Virginia Participates in First Official 9/11 Day of Service

September 11, 2009 will mark the first milestone in the United We Serve initiative, President Obama’s nationwide initiative to create a sustained, collaborative, and focused effort to meet community needs. The day will be an opportunity for all Americans to recommit to volunteering throughout the year. Hundreds of volunteer needs in Virginia are posted to the www.serve.gov web site, ranging from helping seniors balance their checkbooks to school beautification projects. "I can't think of a better way to commemorate the American spirit and the heroism we witnessed on 9/11 than by giving something back to our communities and to each other," Governor Kaine said. "For months, we've had the young and the young at heart rolling up their sleeves to tackle projects, and help folks in the community who need them." Read about culminating service events sponsored by or involving members of the Governor’s Advisory Board for National and Community Service. Download the Day of Service and Remembrance proclamation (PDF - 2.7MB) issued by Governor Kaine. Search for volunteer opportunities in your area.

Community Forums on Strategies to Promote Service and on AmeriCorps Funding

The Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Service will hold statewide community forums offering information and seeking input on 2010-11 AmeriCorps funding opportunities and the Virginia State Service Plan. The State Service Plan describes the broad vision for promoting national service and volunteering as well as for building a solid infrastructure of high-quality programs and support services in the Commonwealth. With volunteers playing a vital role in helping organizations fulfill their missions, many nonprofit and community programs rely on national service initiatives, such as AmeriCorps, to provide services to our community. Participation is needed from nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, local government entities, state agencies, volunteer administrators, grant writers, and community leaders. Please join us and register to attend today.

Get to Know Sarah Walsh

Governor's Advisory Board on National and Community Service

Sarah Walsh has had an interest in community service since she was a young girl. Growing up in Nottingham, England, Walsh and her family would volunteer on a regular basis. She found particularly rewarding the work her family would do each Christmas Day with the local Salvation Army -- serving food and sharing goodwill to the homeless and lonely. Before coming to the U.S. in 2003, Walsh developed and managed several successful volunteer programs at a nonprofit hospice in England, and OXFAM International. She also effectively recruited, trained and managed volunteers for a wide variety of fundraising, campaign and trading projects. Soon after she moved to Fredericksburg to be with her husband, she became Coordinator of Volunteer and Information Services at Rappahannock United Way. She believes in the value of her work saying, "Volunteer Centers throughout the state, and the country as a whole, have a vital role to play in connecting those who want to volunteer with those nonprofits that need them." Walsh continues to volunteer in her spare time -- through her church, as an active member of the Senior Visitor program, and on boards and committees. Whether formally volunteering for a nonprofit or informally helping out a neighbor in need, Sarah Walsh believes that we all have a role to play in serving our communities to make them a better place to live. Find out more about Virginia's Volunteer Centers.

AmeriCorps Members Kick Off a New Program Year

An energized group of AmeriCorps members will gather to pledge their commitment to a year of service at launch events October 9 in Abingdon at Southwest Virginia 4-H Educational Center and October 16 in Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. The ceremonies are held each fall to introduce new AmeriCorps members embarking on a year of service to the Commonwealth. The winner of the third annual Robert E. Wone Award for Exemplary Service will be named at the events. Established in memory of Robert Wone, a member of the Governor's Commission on Community and National Service from 2002-2006, the award recognizes an AmeriCorps member who has exhibited exemplary civic engagement and community service. Look for photos from this year's launch events in our next edition.

Virginia is for Lovers Needs Your Vote

Advertising Week has just announced that the "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan is a nominee for the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. Voting runs through September 18 at advertisingweek.com. The winners will be inducted into the Walk of Fame during Advertising Week (September 21-25) and will gain a permanent position on the advertising industry's version of Hollywood and Vine -- Madison Avenue. "Virginia is for Lovers" is one of nearly 30 slogans nominated for this year's Hall of Fame class. Past iconic slogan winners include "Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand" (M&M's), and "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" (United Negro College Fund). Recognition like this goes a long way in our work to bring more visitors to Virginia and support the state's $19 billion tourism industry.

Notes from the Field: Virginia AmeriCorps in Action

• On August 25, Boaz and Ruth and the Richmond Police Department were honored by the MetLife Foundation and the LISC Community Safety Initiative for their innovative partnership. Boaz and Ruth are one out of eleven honorees this year and will receive a Neighborhood Revitalization Award recognizing interdependent achievement in crime reduction and economic development.
• Local youth and AmeriCorps members from Embrace Richmond visited Fox Horn Stables to go horse back riding for the first time ever.  See photos.
• Kristen Bergh has been a part-time AmeriCorps member with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV) since January 2009. During her period of service, Ms. Bergh managed adult ESOL classes at two different class sites, supporting volunteer teachers at those sites and teaching classes herself. The classes met twice a week for two hours at a time and usually consisted of 10-25 students. Overseeing the process from beginning to end, Ms. Bergh managed student registration for the classes, conducted liaison with host representatives at class sites, maintained student records, oversaw student testing, and organized graduations at the end of each term. At LCNV's June 18 Annual Meeting and Award Ceremony, Ms. Bergh received an "Outstanding Teacher" award as nominated by her students. "Teaching through LCNV has been an enormously enlightening experience. Not only do I feel a stronger connection to the immediate community, but my students have taught me a great deal about lifestyles, culture, and language around the world," said Ms. Bergh.
• AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team leaders from the Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) helped restore the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Vicksburg. The convent was built in 1868 and is now one building in the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex on Adams Street. The one-day project served a dual purpose of helping the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation prepare for future events and for training LISC NCCC team leaders. Watch video.

Nonprofit Resources

• New animated tutorials on Grants.Gov where you will find a listing of free tutorials to determine your eligibility to apply for grants, getting registered, and completing funding applications.
• 5Cs - Strategic factors for building community and sustaining the initiative.
• 5 Best Practices for Welcoming New Volunteers by insideGood
• Thinking Through Your Social Networking Tone brought to you by Idealware
• Tracks to Success - How to Build a Successful Fundraising Team by GrantStation
• Ninth Edition of The Art of Grantwriting: Communicating Your Vision to Funders ($99) by the Funding Exchange
• Are There Easy Ways to Reduce Donor Attrition Rates? by Guidestar

In the News

• Pro Bono Work Helps Firms Fight Economic Slump - employees volunteer services to charities and nonprofits, fostering potential new customer relationships.
• NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50 (PDF) - The NonProfit Times has released its annual Power and Influence Top 50 list. The article is named "Volunteering as a Fashion Statement" and begins, "Service is the new black."
• ServiceNation Announces Partnership with Facebook, Launch of MyNation
• Renewing Volunteerism - Can good acts truly stand the test of time? by The NonProfit Times
• The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle - A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations.
• Who's Lending a Hand? A National Survey of Nonprofit Volunteer Screening Practices by National Center for Victims of Crime