Organizational Background
The Center for Economic Progress helps hard-working, low-income families move from financial uncertainty to financial security. Local in service but national in voice, we achieve our mission in three ways: we provide trusted tax and financial counseling, giving Illinois families the tools to make sound choices; we lead a national coalition of organizations that promote economic progress for low-wage workers and their families; we advance policies and practices to create a financial system that works for all.  Since its inception in 1990, the Center’s goal have evolved to addressing the numerous challenges facing the growing population of working-poor families and individuals as they navigate their way through a complex tax system and high-cost, high-risk financial services landscape. The Center works to place low-income workers in Illinois on the path to financial independence through repairing credit, paying down debt, and providing the tools to start saving for long-term assets.

The Center operates the largest statewide free tax preparation program in the nation, which has served over 210,500 low-income taxpayers and generated $285 million in tax refunds to Illinois workers since 1994.  The Center uses the annual ritual of tax preparation as a “teachable moment” to encourage clients to open bank accounts, direct deposit their tax refunds, and save for the future.  By linking tax preparation to asset-building opportunities and financial education, the Center directly improves the financial stability of the more than 30,000 low-income families and individuals it serves each year.

The Center is in a strong position to effectively support tax preparation programs nationally through training, technical services, and the promotion of a standardized service delivery model, working through its National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC), which is comprised of more than 600 affiliate organizations.  The Center launched NCTC in 2002 in response to the need for training and technical assistance among the growing number of organizations around the country operating community-based tax preparation programs and promoting the EITC in their communities.

Using its own programs as incubators, the Center exports lessons learned and best practices to the broader community tax preparation and asset-building fields.  The Center seeks to continue to fill this role of using its tax sites as a lab for innovation by helping families apply for financial aid while having their tax returns prepared.  The Center’s experiences providing this service and a subsequent evaluation will provide the field with yet another asset-building strategy connected to the tax preparation process that will assist working families move along the road to greater financial security and opportunity.

Program Description
When it comes to finding a job, college graduates enjoy a significant advantage in the marketplace. However, the rising cost of a college education—at community college and four-year universities—are limiting access to higher education, especially for the country’s low-income students.  Tuition and fees grew an average of 10.5% last year, costing students and their families $9,452 to attend college—$1,000 more than half of the students served by the Center for Economic Progress earn annually.

For families of limited means, the growing cost of college is a considerable obstacle to earning a diploma, especially to students and families who don’t take advantage of opportunities to apply for and receive financial aid. According to researchers at the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research, applying for financial aid “may be the most critical step for low-income students” who hope to enroll in college; it may also be one of the most confusing. Still, students who do apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are 50% more likely to attend school than students who do not.

Through the Center’s college access initiative, Financial Aid U, the Center assists low-income students and their families by simply making the process of applying for financial aid easier. This project integrates tax services offered by VITA programs with direct, one-on-one assistance with applications for financial aid.  More than 75% of the information collected by the Department of Education using the FAFSA is included on students’ and parents’ tax return. Experienced tax return preparers can help students and parents transfer information from one form to the next quickly and without confidently, complete any other required information and submit the form electronically. Later, the Center’s financial services staff can work with those clients to understand offers of financial aid, plan their award package and mitigate financial stresses of college.

The Financial Aid U initiative successfully launched in January 2009, helping more than 800 traditional and nontraditional students submit financial aid applications. More than 400 of those clients were served at one of four Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites where the service was made available. Center staff members also served more than 300 high school and community college students at their school. After learning of the Center’s success, the Citi Foundation committed to expanding its scope in 2010, providing funding for a national program that raises awareness of the relationship between college access and services offered by VITA programs in communities across the country. In Phase II of Financial Aid U, the Center will continue to offer its services locally with limited resources, while launching a national effort to encourage community tax preparation programs to foster college access services at their sites. Planned communication strategies include: a workshop presentation at the NCTC conference later this year, quarterly web seminars and audio conferences and maintenance of resources and training guides posted on the NCTC Web site.

