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| AmeriCorps Update
05.05.2014
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| IMPORTANT DEADLINES + EVENTS
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| May 8, 2014 PER Processing Deadline.
May 15, 2014 Informal Peer Call: Compelling Personal Circumstances. See below for details.
May 19-23, 2014
June 4, 2014 Governor’s Volunteer Awards (GVA) Nomination Deadline. See below or click here for details.
June 16-18, 2014 National Conference on Volunteering & Service (Atlanta, GA). Click here for details.
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| Important AmeriCorps Health Care Update On Friday, May 2nd, the Corporation issued an important email update from HHS on AmeriCorps Health Care to state service commissions and AmeriCorps programs, which stated the following: We wanted to make you aware that today the Department of Health and Human Services just issued guidance that creates a special healthcare enrollment period and hardship exemption for AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC members. This guidance will allow AmeriCorps members who are beginning or concluding service to utilize the federal marketplace to purchase a qualified health plan outside of the annual open enrollment period. The guidance also states that HHS is exercising its authority to establish a hardship exemption for national service members who do not have minimum essential coverage (MEC) in 2014 (effective to December 31, 2014). We will be updating our posted FAQs to reflect this guidance. We will also host calls about healthcare with grantees on Tuesday, May 6. Conference call information will be sent soon. Below is the message explaining this new rule that we will send to members next week via Gov Delivery. AmeriCorps members will be receiving information from CNCS directly about this this week via the GovDelivery email system, so please take some time to read through the new HHS guidance posted at the link above. We look forward to sharing more information about this next week along with the forthcoming revised CNCS FAQs.
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| Wendy Spencer Pledges to “Stamp Out Illiteracy” in Houston On April 24th, CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer visited Houston to announce a campaign to increase the city’s literacy rates. As part of the effort, 15 AmeriCorps VISTAs with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation will mobilize community efforts to improve reading levels. Wendy also attended a National Service Town Hall with Houston AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs held at Harris County Department of Education, which administers the Cooperative After-School Enrichment (CASE) Kids’ Day AmeriCorps project, and conducted a site visit with CitySquare’s new Houston pilot partnership with United Way of Greater Houston’s “Learning Together” early childhood literacy program. Thank you to all of our Houston-area programs and members who participated and helped give Wendy a warm welcome to the Gulf Coast region!
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| 20 Ways AmeriCorps Helps the Earth! Last month, as part of the AmeriCorps 20th anniversary, CNCS highlighted the many ways AmeriCorps helps the earth. Building on a long tradition of conservation service, today’s AmeriCorps is focused on 21st century environmental challenges. Whether improving parks and public lands, restoring waterways, or teaching conservation, AmeriCorps members make a positive and lasting impact on our environment. As they improve the environment, they also advance economic opportunity – by reducing energy costs, promoting renewable energy, and training young people and veterans for the green jobs of the future.
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| May’s 20th Anniversary Theme: Saluting Seniors in Service T ime and time again, our programs demonstrate that service is an opportunity to bring different generations together in all areas of the country. As part of our yearlong celebration of the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, we will use the month of May to highlight the many ways that older Americans serve. We'll also highlight the important contributions of RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions during Senior Corps Week, May 19-23.
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| Informal Peer Call: Compelling Personal Circumstances Please join us on Thursday, May 15th from 1:00-2:00pm Central for our next Monthly Grantee Peer-Led Call hosted by AmeriCorps program staff Monica Durham, PHR, Human Resources Manager with College Forward, and Charlotte Wehrman, Project Manager with Travis County CAPITAL AmeriCorps Project. This month’s topic will be on “Best Practices for Determining and Documenting Compelling Personal Circumstances.” Presenters will touch on the following questions and topics: - How to determine whether a member has a compelling personal circumstance
- Developing policies and procedures
- Provide examples of how member situations were documented
To join, simply dial: Dial: 1-800-944-8766 Participant Code: 36027 The call is optional and will be recorded for those who cannot attend. No advance registration is needed.
