ATTENTION VISTAS
Why is September Important to Homeland Security VISTAs? Because... (drum roll please)... September is National Preparedness Month! Since President Bush just recently started this event in 2004, it is not surprising that few people have heard of this. If someone had told me about such a thing a year ago I would have said, “Preparedness for what?” Why is there a whole month dedicated to this?” Currently, I am somewhat more knowledgeable on the topic, but am looking forward to learning even more. The website www.ready.gov is spearheading NPM, check it out for even more detailed information. I think it is important that each of us VISTAs reinforce to our Volunteer Centers and to our communities how necessary preparedness is and a great way to do this is to publicize National Preparedness Month. I would suggest planning some type of activity to celebrate this little known event. Here are a few ideas that range from simple to complicated depending on how much time and resources you have:
If you do something else, please let us know! Finally, let me know of any successes, failures, and/or thoughts regarding your activities surrounding National Preparedness Month. Thanks, and happy September! Sources: American Red Cross website, FEMA website
Trivia for Masters of Disaster
Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving: National Family Volunteer Day 2005 Approaches
This day of service is an opportunity for families to work together by volunteering their time. Whether donating a few hours decorating tray liners for a hospital, helping to sort canned goods at a local food bank, or raking leaves for an elderly neighbor, NFVD is a chance for families to give thanks and give back to their communities, in whatever way they can. Everyone wins with NFVD: families bond together, kids see relatives as role models, family members of all ages strengthen a tradition of community service, and local sites get teams of dedicated, eager workers. Volunteer Centers can benefit greatly from NFVD too. NFVD is an opportunity for Volunteer Centers to reach out to new populations of volunteers, to increase their visibility in the community, to search for new donors — and much more. The following is a list of questions and answers that may be helpful to you as your Volunteer Center prepares for National Family Volunteer Day. My Volunteer Center doesn't participate in NFVD. How can I encourage them to do so? A family wants more information about NFVD. What tools are available? In what types of projects have Volunteer Centers engaged families in the past? Can you give some “family-centric”examples? Some untraditional groups of people have come to the Volunteer Center calling themselves a “family.” What do I do when they want to volunteer for NFVD? Are there any awards that families can win together for volunteering? Good luck to you and your Volunteer Center as you prepare for this year's NFVD. If you have any questions, always feel free to contact Abbey Kos, the Family Strengthening VISTA, at AKos@PointsofLight.org or at 202-729-8176.
Thou Shalt Work with Faith Groups Thirty-five million people each year volunteer on the basis of their faith. It seems only natural for such willing philanthropists to partner in service with those possessing the resources and whose purpose is to match volunteers with positions in the community. However, in the grand scheme, the partnership is not always so fluid. One of these tricky partnerships is between faith-based organizations (FBO) and volunteer centers (VC). A certain element of agreement and trust, as well as common mission, vision, and purpose must be defined for the partnership to be beneficial and successful. In the National Conference on Volunteering and Service workshop “A Leap of Faith: Volunteer Centers and Faith-Based Partnerships,” leaders from faith-based organizations and Volunteer Centers met to discuss ideas and begin to bridge the gap between the two constituents. The main reason cited for not partnering was simply lack of information—FBOs said they don't understand how a VC works or how to get involved and VCs said they didn't know the structure of the congregation. This is why it is so essential to keep the lines of communication open, as well as having your message/mission clearly communicated. Workshop participants also noted some naturally occurring differences between FBOs and VCs, which must be kept in mind when forming critical partnerships, including the basic definition of service. Faith-Based organizations' service definition usually revolves around being “grace driven” for the good of an elusive higher spiritual purpose, while Volunteer Centers look for more tangible and concrete results in their “need-driven” work. All workshop participants agreed there is much to be gained in the VC-FBO partnership, and if properly executed, can be a wonderful “win-win” situation for all parties involved. Each group brings something different to the table so both may accomplish their personal mission, as well as the task at hand. On both sides of the partnership coin, the partners can reach more people and break down barriers of misconception that exist. More people get more engaged more effectively in service (the cornerstone of the Points of Light Foundation's mission), and something incredibly important for all to keep in mind—funders love collaboration! Learn more about the Faith and Service Task Force and to view the documents from the workshop.
