.
On Wednesday, November 12th, from 8:45am-4pm, NFF
will present a new workshop, Growth
in the Nonprofit Sector: Planning For Success.
This session will provide nonprofit leaders with strategies and tools
for responding to growth opportunities.
On Wednesday, December 10th, from 8:45am-4:30pm,
NFF will present Facility
Projects: Planning, Funding & Financing, Strategies.
This workshop will focus on the real costs of a facility project and
the impact a project can have on your organization’s mission
and programs, structure and operations, fundraising and financial
health – before, during, and after completion.
All three workshops will take place at Temple
University Center City (Conference Center), 1515 Market Street,
Philadelphia. The cost for each workshop is $85 and
registration is required. To register, go here
or email Diana
Montgomery.
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Issue
Alerts
Supporters
plan Medicare birthday party
To mark Medicare’s 30th birthday,
members of Healthcare
for All Philadelphia and residents of West
Philadelphia will visit Representative Chaka Fattah on July
30th. The group will bring him a birthday cake to celebrate
Medicare's birthday and talk to him about their concerns and hopes
regarding Medicare and healthcare for all. Similar visits to
other federal and state legislators are expected to take place all over
state.
The group wants Congress to end the privatization
of Medicare (Medicare Advantage) and return all seniors to the
traditional government program, which it believes is cheaper and
better. It also supports HR 676, a bill that would bring a
universal not-for-profit national healthcare to the U.S., as well as HB
1660 and SB 300, bills in Harrisburg that would establish a single
payer system in Pennsylvania.
To participate in the visit to Representative
Fattah's office, e-mail Linda
Beckman or call 215-242-3849.
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Physically disabled overlooked by
Medicaid
While a higher percentage of Medicaid dollars are
going toward providing home- and community-based services (HCBS) to
people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, many
adults with physical disabilities aren't getting the same options,
according to a new report published by the AARP Public Policy Institute.
The overwhelming majority of people with
disabilities age 50 and older (87 percent) want to receive long-term
care (LTC) services in their own homes, the report notes. People want
choice and control over everyday decisions.
Yet the Medicaid program, the nation's single
largest source of funding for long-term services and supports (LTSS),
does not provide the range of choices people want. Instead,
it continues to allocate a disproportionate share of its resources for
institutional services.
The study reports that seventy-five percent of
Medicaid LTC spending for older people and adults with physical
disabilities paid for institutional services in 2006.
On average, Medicaid dollars can support nearly
three older people and adults with physical disabilities in HCBS for
every person in a nursing home. To the extent that states
redirect resources to provide HCBS instead of nursing home services,
their programs and services can be increasingly cost-effective and
responsive to the preferences of people with disabilities.
According to the report, Pennsylvania’s
Medicaid program allocated 90 percent of its long-term care funding to
nursing homes in 2006. It also noted, however, that the
Rendell Administration has annually increased the investment in home
and community-based care, although the amount spent on institutional
care still far outstrips HBCS.
For more information or to download a copy of the
report, visit here.
For details on Pennsylvania spending, click here.
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Employment Opportunities
Congreso
de Latinos Unidos - Primary Client Managers.
Congreso is recruiting
for 11 Primary Client Managers (PCM), a new position created to
implement Congreso's new model of service delivery. PCMs will
play an
integral role in connecting clients to needed services that Congreso
provides, do intake and assess individuals using Congreso's integrated
client management tools, monitor progress of client’s goals,
tracking
progress in Congreso's database, and motivate and facilitate
individuals toward self-sufficiently and well being.
Requirements: Bachelor's degree; Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred.
To apply email resumes to Alexandra
Rosa or fax to
215-291-4366.
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Public
Citizens for Children and Youth - Health
Strategist. The region’s major child
advocacy organization is seeking
a health strategist to join the leadership team, develop advocacy
campaigns at the local, state and federal levels, analyze and present
information on children’s health, write reports and organize
child
health coalitions. Candidates should have a strong knowledge
of child
health policy issues, excellent oral, written and communication skills,
and experience in advocacy. Relevant advanced degree
required.
Applicants should send resume to Steven Fynes, Seven Benjamin Franklin
Parkway, Sixth Floor, Philadelphia, Pa., 19103 or by email.
