August 2022, Issue 8

NCCAA certification programs now provide CEU credits

NCCAA is pleased to announce that beginning in August, anyone successfully completing our Head Start Family Engagement and/or Case Management certification programs is eligible to receive 3.5 hours of CEU credits. The courses are provided by NCCAA in conjunction with Southern University and A&M College.

Your Support Needed!

Eastern Kentucky residents are continuing to reel under the impact of the July 26 flooding in their communities. Homes have been destroyed, lives lost, and destruction remains high. Community Action families and clients are in need of shelter, financial assistance, transportation, and more. KCEOC Community Action Partnership is actively collecting donations for those affected. Click HERE to donate.

OEO Update

August 2022

A Message from Director Marionna Poke-Stewart
CSBG Supplementary Funding Report
Vacant Positions
New Staff

Click HERE to download the update.

Meet this Agency Leader

Five Questions with E. Marie Watson, Executive Director Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, Inc.

As the world continues to grapple with the impact of the pandemic, E. Marie Watson, executive director of Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, Inc., finds that she is frustrated by the sluggish pace of receiving reimbursements for the programs her agency operates. Her workspace is fairly new, constructed in 201,1and she finds it an excellent facility in which to provide services to her local community. “We just can’t find enough employees for our Head Start Program,” she said. Learn more about Ms. Watson in this Five Questions with a Community Action Leader feature. READ MORE

Success Stories

Sequita's success story: SCAP helped her balance life

“How can I, as a single mom, achieve all my goals while balancing work, school, and my three kids? How can I achieve my dreams of being a neuropsychologist? Is it even possible for me to do all that and improve my finances enough to buy a home?" READ HER STORY.

Ayanna: In praise of FVW's Head Start Program

"My son had no social skills when he began Head Start virtually. Starting off, he didn’t like it. But once he had his first day in the classroom, we could tell a difference. He was excited about going to school, and he gained the social skills he needed to have.” Her two children have attended Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity’s Head Start Program. READ MORE

Agency News

ESR hosts Dancing into the Sunshine fundraiser

Experiment in Self-Reliance hosted its annual Dancing into the Sunshine fundraiser event to honor donors and highlight the agency's 57 years of service. The event allowed ESR to raise funds for its respective programs and services. READ MORE

WAMY establishes funding endowment

WAMY has established a new endowment at the North Carolina Community Foundation. “Creating an endowment has been a long-term goal for WAMY and our organization is thrilled that we are finally able to make that happen,” said Melissa Soto. READ MORE

Greene Lamp recruiting for Foster Grandparents program

Greene Lamp Community Action has received funding from AmeriCorps Seniors to start a Foster Grandparents Program in Pitt County. The Foster Grandparents program allows adults aged 55 and older to provide one-on-one mentoring, nurturing, and support to children with special or exceptional needs, or who are in circumstances that limit their academic, social, or emotional development. READ MORE

Jeffrey Rawlings appointed to the NC Interagency Council

Jeffrey Rawlings of Johnson Lee Harnett Community Action has been appointed to the North Carolina Interagency Council. A resident of Smithfield, he is a member representing someone with lived experience of homelessness. Rawlings is the Coordinated Entry Director of the JLH Community Action, where he organizes and analyses the region’s homelessness entry system.

Other News

HUD funding to address unsheltered and rural homelessness

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to target efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness, particularly in communities with very high levels of unsheltered homelessness and homelessness in rural areas. READ MORE

Nominations due August 12 for 2022 SEACAA awards

The 2022 annual SEACAA conference will be held October 18-21 at the Beau Rivage Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi. Nominations for this year's awards are being accepted until Aug. 12. Nominate a deserving individual or agency. Click HERE for nomination information.

R egister HERE to register for the conference.

In Memoriam: Ms. Brenda Holt, former Mountain Projects, Inc. board member

Brenda Holt, a former Mountain Projects board member and a 2021 NCCAA Hall of Fame inductee, passed on July 6, 2022, in Asheville, NC. Her extensive public service included numerous community action and public service organizations, which garnered her many recognitions, including the Head Start Center dedication in her honor on Jan. 27, 2006. READ MORE

Restoration of voting rights

Effective July 27, 2022, an individual serving a felony sentence who is not in jail or prison may register to vote and vote. An individual must also have resided in North Carolina for at least 30 days prior to the election, be a U.S. citizen, and be at least 18 years old by the next general election. READ MORE

New COVID-19 vaccine now available

The FDA and CDC have approved the Novavax vaccine, which uses an older style of vaccine technology than the mRNA vaccines. This is the fourth primary vaccine option for adults and may appeal to those who have been hesitant about the new technology. READ MORE

HHS announces programs to join Justice40 initiative

President Biden's Justice40 Initiative was created to ensure that federal agencies deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, clean water, and other investments to disadvantaged communities. After starting implementation on two Justice40 pilot programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HHS is proud to prioritize 13 programs to include in the Justice40 Initiative that will help communities find relief from pollution and climate-related events impacting people’s health. READ MORE

Dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

The three-digit 988 has been designated as the new dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States. When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. READ MORE

Blog Posts

Major Home Repair Spotlight

Jeremy Smith, Owner & CEO

Smith Family Holdings

Jeremy Smith, owner and CEO, Smith Family Holdings, LLC, discusses his desire to help those most in need. READ MORE

Got a winning team? Keep it!

COVID-19 spurred on the Great Resignation of 2021, during which record numbers of employees voluntarily quit their jobs. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 48 million workers quit their jobs last year, even amid the pandemic. That makes 2021 a record-breaker for resignations, beating out the previous record-holder—2019—by an average of half a million more quits each month. READ MORE

Calendar

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