Interesting things with the Points of Light Foundation you should know about. One Day's Pay is a nonprofit organization leading the effort to establish September 11 as a national day of voluntary service, charity, and compassion. The mission is simple: to encourage people everywhere to set aside time every September 11 to help others in need. In this way, One Day's Pay hopes to keep alive forever, in memories and actions, the spirit of giving and selfless service that unified the United States following the terrorist attacks. All volunteers can join the effort by visiting the One Day's Pay website (www.onedayspay.org) and registering their good-faith, non-binding, and confidential pledge to devote a portion of their day on September 11 to serving others in any fashion they deem appropriate. Seasons of Service, sponsored and promoted by the Points of Light Foundation, is a portfolio of national opportunities for people to volunteer for service projects and activities throughout the year. More than 20 million people volunteer each year to be part of the Seasons of Service-a year-round action plan to illustrate how a single day of service can grow into an ongoing habit of helping communities. Learn more and see a calendar of events. The Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute, in partnership with Volunteer Center Orange County, announces a Train-the-Trainer Seminar from October 26-28, 2005 in Santa Ana, CA. By attending this Seminar, you will become certified to conduct our unique program that provides youth with a broad array of leadership skills and an understanding of how to apply leadership skills to design and implement community service projects. For more information or to apply, please visit www.PYLI.org. Or contact Nina Langlie at 202-729-8151 or PYLI@PointsofLight.org. If your volunteer center performs Youth Based Service Learning, apply for a Service Learning Impacting Citizenship grant ($5,000). For more information, download the RFP.
Did you know several powerful, influential, and important people got their start as Americorps*VISTAs? Topping the “Notable Alumni” list are numerous political leaders, government representatives, business gurus, and media personalities. Here are our nominations for Most Notable VISTA Alums: Senator John Rockefeller, US Senate (WV) and great grandson of John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil fame. (Although we're sure he didn't have too much of a problem making ends meet on the VISTA stipend.) John E. Ghert, President and CEO, Land O'Lakes, Inc. Anne Mulcahy, President and CEO of Xerox. (Wonder if she spent a lot of her time as a VISTA in the copy room? Even if she did, it paid off since she was recently named the sixth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine!) Ray Magliozzi, co-host of National Public Radio's Car Talk. Source: Americorps website, www.americorps.org.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know... What's the most exciting thing you did this summer? Send us your responses and we'll include them in our next issue. Here are our answers, just to get the ball rolling… Abbey: “We had a Kos Family Reunion. It was the first time all four of my dad's children had been together in ten years -- and everyone brought their spouses and kids!” Kristen: “My best friend from high school and my best friend from college flew with me to Las Vegas to celebrate my 23 rd birthday.” Michelle: “I lived in a house that had one bathroom and 9 people...just kidding! Well actually that is true, but it wasn't the most exciting, more like a lot of unnecessary drama. Instead the most exciting thing was running with a relay team all the way across upper rural Michigan in the Great Lakes Relay for 300 miles! We got 9th place.” Kate: “I got within spitting distance of Jon BonJovi at the Points of Light Foundation's National Conference.”
Why Americorps? Most proud of Favorite dessert Education Job experience His words Why we chose Sean
Kate McGill Howdy- from your Fearless VISTA Leader here at the Points of Light Foundation! I am so excited that so many program veterans are returning, and I am equally excited by the two new crops of VISTAs that started after attending PSO in July and August. We are a good-looking VISTA project, if I do say so myself (I know the supervisors are good looking too!) Here are two pertinent pieces of information:
It is really an honor to remain a part of this program for another year, and I look forward to serving as the VISTA leader of the Strengthening Communities Initiative. I have no doubt that by working together, we will really leave a mark.
Answers to Master of Disaster Trivia |
As the summer begins to cool into fall, Volunteer Centers across the country gear up for National Family Volunteer Day (NFVD). NFVD is held every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, marking the beginning of National Family Week. This year NFVD will be held on November 19, 2005. 
Who: Sean E. Duggan