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Delaware
Valley Grantmakers - Executive Director.
Delaware Valley Grantmakers
(DVG), the catalyst and voice for philanthropy in the Greater
Philadelphia region, is seeking an Executive Director. The
organization is part of 32 regional associations across the country and
serves over 800 staff and trustees representing 150 public, private and
corporate grantmaking organizations. Its mission is to spark
connections and learning while facilitating information sharing and
heightening the impact and effectiveness of philanthropy.
The
Executive Director, with guidance from the Board of Directors, is
responsible for motivating staff and executing the strategies and
tactics required to fulfill the organization’s mission, which
sets
forth four key goals: providing exemplary member service; increasing
membership; positioning DVG as the regional voice of philanthropy; and
strengthening its financial position.
Candidates must have
knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing the
philanthropic and nonprofit sector as well as those issues critical to
the well-being of the Delaware Valley. The ideal candidate is a strong
leader with vision, high energy and the ability to motivate, lead and
inspire members, board, staff, collaborating partners, and diverse
constituencies; exhibits a visible, fully committed, hands-on
management style; has strong and persuasive communication and
interpersonal skills; and demonstrates strategic thinking, tact,
discretion, and good judgment as well as the ability to make and
influence decisions and eliminate roadblocks.
For a full job
description, go here.
For further information or to send a cover letter and resume, email
search consultant Lee
van de Velde.
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Caring People
Alliance- Business Development Coordinator. Caring
People Alliance is seeking a Business Development Coordinator to
oversee the organization’s program database and to work on
grant
proposals, program reports and business development projects.
The
position is based in CPA’s Central Office, reports to the
Business
Development Manager, and is responsible for providing administrative,
clerical and operational support to CPA programs and Business
Development Division. Specific duties include overseeing the
Efforts
to Outcomes® database; managing communications for the Sr. VP
and COO;
preparing letters, memos, proposals, invitations, notices, faxes, and
other documents; managing work flow for a variety of projects;
assisting in the development and preparation of funding proposals;
developing and tracking program budgets, staffing levels, supply
orders, and consulting expenses; assisting with bidding, compliance,
and reporting on contracts; and maintaining records.
Candidates
should have a bachelor’s degree; familiarity with office
computer
applications; familiarity with databases; and 2-5 years nonprofit
experience, preferably with a youth-serving organization. To apply
email cover letter and resume to Jerry
Macdonald. No phone calls please.
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Leadership Montco seeks nonprofit
leaders for training program
As a leader, do you know who you are at your best?
Can you spot and leverage the strengths of those
you lead and manage?
Do you want to develop skills that will help you
rise in your organization?
Are you interested in putting your thumbprint on
the Eastern Montgomery County region?
By joining the Eastern
Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership
Montgomery County (LMC) for 2008-09 you’ll
participate in a professional journey that addresses all these
questions.
Now entering the fifth year, LMC is an experience
of personal and professional growth of benefit to both participants and
sponsoring organizations. You’ll also be a part of
EMCCC’s investment to build leadership capacity within the
Eastern Montgomery County region.
Classes meet for 14 half-day morning sessions
between September 2008 and June
2009. You’ll have a chance early in the program to
meet the Advisory Board, which includes some of the region’s
movers and shakers. The 60-plus alumni of the training have
had some great things to say about their experiences.
Applications are due August 1 and can be
downloaded here.
Prudential Insurance has offered to underwrite 50%
of the tuition for as many as 10 people from 10 different non-profit
organizations. To qualify, attach a note to your application
requesting consideration, and submit your application by August
1.
For more information or to register, visit here
or call the EMCCC offices at 215-887-5122.
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Camp introduces teens to
entrepreneurship
The 11th Annual Youth Business Boot
Camp will be held Monday, August 4th through Friday August
8th.
This intensive week-long camp introduces rising
9th, 10th 11th and 12th graders to entrepreneurship through
participation in workshops, business discussions,  contests, games, fun activities
and technology. Students will learn how to write a business
plan, network with business leaders from all over the country, compete
for prizes and have an opportunity to win $500 to start a business.
The camp, which includes lunch daily, will be held
9am- 5pm at the Enterprise Center 4548 Market Street in
Philadelphia. The only cost is a 40.00 application fee. For
more information, email Shannon
Thompson or call 215-895-4071.
