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| AmeriCorps Update
03.24.2014
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| IMPORTANT DEADLINES + EVENTS
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| March 25, 2014 Wendy Spencer Speaks at UT-Austin: “A New America: How Millennials are Sparking Change.”
March 25-26, 2014 New AmeriCorps Staff Orientation (NASO) (Austin, TX).
March 27-28, 2014 All-Grantee Meeting (Austin, TX).
April 1, 2014 Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service.
Click here for details.
April 3, 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Application Deadline.
Click here for details.
April 6-13, 2014
April 7-13, 2014
April 11-13, 2014
April 17, 2014
April 17, 2014 FFRs/deobligations due. All programs’ midyear Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) are due to OneStar, regardless of program start date. This FFR will cover all costs incurred from your program’s start date through March 31, 2014 as well as any unexpended funds that your program will be deobligating. Please submit the FFR and deobligation form online at
http://www.tfaforms.com/173824.
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| Governor Perry Appoints Five to OneStar National Service Commission, Four to OneStar Foundation Board Governor Perry recently appointed five members to the OneStar National Service Commission for terms to expire March 15, 2017: Mike Burke (Austin), Larry Goddard (Tyler-reappointed), Mary Grace Landrum (Houston-reappointed), Lisa Lucero (Austin), and Amber Wall (Pflugerville-reappointed). The commission works with the OneStar Foundation to further national service initiatives in Texas and administer the AmeriCorps Texas program. For full bios, please visit
http://governor.state.tx.us/news/appointment/19503/. The Governor also reappointed four members to the OneStar Foundation Board for terms to expire March 15, 2017: Bruce Esterline (Dallas-reappointed), Anna Maria Farias (Corpus Christi-reappointed), Helen Soto Knaggs (Austin-reappointed), and Alison Meador (Austin-reappointed). The foundation furthers volunteerism and community service in Texas. For full bios, please visit
http://governor.state.tx.us/news/appointment/19523/. Welcome new and returning appointees!
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| Wendy Spencer at National Journal LIVE in Austin! We’re excited to announce that Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National & Community Service, will be making a guest speaking appearance here in Austin, TX this week at a special National Journal LIVE event at the University of Texas at Austin. Wendy will be speaking on the topic of “A New America: How Millennials are Sparking Change,” along with several other prominent national and local speakers. The event, which is FREE and open to the public, will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25th from 2:30-5:00pm. IMPORTANT NOTE: AmeriCorps program staff, members, and alums are all invited to attend! After consulting with CNCS, OneStar has determined that hours spent attending this event will be considered allowable AmeriCorps service and/or grant-funded hours. Members should count their attendance as “Training Hours.” The twitter handle for National Journal is @NJLiveEvents and the hashtag they will be using for this event is #millennialpathways. Feel free to tweet if you attend!
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| See you at NASO and AGM! The 2014 Spring New AmeriCorps Staff Orientation (NASO) and All-Grantee Meeting (AGM) are right around the corner – we’re excited to have you attend! Please take a moment to review the following: We would also love for you to follow event highlights and share information with the AmeriCorps*Texas community by using the following social media:
We’re excited to see you all this week – if you’re traveling from out of town, please have a safe trip!
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| Over 100 Mayors Sign On to Recognize National Service!
With 100 mayors signed on to recognize national service as of today, Texas is currently neck-and-neck with Alabama for being the #1 state in the nation for the upcoming Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service on April 1st! This surpasses our statewide goal of 90 mayors. OneStar is working closely with the CNCS Texas State Office to publish final Texas event details this week. Check out our new OneStar webpage dedicated to Texas Mayors Day listings and events (and keep checking back for event information to be posted): Participation is easy and flexible. We are asking mayors to issue proclamations, hold public events, and use traditional and social media to highlight the impact of national service to your cities. Mayors are encouraged to: - Issue a proclamation
- Visit a national service program
- Invite national service programs to City Hall for a roundtable on service
- Put out a press release, report or Op-Ed on the impact of national service in your city
- Join with a local AmeriCorps or Senior Corps program on a service project
- Use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to thank those who serve (using the hashtag #Mayors4Service)
- Take a group photo with all national service members in your city
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| New Online Form for Mid-year APR The Mid-year AmeriCorps Progress Report (APR) is due to OneStar for all AmeriCorps*Texas grantees on April 17, 2014. Please note that we have changed the reporting format of this year’s APR to an online system, powered by Google Forms. To complete your report, please click below to view the following: If you would like for me to send you additional documents for reference, such as your organization’s previous APR report, report review, or your 2013-2014 eGrants application in order to reference the performance measures you must report on, please contact your assigned OneStar Grants Officers.
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| Restrictions on Legislative Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity On March 10th, CNCS General Counsel issued a memorandum as a reminder for those overseeing, operating, and serving in national and community service programs supported by the
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) about the rules concerning legislative lobbying and partisan politics. Generally, grantee staff and program participants may not (1) attempt to influence legislation, including activity related to the appropriations process, or (2) participate in or endorse political events or activities while charging time to a CNCS-supported program, accumulating service or training hours towards an education award, or otherwise performing activities supported by CNCS. Please note that Section 132A of the National and Community Service Act (42 U.S.C. §12584a) specifically prohibits the following partisan and/or political activities: - attempting to influence legislation;
- engaging in partisan political activities or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to Federal, state or local public office;
- participation in activities that are likely to include advocacy for political parties, platforms or candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; and
- conducting a voter registration drive.