In addition, the Center will also work with seven VITA programs in Citi markets around the country to launch or expand FAFSA projects in their own communities. Center staff will provide one-on-one training and technical assistance, a needs assessment, and individual program development plans to each participating program, giving them the support and tools to achieve success. Center staff will also hold regular calls with the groups to further assess the programs.  After assessments are complete and the initial convening is held, Center staff will travel to each of the programs to provide all day on-site training and implementation assistance. Additional one-day site visits will take place during tax season.

The grantees and the Center will meet regularly by phone; two in-person convenings will also be hosted by the Center in September 2009 and May 2010. All grantees will attend a monthly conference call to collaborate on the national campaign and address any local needs. Quarterly conference calls and webinars, which will be open to all interested groups, will be hosted by Center staff and facilitated by NCTC.

Opportunity
The Center is excited to announce an opportunity for an individual or organization with extensive experience in research methodology, community-based organizations and data analysis. This individual or organization will take part in the launch of the national campaign to promote college access services at VITA sites by working with the Center to identify appropriate metrics and measurement mechanisms, providing pre-launch evaluation planning services, operational assessment services, and post-campaign evaluation and analysis services. The Center is interested in the evaluation of the following:

* Assessment of Center-provided training services by developing evaluation methods for two-tiered training (CEP Financial Aid U training to third parties and Financial Aid U program training delivered by third parties to staff/volunteers), which can be administered remotely
* Assessment of Center-provided consulting services
* Effectiveness of the delivery of Financial Aid U services to clients
* FAFSA client satisfaction with Financial Aid U services
* The impact of grantee programs on client collegiate enrollment and receipt of financial aid
* Success of marketing and outreach mechanisms used to drive clients to tax sites

As part of the evaluation, the project evaluator will be present at a select number of in-person grantee trainings and tax site visits. The evaluator will develop a final report on his/her findings. This report will include analysis on the effectiveness of Center-provided trainings, sub-grantees’ implementation of the Financial Aid U model, and the ultimate success of FAFSA filers in securing financial aid, among other topics. The report will also include recommendations for the Financial Aid U initiative as the Center and NCTC look to expand the project into more communities in future tax seasons.

Competencies Sought

* Statistical analysis
* Data collection and analysis
* Program evaluation
* Surveying and research methodologies
* Strong writing and communication skills

Timeframe and Deliverables

* Services must begin on Monday, August 24, 2009 and continue through June 2010.
* Biweekly meetings (conference calls) with Financial Aid U staff
* Attendance at select trainings between Financial Aid U staff and grantees
* Statistical analysis of taxpayer and FAFSA client information
* Statistical analysis of FAFSA client survey results
* Final Report

Information Needed

* Interest in opportunity
* Organization or individual background
* Current projects
* Portfolio
* Rate for service (lump sum or hourly rate with estimate of hours necessary for completion of services)
* Employee résumés
* References/letters of reference
* Service contract

Criteria for the Review of Proposals

Proposals will be reviewed and the finalist will be selected according to the following criteria:

* Cost effectiveness
* Ability to meet requirements outlined in RFP
* Experience conducting similar evaluations
* Knowledge and practical experience with statistics
* Writing skills
* Quality of samples provided (content and aesthetics)
* Firm reputation/references

Selection Process

The Financial Aid U team will consider all proposals emailed to Erika Schafer, eschafer@economicprogress.org, by midnight on August 14, 2009.  Proposals will be evaluated against the criteria listed above, with cost effectiveness being a primary consideration. The proposal with the strongest match to the criteria will be selected and the submitting organization or consultant will be notified by August 21, 2009. Consultants and firms who are not selected will not be notified.

Contact Information
Questions or comments regarding the project or proposal should be directed to:
Erika Schafer
Director of Financial Services
Center for Economic Progress
29 E. Madison, Ste 900
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-630-0286
Fax: 312-252-0285
eschafer@economicprogress.org

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with its partner organizations, seeks proposals for projects that assist organizations in becoming effective co-stewards of the United States’ natural resources within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

This grant program provides competitive seed grants of $1,500 to $5,000 each for creative and innovative proposals that seek to increase the number and effectiveness of organizations interested in assisting the refuge system nationwide. This year’s grant program will prioritize proposals that facilitate wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities on refuges and reach new audiences to increase their understanding of and support for the refuge system’s mission.

Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations or organizations that have applied for nonprofit status, including refuge friends organizations, cooperative and interpretive associations, Audubon chapters, and other citizen support organizations interested in assisting a National Wildlife Refuge or group of refuges and the refuge system as a whole. Applicants must either be tax exempt under section 501(c) or be in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status.

Grants will be provided to assist starting refuge friends organizations, to strengthen the capacity of existing refuge friends organizations, and to fund specific projects.

The complete Request for Proposals is available at the NFWF Web site.

Link to Complete RFP: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=260800013

The 14th Annual MetLife Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing is open for entries. Enterprise Community Partners and the MetLife Foundation have focused this year’s competition on best practices in the area of affordable independent senior living and environmentally responsive housing.

The awards were created to highlight leadership, innovation, service delivery and effectiveness, and quality operations in affordable housing. The four winning organizations will receive $50,000 each in unrestricted funds.

Entries must be from recognized 501(c)(3) community-based or regional nonprofit organizations and tribes/tribally-designated housing entities that are located in one of fourteen priority states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.

Each entry must also include information on the use of green methods and materials.

For further information and application materials, visit the Enterprise Web site.

Link to Complete RFP: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=260600020

Bikes Belong, a national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers, provides grants to organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to “putting more people on bicycles more often.” Fundable projects include paved bike paths and rail-trails as well as mountain bike trails, bike parks, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.

The Bikes Belong Grants Program funds projects in the categories of facilities and advocacy. For the facilities category, Bikes Belong will accept applications from nonprofit organizations whose missions are bicycle and/or trail specific. Bikes Belong will also accept applications from public agencies and departments at the national, state, regional, and local levels; however, these municipalities are encouraged to partner with a local bicycle advocacy group that will help develop and advance the project or program. For the advocacy category, Bikes Belong will only fund organizations whose primary mission is bicycle advocacy.

New organizations that are not yet legally nonprofit organizations may submit an application with the assistance of another nonprofit that has agreed to serve as fiscal agent. Bikes Belong will not fund individuals. Because of the program’s limited funds, it rarely awards grants to organizations and communities that have received Bikes Belong funding within the last three years.

Applicants can request up to $10,000 each.

Bikes Belong reviews applications on a quarterly cycle. Applications are only accepted via email. Upcoming application deadlines are August 24, 2009; and November 23, 2009.

Visit the program’s Web site for complete application information.

Link to Complete RFP: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=178400078

Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, seeks to promote the use of the arts to enhance the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and caregivers.

From 2001 to 2009, the partners have provided grants to 117 programs in the United States and Canada representing leading models and initiatives in high quality healthcare through the use of arts. Proposals are now being sought from healthcare and/or arts organizations that have established arts in healthcare programs with evidence of initial impact.

To be eligible for consideration, grant applicants must be a current member of Society for the Arts in Healthcare, located in the U.S. or Canada (partners may be international), and a nonprofit organization or a governmental agency (state or local, including education or institutions).

Johnson & Johnson/Society for the Arts in Healthcare grants are for a total of $60,000 each over a period of three years.

For more information and eligibility requirements, see the program guidelines at the Society for the Arts in Healthcare Web site.

Link to Complete RFP: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=259900008

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation have announced the 2010 guidelines for the American Heritage Preservation Program. The program is designed to help preserve objects that “that convey the essential character and experience of the United States.”

The program will fund the preservation of endangered and fragile art works, rare books, scientific specimens, and historical documents (photographs, maps, deeds, etc.) held in small and medium-sized museums, archives, and libraries. Grants provide up to $3,000 each for stand-alone conservation projects. Funds may be used for treatment of library, museum, and archival collections; improvement of collections storage; or environmental improvement of collections.

Priority will be given to smaller institutions, but all libraries, archives, and museums that meet IMLS institutional eligibility criteria are eligible. Applicants must be either a unit of state or local government or a private not-for-profit organization that has tax-exempt status, and be located in one of the fifty states of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated states of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.

Application guidelines and instructions are available at the IMLS Web site.

Link to Complete RFP: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=260400030

A program of Civic Ventures, the Purpose Prize annually provides five awards of $100,000 each to people over 60 who are working to address society’s biggest challenges.