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City announces ‘single
stream’ recycling
The City
of Philadelphia Streets Department recently announced the expansion of
its innovative single stream residential recycling collection
method. Throughout the city, hundreds of thousands of
Philadelphians are now able to set out all recyclables, including
flattened cardboard and #1 and #2 plastic containers (generally
beverage and detergent containers), into one container for curbside
pickup.
The city has also set up a special recycling
website called Recycling PAYS which
is full of information and tips on recycling. It has
also set up a recycling hotline at 215-685-7329.
The Streets Department is also providing free
presentations for children and their families that give clear
guidelines they can easily follow concerning littering and the
importance of recycling. Children can play interactive games
that teach fun ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and keep their
neighborhoods clean and safe. Recycling Specialists can be on
hand at events to explain the effects that waste has on the
environment, provide recycling giveaways and helpful information
detailing the variety of services provided by the Streets
Department. For large events, children can also get a chance
to meet Curby Bucket, the Streets Department's recycling mascot!
For more information, call 215-686-5577,
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Fundraiser supports first Asian
American film festival
Supporters of the First
Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival will hold
a Wine & Beer
Fundraiser on Wednesday, July 23rd from 5:30-7 :30pm at
Conversation Hall on the second floor of Philadelphia’s City
Hall.
Food and hors d'oeuvres will be
provided. Speakers include Sharon Pinkenson, Executive
Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. Requested
donation is $50. To register, email here or
call 215-266-4397.
For more information on the festival, click here.
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Cliveden hosts annual jazz
festival
Come out
to Cliveden in Northwest Philadelphia on July 20th to experience a
Philadelphia jazz tradition. The 9th Annual Cliveden Jazz Festival
will take place on the front lawn of Cliveden, a historic site located
at 6401 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. The festival takes
place from 3 to 7pm underneath the shady trees of Cliveden, with the
gates opening for visitors at 2pm.
This year’s jazz lineup includes the
Delaware Steel drum band from the University of Delaware,
Philadelphia’s own premier drummer Vincent Ector, and Lily
White, New York’s BeBop Saxophonist. In addition to
the great  music, Tony Lawrence, owner
of “A Chef for You,” will be on site to provide
light refreshments as will other local vendors providing a variety of
items for purchase.
Cliveden will also be offering $2 discounted tours
of its main house during the festival from noon to 5pm as well as
opening up its Carriage House for a free look at the Building Bridges
Exhibition, a centennial celebration recognizing the 100th anniversary
of the Walnut Lane Bridge in Fairmount Park.
Visitors are encouraged to bring a chair or a
blanket as well as friends and family. A donation of $5 is
asked of attendees. Cliveden is easily accessible by public
transportation and nearby parking is also available. Call
215-848-1777 for further details.
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SEAMAAC sponsors film on 1937
oppression of Koreans
In 1937,
180,000 Koreans from Far East Soviet Russia were forcibly deported 4000
miles away to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Koryo Saram: The Unreliable
People tells the harrowing saga
of survival in the open steppe country and the sweep of Soviet history
through the eyes of these deported Koreans, who were designated by
Stalin as an "unreliable people" and enemies of the state.
Through recently uncovered archival footage and
new interviews, the film follows the deportees` history of integrating
into the Soviet system while working under punishing conditions in
Kazakhstan, a country which became a concentration camp of exiled
people from throughout the Soviet Union.
SEAMAAC,
Scribe and the Philip
Jaisohn Memorial Foundation will present the Scribe's
Producers Forum Screening and discussion series featuring Y. David
Chung's documentary on Saturday, July 26th.
Through never-before-seen historical footage and
emotional personal accounts from the original Koryo Saram, a lost
history is pieced together, one that survived Stalin's mandate to
eradicate the Korean language and tradition. The film asks
questions that all immigrants can relate to: how to hold onto one's
traditions, and how to save one's culture from being overwhelmed.
The screening will take place at 7pm at the Prince
Music Theater Black Box, 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
For more information and a preview of the trailer, click here.
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Fellowship Farm hosts community
work day
Fellowship Farm will
sponsor a community Work Day on Saturday, August 9th.
