Time is Running Out to Apply for AmeriCorps RFP

The Virginia Department of Social Services' Office on Volunteerism and Community Service will accept applications for AmeriCorps program funding until 5 p.m., March 12. AmeriCorps is a national service network that provides part-and full-time service opportunities for participants to serve their communities and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to meet local environmental, educational, public safety, homeland security, or other human needs. Within these five issue areas, organizations may submit proposals that address specific problems of local communities. Find out more.

Start Planning for These Upcoming Volunteerism Events

National Volunteer Week is April 19-25. A service of the Points of Light and Hands On Network and sponsored by Target, the event offers opportunities to thank some of America's most valuable assets -- volunteers. Be sure to recognize your volunteers during this special week. Go online to get a Volunteer Week Resource Guide. 

Global Youth Service Day events are planned for April 24-26. The event, sponsored by Youth Service America, is the largest service event in the world and is designed to foster a life-long path of service and civic engagement. Youth Service Day is also an opportunity to educate the public, the media, and elected officials about the role of youth as community leaders. Get more information and download planning materials.

Get to Know Lisë Chandler White

Virginia Advisory Board on National and Community Service

Lisë Chandler White got hooked on community service three decades ago when she became a certified literacy tutor. "That's when I discovered that one person could make a significant difference in another person's life," she says. "There's nothing like the feeling you get from making a positive impact on another member of your community." Today, she serves on the Tidewater Literacy Council's board of directors and is treasurer of the Advisory Board on National and Community Service and the Virginia Service Foundation. Under Governor Mark Warner, she served on the State Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Advisory Council. Lisë has been a member of the City of Virginia Beach Media and Communications Group since 1998.  In addition to working with numerous client departments as a media and communications coordinator, she is the managing editor of Beach magazine and enjoys working in the Emergency Media Operations Center during hurricanes and other crises. She has also served in the Virginia Beach Mayor's Office, as editor of Beach Advisory, and as an events supervisor at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Lisë received a degree in journalism from Temple University in 1976 and received her masters degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1980.  She has been married to her college sweetheart, Michael T. White, for 32 years and has three children: Adrienne (27), Derek (22), and Candace (20).

Conference to Focus on Social Networking and Service

The Phoenix Project will present "Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship: How Technology is Knocking Down Doors and Fueling Social Innovation," May 4, at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.  The conference will explore the role of technology in creating social change and transforming communities. The goal is to leverage social networking connectivity to enable individuals to find opportunities for service and to spur social change. Find out more. 

Applications Accepted for Youth Conservation Corps

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is now taking applications for the 2009 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. YCC participants assist with an assortment of projects in Virginia State Parks, including wildlife and fisheries habitat improvement, trail and campground construction and restoration, timber and shoreline improvement, and landscape beautification. Teams of 10 participants will be chosen from current high school students ages 14-17 who demonstrate an interest in protecting Virginia's environment. The YCC application deadline for students is April 11. Find out more.

Web Site Highlights Stories of Virginians with Disabilities

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities has launched "Able to Choose," a new public awareness campaign and Web site.  The campaign's goal is to change individual attitudes and actions, business practices, community and civic activities, and public policy to make all aspects of community life accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to people with disabilities. The site tells stories of Virginians with disabilities of all types and degrees to illustrate how they can and do live successfully in communities of their own choice when appropriate services and supports are available to them. Check it out.

Enter the Nonprofit Video Awards

The DoGooderTV Nonprofit Video Awards highlight organizations that are using video to inspire and ignite social change. This year's theme, "Everyone's Doing It," is meant to include submissions of all shapes and sizes, from organizational video logs (vlogs), to staff-produced web clips, to high-end, professionally produced videos. The deadline for entries is March 26. Find out more.

Registration Opens for National Service Conference

Registration opens this month for the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 22-24, in San Francisco. Presented by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), this year's theme is "Civic. Energy. Generation" which reflects the tremendous excitement throughout the nation as people of all ages and backgrounds unify in a powerful movement to bring about social change. AmeriCorps will hold its annual grantee meeting at the conference. Details and registration.

Notes from the Field: Virginia AmeriCorps in Action

• Kristen Bergh, an AmeriCorps member with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia recently began serving as the lead teacher at two class sites. "Not only have I enjoyed my classes," she says, "I've already gained so much more. I've picked up a few words of Urdu, adapted to teaching (Urdu) in practical applications, and even managed to try some new foods. I can't wait to see what the next few months bring!"
• Rachael Van Acker, an AmeriCorps member with the Virginia Community Corps' Albemarle Department of Social Services (ACDSS), comments on her recent national service experiences with a young lady who came to her for assistance. "She had grown up as a foster child and, at 22, had her own contracting business doing jobs that most people would expect to be performed by men," she recalls. "With the sagging economy, her business declined and she decided to go back to school. I was able to help her purchase eye glasses and also apply for crisis fuel assistance. I was filled with admiration and respect for this woman and it was an honor to serve her."

Nonprofit Resources

• "Is Grantmaking Getting Smarter?" is a new report from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) which explains the current gaps between nonprofit needs and donor practices.
• eOrganizer is an interactive clearinghouse for the latest and most effective Web instruments of change. 
• According to the results in a report from Porter Novelli Styles, a significant "Service Gap" exists between the causes that are most personally important to Americans and those to which they are most likely to give their time.
• The Eldercare Workforce Alliance has been created to address the critical shortage of healthcare providers and caregivers adequately prepared to meet the unique care needs of older adults.
• In an effort to improve the overall health of the volunteer fire service, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Volunteer Fire Council have released an updated version of the Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services.
• The Byrd House Market, a farmer's market in downtown Richmond, provides free booth space for nonprofit organizations every Tuesday from 3:30 to 7 p.m, May-October. Contact Laura Morand Bailey at byrdhousemarket@gmail.com.

• The Richmond chapter of the Public Relations Society of America will offer pro bono services for a Richmond-area nonprofit organization planning a 2009 event, project or ongoing mission. Find out how to apply.

In the News

• "Progressive Faith Groups Now Trying to Shift Debate" - A recent Washington Post article states how America's faith-based organizations are appealing to the new presidential administration for support.
• "The Strange Case of the Underfed National Service Strategy" - The Huffington Post discusses current political frictions with efforts to increase spending on National Service.