To be eligible for the prize, a nominee must be at least 60 years old by the deadline of March 5, 2010 and be a legal resident of the United States (including U.S. territories). Nominees should have initiated important innovations (in a new or ongoing organization) in an encore career. “Encore careers” are those that combine personal meaning and social impact with continued work in the second half of life. Nominees must currently be working in a leadership capacity in an organization or institution (public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit) to address a major social problem in the United States or abroad. Nominees should have demonstrated recent creativity and leadership with the promise of more to come.

Elected officials are not eligible for the prize. Individuals working in faith-based service organizations that have a broader social mission are eligible and encouraged to apply, but the purpose of their project cannot be strictly religious or sectarian.

Nominations are welcome from any organization or individual with knowledge of a potential candidate. Self-nominations are accepted.

Visit the Purpose Prize Web site for complete program guidelines.

Contact: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=260400028

From: “Xavier de Souza Briggs” <xbriggs@MIT.EDU>

i’m pleased to announce my new book, DEMOCRACY AS PROBLEM SOLVING: CIVIC CAPACITY IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, available from barnes & noble or other booksellers or directly from The MIT Press.

beyond offering a new, comparative perspective on democratic problem-solving, social capital, the civics of leading change at the local level, and governance and accountability in a changing world, the book’s cases-in Brazil, India, South Africa, and the U.S.-encompass a range of domains that are of urgent concern around the globe, including uneven and unsustainable urban growth, economic restructuring in older city-regions, and investing in the healthy development of the next generation.

aimed at a broad audience, the book is suited for use in discussions, training, and coursework on community organizing and community development, urban politics and governance, urban development and
sustainability, democratization, civil society and planning institutions, and social policy.

Description and endorsements:

Complexity, division, mistrust, and “process paralysis” can thwart leaders and others when they tackle local challenges. In Democracy as Problem Solving, Xavier de Souza Briggs shows how civic capacity-the capacity to create and sustain smart collective action-can be developed and used. In an era of sharp debate over the conditions under which democracy can develop while broadening participation and building community, Briggs argues that understanding and building civic capacity is crucial for strengthening governance and changing the state of the world in the process. More than managing a contest among interest groups or spurring deliberation to reframe issues, democracy can be what the public most desires: a recipe for significant progress on important problems.

Briggs examines efforts in six cities, in the United States, Brazil, India, and South Africa, that face the millennial challenges of rapid urban growth, economic restructuring, and investing in the next generation. These challenges demand the engagement of government, business, and nongovernmental sectors. And the keys to progress include the ability to combine learning and bargaining continuously, forge multiple forms of accountability, and find ways to leverage the capacity of the grassroots and what Briggs terms the “grasstops,” regardless of who initiates change or who participates over time. Civic capacity, Briggs shows, can-and must-be developed even in places that lack traditions of cooperative civic action.

“If John Dewey, the seminal twentieth-century theorist of democracy as the praxis of community problem-solving, returned to commission studies of how democracy might work in the twenty-first century, he would be pleased with this important new book. Briggs extracts lessons of importance to urban policy makers and civic activists everywhere.”
– Robert D. Putnam, Harvard University, author of Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone

“This is a timely book about real world politics, not some abstract treatment that lends itself to a pet methodology. Democracy as Problem Solving steers clear of a cynical view of human relationships and proves mobilization can occur, given the right factors. Few books rival this book’s achievement in its multilevel, multistage scope.”
– Clarence Stone, George Washington University, author of Regime Politics and Building Civic Capacity

“Our theories of democracy lag behind the deep changes in how it works, or fails, globally. Expectations have risen, creating huge potentials and challenges. These new rules about what is democratically legitimate are often more demanding than the physical or economic issues. Briggs charts global transformations and identifies dramatic success in unexpected quarters, from Salt Lake City to Mumbai and Cape Town. Social capital and democracy take on new meaning here as Briggs shows how they are subtly intertwined with political cultures and policy innovation.”
– Terry Nichols Clark, Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago

Xavier de Souza Briggs is Associate Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning at MIT. He has worked as a community planner and senior urban policy official. A faculty research fellow of Harvard’s Hauser Center
for Nonprofit Organizations, he is also the founder of The Community Problem-Solving Project @ MIT. His book The Geography of Opportunity: Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan America (Brookings, 2005) won planning’s top book award, the Paul Davidoff Award, from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.

