February 2021
President Biden signed an executive order on January 28th that will make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance during the pandemic, reopening the federal insurance marketplace for open enrollment between February 15th and May 15th as a boost for the uninsured.
HealthCare.gov is the official site of the ACA according to the the Department of Health and Human Services. The Biden Administration looks to improve pandemic preparedness, as well as socioeconomic determinants of health, such as nutrition, education, and housing.
Regional & National News
Community Action Strong
Stories that Inform, Empower and Transform
National Community Action Partnership

New Report Released!

The report draws from data collected during the first 90 days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and includes stories that show how Community Action Agencies adapted and grew during the initial crisis.

The landing page for this and other resources provided by the Partnership related to CA and COVID-19 can be found here!
NC - The NCCAA Community Action Association successfully executed the first of four community-giving events in January at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. More than 1,000 cars rolled up and popped their trunks on a rainy, wintry morning to receive food and household and baby products. The second drive-thru event will take place in March in Statesville NC.......continue
NC - Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) joins community partners in a nationwide effort to make sure that people know how vital the EITC can be to their family. With strong bipartisan support since its inception in the mid-70s, it has grown to become one of the largest anti-poverty tools in the U.S. However nearly one in five people eligible for the EITC do not claim it. Forsyth Free Tax, a program of ESR, provides free...... continue

Way to go, NC!
MS - When disaster strikes, there is a sudden wave of help. As time passes, though, communities of people in need are quickly forgotten. COVID 19 hasn’t helped at all, but that was not the case with the Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies (MACAA). Seeing that there was a need for greater assistance for flood victims than the funds raised by SEACAA’s Day of Service, MACAA stepped up to make up the difference. MACAA Executive Director Nicole Claiborne said the regional fundraiser assisted 30 adults and 37 children ......continue

“That financial donation meant a lot right at Christmas time for those who thought our government and city and county leaders had forgotten about us,” said flood victim, Darryl Roby.

Thanks for being a blessing, MACAA!
I shall not pass this way again: Then let me now relieve some pain, Remove some barrier from the road, Or brighten some one's heavy load. ~Eva Rose York
Tennessee
"...Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much!" - Norma Tremblay
TN – Shortly after Tom and Sue Santerre moved from upstate New York to Northeast Tennessee to begin their life of retirement, Sue received the news nobody wants to hear. Their lives changed when “just by chance” Tom met UETHDA’s Director of Community Services, Norma Tremblay.........…continue
Tom and Sue Santerre pose beside their car.
TN - "When I first started working for UETHDA I had to use the LIHEAP Program to pay my bills twice that year. I have, for the most part, only just survived payday to payday" .........continue
TN - UETHDA's Neighborhood Services Center serves as a one call resource for seniors like Hancock county resident, Evelyn Seal, whose only source of water was washed out after major flooding. Used to battling adversity and battling eye cancer……....continue

Thanks for the great work and great stories, UETHDA!
Kentucky
Stronger Together!
KY - During a time of uncertainty KCEOC Community Action Partnership, Inc. has maintained services to our community. We did not let circumstances prevent us from executing the Community Action Promise. Many changes were made to the agency and our staff did an excellent job of continuing our services without disruption. Programs were added to help those in the community directly affected by the coronavirus. One such program is the Healthy at Home Utility Relief Fund program which helps clients that need assistance with water, wastewater, electric or natural gas bills. We served over 1,200 Kentuckians through this program alone. Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, but we get stronger and more resilient. This is what Community Action has done during this pandemic.
We have stayed strong and persevered no matter the circumstances; we are Community Action strong together!8i

Keep it going, KY!
South Carolina
SAVE THE DATE!!!
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HEAD START ASSOCIATION (SCSHSA)
March 30-April 2, 2021
Enroll Today!
SEACAA PROFESSIONAL ONLINE CERTIFICATIONS

SEACAA offers a series of web-based e-learning platforms Executive Leaders, Financial and HR professional certification programs in partnership with Southern University that are self-paced and accessible 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to suit your schedule.
A Certified Community Action Management Program is also available that offers two professional development programs for all staff.

SpeakUp SEACAA!
A Time for National Healing

SEACAA AGENCIES COLLABORATE
A call to visionaries, change agents and community leaders from every sector and from across the globe.
KY - Racial Equity 2030 is a call to reimagine and build a future where equity is realized. In honor of the W.K Kellogg Foundation’s 90th anniversary, Racial Equity 2030 will award $90 million to organizations that invite, build and scale ideas for transformative change in the social, economic and political systems and institutions that uphold inequities.” Racial Equity 2030 is looking for ideas that bring change in policies, procedures and power structures and directly address racism.
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Download Kellog Foundation's One Journey Guide

"There is hope that, regardless of our differences, we can care for one another, share access to opportunity, and reap the rewards of unity." - Ellen M. Katz, president and CEO, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
In the words of 22-year-old poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, “And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.”
FLY!....What is your vision for 2021?

If you missed Lex Gillette's presentation, No Need for Sight When you Have a Vision, during the virtual conference last fall, you a missed a powerful and inspiring testimony from a blind, world class paralympian. This former head start child, reminds us that" vision is more than having a pair of eyes...." His philosophy has applications for all of us.
Have you given any thought to what is your vision for 2021? What are your goals for the year?

"Close your eyes, open your mind, and imagine your highest potential!"
SAVE THE DATE!
SEACAA 2021 Annual Conference

Sept. 14-18, 2021
Stay tuned for more details on the SEACAA website.

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week (then called “Negro History Week”) nearly a century ago. The event was first celebrated during the second week of February 1926, selected because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and abolitionist/writer Frederick Douglass (February 14). That week would ...........continue
COVID Response and Resources
News Alerts

This hospital's uplifting campaign is bringing some light to covid-19 patients during dark times.....continue

At Home
Wellness Resources for Living a Healthy Life during the Pandemic
26 creative at-home Valentine's date ideas to try this year
This February, have a dreamy Valentine’s date with these fun and creative ideas........continue
Six ways to ‘reboot your brain’ after a hard year of COVID-19 – according to science.

After an exhausting, covid-filled year in 2020, here are six evidenced-based ways to change our brains for the better – to help us enjoy our lives better and get our energy levels back in 2021.
Still to Come.... Mark Your Calendar

FEBRUARY
3-5
11
14
Valentine's Day
23
5 & 16, 17-18, 19

MARCH
8-12
NASCSP 2021 Winter Conference -- Now Virtual!
9

MAY
2021 NCCAA Annual Conference

JUNE
29-July 1

JULY
12-16
2021 GCAA Annual Conference

SEPTEMBER
1-3
14-18
2021 Annual SEACAA Conference
Hey there, remember to send your newsletter submissions to seacaa.org@gmail.com by April 23rd for the May SEACAA Spotlight.