Individuals may exercise their First Amendment rights, including through participating in the political process, so long as it is done on their own initiative, on their own time, and using non-CNCS funds and resources. But in doing so, it is very important to avoid even a perception that grantee and program, staff or participants are engaging in impermissible political activities in those capacities. For example, if your organization engages in lobbying activities you must be careful to document that such activities are outside the scope of your CNCS-funded program. Separate accounting for costs is crucial on this particular point. As another example, wearing AmeriCorps gear while participating in a political event may result in an allegation that the AmeriCorps program is supporting political activities, even if that is not the case. If your organization signs a public petition advocating some legislative action, you should be sure it identifies itself by its organizational name rather than as a CNCS-funded program.
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| AmeriCorps Alums Upcoming Professional Development Webinars AmeriCorps Alums invites AmeriCorps members and programs to several new professional development opportunities to help foster a positive “Life After AmeriCorps” experience: Interviewing and Salary Negotiation Strategy (3/28/2014) Have you ever felt like you could use a better strategy heading into an interview or when negotiating a salary?
Join AMERICORPS ALUMS on Friday, March 28th as we explore winning interview and salary negotiation strategies. We'll convene a panel of Alums HR experts who will share their knowledge and advice on these topics. We hope you will be able to join us for this "don't miss" event. Space is limited,
so sign up today. Environmental Careers (4/25/2014) Did your service in AmeriCorps help feed your passion for the environment or did it make you consider an environmental career?
Join AMERICORPS ALUMS on Friday, April 25th, as we explore careers with environmental touch points. We'll convene a panelists of Alums experts with experience in environmental careers who will share their insight and knowledge on how you can pursue a career in this field. Space is limited,
so sign up today.
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| Healthy Texas Week It’s time again for
Healthy Texas Week! From April 7th through April 13th, we are celebrating health, while demonstrating to all of Texas that we are committed to making healthy the norm in our state.
Start planning now! Last year, nearly 800,000 Texans participated, so this year, help us reach 900,000! During Healthy Texas Week (#HealthyTXWeek), visit
http://www.healthytexasweek.com/ to commit to take action. Healthy activities can be fun and simple, such as a Healthy Potluck or a Family Fitness Night!
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| Scholarships Available for 2014 Conference on Volunteering and Service!
Supported by The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Scholarship Program will take place during the Points of Light
Conference on Volunteering and Service in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center from June 16-18, 2014. This is a unique opportunity for the brightest, most promising young leaders in the volunteering and service sectors to connect and collaborate for greater community impact. Scholars will receive waived Conference registration and new connections to their work as a result of their participation in the program. Points of Light is looking to award scholarships to 50 individuals with community involvement experience and who also exhibit the potential to assume senior leadership roles within organizations in the volunteering and service sectors. The Conference is central to the program and will be both the convening point and one of the most robust learning opportunities. Applicants must have an interest in advancing their careers in the volunteering and service sectors, must be actively involved in their communities, and willing to attend all of their selected workshops during Conference. - Application release: March 4, 2014
- Application deadline: 5 p.m. ET, March 24, 2014
- Award announcements: April 18, 2014
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| OneStar Foundation Awards Grants to Texas Organizations to Generate Volunteers in Times of Disaster On March 13th, OneStar Foundation announced that four (4) organizations in Texas have received Volunteer Generation Fund grants as part of the new Texas Disaster Volunteer Generation Initiative (TDVGI). OneStar Foundation will distribute more than $153,000 in funding to organizations selected in a highly competitive statewide process to support the effective recruitment, training, and management of 2,000 community volunteers across the state who will serve local Texas communities during times of disaster. “Volunteers are an essential part of disaster preparedness, response and recovery here in Texas,” said Elizabeth Darling, President/CEO. “Government and nonprofits just can’t do it alone. With a state as large as ours, we need ‘all hands on deck’ to ensure our Texas communities are prepared for and recover quickly from hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other disasters that come our way. Volunteers are a powerful force for good when organizations have the resources to invest in training and managing them well.” Below is a listing of TDVGI grants awarded for 2014: - BCFS Health and Human Services – $44,270 to support volunteer generation in Bexar County
- Catholic Charities, Diocese of Fort Worth Inc. – $35,135 to support volunteer generation in Archer, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Hardemann, Knox, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger, Young Counties
- The Salvation Army, a Georgia Corporation (Texas Divisional Headquarters) – $25,807 to support volunteer generation in Taylor, Hale, Bexar, Harris, Dallas, Angelina, Ellis Counties
- Volunteer Center of North Texas – $48,205 to support volunteer generation in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Tarrant Counties
By the end of 2014, OneStar and its grantees and partners will have collectively recruited and trained 2,000 disaster volunteers who will contribute at least 1,000 hours of service in total to Texas communities.
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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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