PENNSYLVANIA MINORITY TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
September 9-10 2009: Save the Date

Minority-owned technology businesses in Pennsylvania will have the opportunity to become qualified vendors of technology services with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through participation in the “Sharing the Wealth Technology Conference,” September 9-10 in Harrisburg.  Convened by the Sharing the Wealth Technology Consortium, the two-day conference is designed to educate and empower businesses owned by people of color to state technology procurement opportunities and the process for meaningful inclusion in contracts.

Specifically, the conference will provide participants with step-by- step instructions on being qualified by the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) and certified by the Department of General Services’ Minority Business Enterprise Program, which are both necessary before businesses can be awarded contracts on state technology initiatives.

In addition to information technology, the conference will explore contracting opportunities in enviro-technology, nano-technology, agri-technology and biotechnology.

The conference will provide an opportunity to register with OIT and DGS on-line.  Participants also will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with key state agencies that have significant budgets for procuring technology services and prime contractors participating in state tech initiatives.

Space is limited. For registration information go to the conference website at http://www.wealthtechconference.com.

As of August 25, 2009:

The “Sharing the Wealth Technology Conference,” scheduled for September 9-10 in Harrisburg has been postponed due to the budget impasse.  Convened by the Sharing the Wealth Technology Consortium, State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, Honorary Chair, the two-day contract opportunities conference was to provide technology businesses owned by people of color and women with the opportunity to become qualified vendors of technology services with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

However, after meeting with legislative advisors, we were informed that the state budget impasse is expected to continue into September.  Conference participants were to meet one-on-one with key state agencies that have significant budgets for procuring technology services and prime contractors participating in state technology initiatives. Neither state agencies nor prime contractors would be able to discuss contract opportunities for 2010 without a 2010 budget.

Funds presently designated for contracts may be decreased or eliminated in the final budget.  The consortium will reschedule the conference for later this year after the passage of the state budget.  We will keep you informed on the planning and rescheduling of the conference.

Eat local, from your yard!  Join us for a workshop on edible landscaping led by the Orchard Director of the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP).  This introductory workshop will cover kitchen gardens, backyard orchards, edible forest gardens, container gardens, and plants that are both ornamental and delicious!  Suggested donation of $10 goes to support POP and Wyck’s urban farm program.

Workshop leader Phil Forsyth serves as POP’s Orchard Director (http://www.phillyorchards.org) and operates Forsyth Gardens (http://www.forsythgardens.com), a landscape design/build company specializing in ecological and edible landscapes. He is a professional landscape designer with a certificate in Permaculture and four years of experience running an urban farm. He can be contacted at forsythgardens@gmail.com.
Space is limited!  Please register by calling 215-848-1690 or emailing njuday@wyck.org.

NJSACC: The Network for New Jersey’s Afterschool Communities is announcing its  initiative to connect Afterschool professionals throughout New Jersey. NJSACC is inviting you to become a part of the Afterschool Ambassadors Program. The NJSACC Afterschool Ambassadors is a select group of leaders in New Jersey’s Afterschool communities who Volunteer to serve as a  voice  to support Afterschool.

Afterschool Ambassadors assist NJSACC to connect afterschool professionals, via a Countywide Network.
Afterschool Ambassadors are located in each of New Jerseys 21 Counties and will further NJSACC’s mission
to :

–develop public awareness of Afterschool issues
–build a strong network for Afterschool program professionals in NJ
–to establish professional development opportunities in every New Jersey County

NJSACC  Afterschool Ambassadors are located in each of New Jerseys 21 Counties. Being a NJSACC  Afterschool Ambassador is a Two (2) year volunteer commitment beginning in October 2009-October 2011.