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| New Evaluation Plan Review Checklist We have combined this information with OneStar’s evaluation requirements to create a comprehensive checklist. We will be using this checklist to assess your evaluation plans to ensure it generally meets CNCS and OneStar requirements. You are encouraged to complete this checklist on your own as a “self-check” before submitting your evaluation plan to OneStar as part of your continuation and/or recompete grant application process. Evaluation Plan + Report Submission Timeline: AmeriCorps grantees must (1) submit an evaluation plan when they recompete for funding subsequent to their initial three-year grant award; (2) conduct an evaluation and (3) submit a report of the findings from the evaluation when they recompete for funding. Important note on evaluation report submission: We have received clarification from CNCS that if your evaluation report is not fully completed by the time to submit your recompete application, it is allowable to provide an update on your evaluation activities as long as you include a projected date for when you expect to have the full report complete. Once it is complete, you must submit to OneStar for review and we will share it with CNCS as applicable. About the review checklist template. The template has multiple tabs including the following: - The instruction tab includes a calculator to determine whether your program receives an average annual CNCS grant of $500,000 or more
- Two separate checklists have been created: one for programs receiving less than $500,000 and another for those receiving $500,000 or more
- Coming soon: Evaluation Report Review Template!
Please also check out the new online course on evaluationthat was posted on the National Service Knowledge Network last month. As always, please let us know if you have any questions. Happy evaluating!
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| Updated NSCHC and Member Management Forms and Resources OneStar has updated the following National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC) and member management forms that we have listed on the Grantee Resources Library on our website in order to reflect updated or clarified CNCS requirements. Please take a moment to follow the links below to review and download the following forms*: *Note: These forms are not required, but we strongly recommend you use them or incorporate the required changes into your current practices. National Service Criminal History Consent and Verification Form: This form has been modified to reflect the language from the Statewide ASP that was issued to OneStar Foundation which can be found HERE. As a reminder, the following is now required for the State component of the NSCHC for AmeriCorps member and staff charged to the grant, which was included in the OneStar January 13, 2014 AmeriCorps Update: - Continue to run, adjudicate, and maintain documentation of all NSOPW.gov checks in member/employee files.
- Keep a memo in member/employee files in lieu of the State and FBI results which must indicate at a minimum:
- The name and address/website of the source you used for the check components;
- The date of check initiation;
- The date that check results were received;
- Whether the person is considered eligible for service based on their results; and
- The name and signature of the person who reviewed the results.
Updated Designated State Repository List: Please click here to view the email sent by CNCS for the most up to date link to the CNCS designated repositories. These are the repositories which must be used to perform statewide searches for National Service Criminal History Checks. For some States, the Corporation for National and Community Service has approved the use of an alternate source. If an alternate source has been designated, unless otherwise qualified, it may be used without further approval from the Corporation. Member Performance Evaluation Template (mid and final): OneStar strongly encourages programs to use the attached form for the mid-term and end of term evaluations. - The form has been updated to reflect the CNCS regulations regarding member performance evaluation. Members must receive an overall satisfactory evaluation in order to be eligible to serve a future term and/or to receive their education award. Question 4 has been added to the form to better reflect this requirement.
- As a reminder, Midterm and End of Term evaluations are required for all half-time and full time members.
- End of Term Evaluations are required for all members, even if the member exited early for cause or personal compelling circumstances.
AmeriCorps Eligibility Verification Form: This form is not required, however OneStar suggests programs use it, along with the NSCHC Consent form to ensure member eligibility. OneStar has made a few changes to the form. The changes are as follows: - U.S. Passport has been added to the list of documents which can be used to verify the age requirement
- The section 6 for the NSCHC has been removed since this information is collected on the NSCHC Consent form
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| Webinar for AmeriCorps Alums: How to Serve as a State Service Commissioner Join AmeriCorps Alums and America's Service Commissions on Wednesday, May 7 at 2:00 ET for a webinar to learn about the role of state service commissions, how to apply to serve as a commissioner in your state, and other opportunities to continue to serve after AmeriCorps. Presenters: - Ben Duda, Co-Executive Director, AmeriCorps Alums
- Ryan Hanschen, Program Coordinator, Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning and Commissioner, Serve Colorado
- Jim Snell, Executive Director, Volunteer Tennessee and Board Member, America's Service Commissions
- Nicole Trimble, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Outerwall and Commission Chair, Serve Washington
Space is limited! Register for the webinar by clicking here.