Participants will meet at noon for a potluck lunch, work on a farm
project from 1-3pm, then come together for more conversation, laughter
and food from 3-4pm.
Everyone is welcome and the work projects are a
wonderful time to reminisce, make new acquaintances and share ideas as
the work gets done. The Work Day will take place rain or
shine and will offer alternative indoor project, crafts, and games for
the kids. Bring along work gloves or gardening gloves with
your potluck dish.
The Work Day will also provide a great opportunity
to see the farm’s newly renovated sleeping quarters and to
visit the earth-friendly community vegetable garden currently in
bloom. The garden is one of the many components of the
Healthy Options for the People of the Pottstown Region program.
Fellowship Farm is located at 2488 Sanatoga Road
in Pottstown. For more information, go here.
To RSVP for the Work Day, email here
or call 610-326-3008.
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Toolkit aims to help parents with
mental illness
The UPenn Collaborative on Community
Integration, a national rehabilitation research and
training center, has developed a tool kit for parents with serious
mental illnesses. Research indicates that mothers with serious mental
illnesses are almost three times more likely than mothers without such
illnesses to have been involved in the child welfare system or to have
lost custody of their children. The tool kit, Helping Behavioral Health
Clients with Parenting & Child Custody Issues, is
for parents who have lost custody or are at risk of losing custody of
their children, as well as parents in recovery from mental illnesses,
with parenting issues. It also offers guidance for
professionals.
To download the tool kit, click here.
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Audioconference addresses jobs
for disconnected youth
The National
League of Cities Institute for Youth Education and Families
in partnership with the Center
for Law and Social Policy’s Communities Collaborating to
Reconnect Youth Network (CCRY) will present an
audioconference about using workforce development strategies to
reengage disconnected youth on Wednesday, July 30th, at 2:30pm.
The audioconference will feature city leaders who
have made year-round strategies a priority, complementing  traditional summer jobs
initiatives.
Participants will learn about successful
cross-system collaborations ranging from career-focused one-stop
centers, specialized high schools, transitional jobs and active
recruitment of regional employers. While these
initiatives are typically funded at the outset mainly
by federal grant dollars, many have sustained themselves
locally by thoughtful engagement of a wide-range of stakeholders.
The audioconference is free but advance
registration is required by close of business on Monday, July
28th. A separate registration is needed for each phone line
that will be used to listen to the call. One day prior to the
event, each registrant will receive an email providing a toll-free,
dial-in number to use in joining the audioconference. To
register, email here.
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Camp helps children deal with
grief
The Keystone Kids Camp: Expressing
Loss Through Arts & Activities will be held the
weekend of August 2nd and 3rd. The two-day summer camp allows
children ages 6-13 who have experienced the loss of a loved one to
explore their grief within a safe, supportive, and engaging
environment. Through music, art and movement activities, discussion,
and participation in creation of a memorial program, children will have
opportunities to creatively address their feelings and develop coping
strategies for healing and living with their loss.
The camp will be held from 10am-3pm at Carson
Valley Children’s Aid
Campus, 1419 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown. Any child who has experienced
the loss of a loved one is invited to participate. The $30 activity fee
($5 for each additional child), includes registration for both days as
well as lunch, snacks, and beverages. Scholarships are available and no
one will be turned away because of inability to pay. Transportation to
and from Keystone House in Wyndmoor will be available.
For more information or to register a child for
the camp, email Alix
Amar or call her or Esther Schultz at 215-836-2440. For
additional information about bereavement programs and resources go here.
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What do you want to hear from our
next president?
The National Constitution Center
wants to know what one thing Americans yearn to hear from the next
President when he gives his inaugural address on  January 20th. The
Center is asking people to write down those desired presidential words,
using a Web page they’ve
developed.
Responses will be displayed in
an exhibit at the center, discussed in a December program with famous
speechwriters, and if, all goes well, sent to the next
president’s speechwriting team to be reviewed as the winner
of the election prepares his Inaugural Address.
To take part, click here.
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Have
a notice
for
What Matters?
2007
Report
to the Community
Our mailing
address is:
United
Way of Southeastern
Pennsylvania
7
Ben Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia,
PA 19103
Our telephone:215-665-2500
Copyright (C) 2008
United
Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
All
rights
reserved
David
R. Fair, Editor
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