Copy and paste the following link in your browser to find out more information:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=W1d_2fKN7VRX3P08x9h6U67A_3d_3d

Be a part of this exciting professional opportunity in New Jersey. For questions, please contact Sarah Cruz at sarahbcruz@njsacc.org

There is growing recognition that single programs rarely produce large or permanent changes in the lives of disadvantaged children — that a series of sequenced and aligned programs and services is more likely to produce lasting improvements.  At the same time, there is growing interest among policymakers, philanthropists, and program staff in investing in community-level interventions, to maximize the likelihood that programs will actually succeed in improving outcomes for children and youth.

A new Child Trends brief, Programs for Children and Youth in a Community Context, provides insights from a recent Child Trends Roundtable with leaders of community initiatives that incorporate evidence-based and evidence-informed programs.  Insights include recognizing the value of using data to guide and shape programs; taking both program implementation and sustainability seriously; planning carefully; and being sure that missions are well-aligned across programs, community initiatives and education systems.

http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2009_07_16_PI_ProgramsContext.pdf

The third call, scheduled for Aug 20 from 3:30 – 5 pm Eastern Time, will focus on the topic of Catalyzing CBPR at the Neighborhood Level.

To register for the call, go to
https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/ccphuw/81018

The call will feature speakers from St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities’ Center for Community Based Research in Houston TX and communities that have partnered with the Center on CBPR initiatives.  Created in 1997 as a separate component of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, the Charities is a grant-making public charity with 501(c)(3) status that combines CBPR, strategic community partnerships, and its Community Health Information System to have the maximum impact on community health within the
57-counties of its mission field.

On the call, participants will learn about how the Charities has assisted organizations and institutions in moving from a “community as advisor” model of community-based research to a participatory model that
builds community capacity in all phases of the research process.

Participants will be introduced to the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative model of CBPR at the neighborhood level, a CBPR scholar-in-residence program, and the evolution of a team of community-based faculty available to work with academic institutions, community-based organizations, government agencies and philanthropies seeking to build capacity, at both individual and organizational levels, for research and
community engagement.

Intended audience members include community based organizations, grass-roots citizens groups, philanthropic organizations and academic administrators and researchers seeking to engage community in research.

Learn more about the Charities and Center for Community-Based Research online at
http://www.slehc.org/AboutUs/Index.cfm,
http://www.slehc.org/CenterOfExcellence/index.cfm and
http://www.slehc.org/HNI/CBPR.cfm

PLEASE NOTE: The call is free of charge for those dialing in from Canada and the US.  To maximize participation, we encourage you to gather colleagues to dial-in together using one phone line with conference call capabilities. Prior to the call, an email with instructions for dialing in will be sent to confirmed registrants. An audiofile and handouts from the call will be posted on the CCPH website at http://www.ccph.info within 2 weeks of the call.

Schedule Your Block Three Weeks in Advance

On Saturday, August 22, the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (PMBC), part of the Streets Department’s Sanitation Division, will wind down its 2009 volunteer cleaning season with the last of three clean-ups scheduled for the 5th, 14th, 35th, and 39th Police Districts.  Block Captains and Community Group Leaders in the area who wish to schedule their block(s) for the last clean-up are urged to call their PMBC Clean Block Officer three weeks in advance of the cleaning date. The following Clean Block Officers should be called for the corresponding Police District:

John Barnett               5th and 39th Police Districts                 215-685-3976
Santa Conix                14th Police District                               215-685-3982
Yvonne Tyler              35th Police District                               215-685-3973

Thus far, this season, 43,740 volunteers, including the Block Captains, neighbors, and community groups filled over 58,908 bags on 6,828 blocks during their cleaning activities.

PMBC looks forward to working again with area neighbors and community groups in continuing their cleaning and beautification efforts.

PMBC reminds citizens of the following tips when participating in Clean Block Events:

·         All debris should be bagged and placed at either end of the block to facilitate collection
·         No bulk or household trash will be collected during the Saturday Clean-Up Program
·         Do not sweep trash or dirt into inlets
·         Streets should not be blocked off with parked cars during cleaning

Blocks who wish to organize and elect a Block Captain, and blocks that wish to revitalize an inactive block club, should contact the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee at (215) 685-3981. Upon request, the Clean Block Officer for your area will come out to help organize the block.  For all City services, call 3-1-1.