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| Current CNCS Employment Openings Are you looking for new opportunities in the public sector? Do you want to help get things done for America? Join the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that offers employment at our Washington, D.C., headquarters and at our state offices. To view all vacancies at CNCS, you can do a targeted search at USAJobs.gov (the official employment site of the U.S. federal government). You can also follow us on Twitter at @nationalservice and use #cncsjobs to get the most up-to-date information on our employment opportunities.
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| I Want to Join AmeriCorps PSA Launch Today, in honor of the 5th anniversary of the Serve America Act, CNCS and State Commissions across the country will be launching the new “I Want to Join AmeriCorps” Public Service Announcement (PSA). You can help by sharing this PSA video on your website, social media pages, and with your members and Alums to spread the word about the power of AmeriCorps for social good!
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| 2014 Governor’s Volunteer Awards We’re excited to announce nominations are now open for the 31st annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards! The deadline for nominations is June 4th. For over 30 years OneStar Foundation has joined the Governor in honoring some of Texas' most dedicated community volunteers at the Governor’s Volunteer Awards. These awards honor Texans who give their time and talents to their communities through exemplary volunteerism and community service. If you know of an outstanding individual, group or organization that truly embodies the Texas tradition of community service, we encourage you to nominate them for an award.
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| Register Early for Texas Nonprofit Summit Discounts It's time to register for the Texas Nonprofit Summit, the state's premiere nonprofit management conference. We have 250 early bird tickets available, and they're expected to go quickly! Check out this year's featured speakers below and register today to save $50+ off regular rates. Learn how to have the greatest possible impact in your work from world-class speakers, exceptional breakout sessions, and networking with nearly 1,000 nonprofit professionals, board members and community leaders. Early Bird Registration available until June 1
$185 for Greenlights members and OneStar grantees; $210 for non-members/grantees. Special rates are available if you plan to also attend the Alliance for Nonprofit Management Conference on September 17.
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| Keep Austin Serving: Austin AmeriCorps Awareness (AAA) Week 2014 Each year, a committee of current AmeriCorps members and program staff plans a week of events to celebrate how far AmeriCorps has come, to honor alumni, showcase the service they do in the Austin community, and promote opportunities to serve with Austin AmeriCorps programs! Austin AmeriCorps Awareness Week 2014, held April 21-26th, included an event each day of the week, many of which were open to the Austin public, including yoga on the Capitol lawn, an AmeriCorps trivia night, and an AmeriCorps Live! Variety Show of local talent. The week ended with a day of service on Saturday, April 26th, during which 350 AmeriCorps members participated in community service projects at 5 sites across the city, with a focus on restoring the recently flood-affected areas of the Onion Creek and Dove Springs neighborhoods after the Central Texas Halloween Floods caused devastating damage. The Day of Service commenced with a morning rally at Austin City Hall with guest speakers Lisa Lucero, OneStar National Service Commission member, and VISTA member Scott Zienty. For photos and updates, follow @AAA_Week on Twitter. Congratulations to the 2014 AAA Week Committee and participating programs and members on a job well done!
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| Civic Reflection Training Services Request Form OneStar is pleased to periodically offer Civic Reflection training services to grantees, national service programs, and eligible organizations throughout the state of Texas. The two types of services offered are Civic Reflection Discussions and Civic Reflection Facilitation Workshops. Civic reflection uses short, thought-provoking images, video or readings from literature, history, or philosophy to open up important questions in civic life and explore the underlying values and beliefs that drive our shared work in the world. AmeriCorps programs have utilized the practice of civic reflection as a tool in such areas as member development, staff development, and member retention.
Reasonable Accommodation Request Form OneStar may have funding available to support grantees with reasonable accommodation requests for members and/or potential members. If you need to request funds to provide a reasonable accommodation for a member or potential member, please complete the request form at http://www.tfaforms.com/167676.
Updating Program Contact Information If during the year, you have any changes, additions, or deletions to your program’s contacts, please update your program’s Authorized Representative Form (ARF) by visiting http://www.tfaforms.com/159770. This site allows you to add, remove, and/or update contacts at any time and you only need to enter the contact information for the person(s) you need to update. As a reminder, OneStar requires the following roles to be designated and corresponding contact information to be on file: - Legal Authorized Signatory
- Primary Program Contact
- Primary Fiscal Contact
- Secondary Contacts (Primary or Fiscal) – as applicable
Please note that it is a grantee requirement to update this form within 10 working days of a change in your program’s key personnel assigned to your AmeriCorps project.
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