15th Annual Conference
October 11-13, 2009
Loews Philadelphia Hotel
Hosted by Widener University

Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities

Register for the Fall CUMU Conference, October 11-13, 2009, and take advantage of the early bird hotel discount offered by Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

Loews is offering a special rate of $199 for a single, $224 for a double, $249 for a triple, and $274.99 for a quad plus tax.  Conference room rates are valid for three days before and three days after the conference.  But you need to act now in order to take advantage of these special rates.

After September 11, rooms may be reserved on a space and rate available basis only.  A one night deposit is required at the time of reservation.

Register for the conference at http://www.cumuonline.org/conference. To make your hotel reservation, call 215-627-1200.

Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities
http://www.cumuonline.org

Pennsylvania Campus Compact will award $250 each to fourteen (14) member campuses (up from seven (7) in 2009) to support MLK Day events and service activities. Each campus that receives a grant will be expected to recruit 75 student and community volunteers, partner with at least two community organizations, and connect their service to the life and work of Dr. King through education, reflection, and celebration activities.

Applications can be submitted via email, but must be followed by an official paper copy with your signature.  To obtain a copy of the grant application and other supporting materials, please contact Meghan Oakley-Henning at moakley@paccompact.org or 717-460-6333.  We look forward to receiving your applications.

Pennsylvania Campus Compact has extended the deadline for MLK Day Mini-grant applications to 9am on Friday, September 4th.

Why now? Because Idealist is partnering with Mozilla (the nonprofit organization behind the Firefox browser) to match thousands of techies around the world with nonprofits that need some help.

Mozilla Service Week will take place on September 14–21, and Mozilla, Idealist, and dozens of other partners will start spreading the word about it in mid- August.

Therefore, if you know what you’re looking for in a tech-savvy volunteer, please post your opportunity on Idealist as soon as possible.

http://www.idealist.org/if/mozservice09/en/Post/Simplified/default?item-type=VolunteerOpportunity

And if you need some tips to get started, visit our resource center to determine what kind of volunteer you need and see what others have posted.

https://sites.google.com/a/idealist.org/resources-for-organizations-msw09/Home

Please share this email with friends and colleagues in other organizations, and let us know if you have any questions by clicking here.

http://www.idealist.org/en/about/contact.html#contact

SAVE the DATE
Come, See & Experience
Our New Building
900 N. Marshall St., Philadelphia 19123

OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 6-8PM
Invitation to follow.

Need more information or to RSVP:
Jana Wilcox
p:  215.232.9727 ex 222
e:  jwilcox@phillyscholars.org
http://www.phillyscholars.org

Mission Statement
Young Scholars Charter School prepares middle school students to attend and succeed academically in the best high schools and colleges, and Young Scholars provides our students with a foundation of life skills required to become productive members of their communities.

Back by popular demand, Youth Empowerment Day returns to the J. Lewis Crozer Library on Saturday, August 8th from 12:00 noon to 3:30 p.m. This free event promotes the arts and education and will feature live music, entertainment, and storytelling. There will be activities for youth of all ages, including the ever-popular Moonbounce! Information tables will be available throughout the day to highlight valuable community resources. Free water ice and pretzels will be served. Join us for a great day of fun for the entire family! Crozer Library is located at 620 Engle Street in Chester.  Please call 610-494-3454 for further details.

I would like to bring to your attention the following new book that may be of interest to you: Partnerships for Service-Learning: Impacts on Communities and Students.  Published by Jossey-Bass, there is a 20% discount if you enter the code HAE20 at http://www.josseybass.com.  The full price is $40. I am mentioning this to you because I know one of the authors, Freyda Lazarus, who has worked extensively in the service-learning field for many years and the book has received excellent reviews:

“These case studies highlight the critical importance of reciprocity in campus-community partnerships. It is through the two-way interchange of knowledge and assets that service-learning achieves its democratic potential as a pedagogy with the power to transform education, campuses, and communities. The examples provided here offer rich and sophisticated models that will be invaluable for community as well as academic leaders committed to deepening the partnering process.” — John Saltmarsh, professor of higher education administration and director, New England Resource Center for Higher Education, University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Edward Zlotkowski, professor of English, Bentley University