November 3, 2021 | Issue 65
Community Action Updates
Upcoming Events
  • November 3, 11am - Designing and Developing a Website with Accessibility in Mind, Pre-Registration Required
  • November 9, 10am - Resiliency: Enduring, Recovery, Thriving Training, Pre-Registration Required
  • November 11 - State Offices Closed, Veterans Day
  • November 15 - 10am - Equitable Decision-Making & Community Engagement, Pre-Registration Required
  • November 17 - 1pm - Public CAA Reporting Training
  • November 25-26 - State Offices Closed, Thanksgiving
Register Today: Equitable Decision-Making & Community Engagement
Virginia Community Voice a nonprofit in Richmond, Virginia will be conducting a training on Equitable Decision-Making & Community Engagement on Monday, November 15. The training will run from 10 am to 12:00 pm. This organization offers leaders a simple framework for how to equitably make decisions and engage people of color and other marginalized groups. Using this model, businesses can maximize impact and minimize the harm caused to people in historically marginalized communities.

If interested in attending the session, click here to register. The deadline for registration is November 3, 2021. Once registration is closed, you will receive a confirmation email that will include workshop login details. There is a 30 person limit to this training, you will be added to a waitlist if we exceed 30 participants. We will be offering this training again on February 16th for those unable to attend in November. Another registration form will be available prior to the February training. 

In this two-hour training, participants will:

  • Learn about the four stages of the Community Voice model of engagement: Listen, Connect, Craft, and Reflect
  • Reflect on their own experiences making decisions about and engaging people in historically marginalized communities
  • Consider the difference between intent vs. impact in our volunteerism, research, investments, or programming
  • Learn strategies for maximizing impact and minimizing harm in decision-making and engagement
Finance Reminder: Invoices for November Expenses Need to be Received by December 13th
VDSS will be switching to a new eVA system in December. The old system will be shutdown on December 17 and the new system will come online on January 4. Between those dates, we will not be able to process invoices. Invoices for November expenses must be submitted to CSBG Reporter by close of business, December 13 in order for them to be processed by December 17. Please contact Violet Peyton, [email protected], if you have any questions. 
Community Action Agency Spotlight
SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program Assists Low-Income Single Man in Caroline County, VA
Recently, SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program assisted a low-income, single man living in Caroline County, VA, to repair the sewer line at his home. The client has lived in his home for over 60 years, and recently began experiencing difficulty with his sewer line. Specifically, there was a blockage which was causing the difficulty with the sewer line, leading to the need for repairs. However, due to his low-income status, he was unable to afford the cost of the sewer line repair without causing serious financial hardship.

Fortunately he applied to SERCAP for assistance, and the agency was able to step-in and provide financial assistance to cover the cost of the sewer line repair on his property. SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program provided a Grant in the amount of $1,200.00 to cover the project cost, and these critical repairs were recently completed. Now the client once again has an environmentally sound wastewater solution at his home.

In the long-term, the positive impact of this project will be the improvement to the client’s overall Quality of Life, due to the improvement of his Environmental Health and Economic Self-sufficiency. This project will positively impact his Environmental Health by: 1) restoring reliable access to an environmentally sound wastewater solution at his home, 2) preventing the potential for waterborne illnesses which could be caused by a damaged sewer line, and 3) by preventing the potential financial burden, which could have occurred if grant funds were not available to complete the project, and the client had to spend money he did not have to correct the problem, (potentially having a negative impact on the client’s mental and emotional well-being). The project will also positively impact the client’s Economic Self-sufficiency by improving his home’s property value. Additionally, the project will improve the Economic Self-sufficiency of the community at-large, by encouraging proper neighborhood property maintenance and revitalization, and by increasing the current property tax-base for Caroline County.

*Funding for SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program is made possible through a Budget Appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD). Additionally, all of SERCAP’s programs in Virginia, are leveraged by the Budget Appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly, administered by DHCD.
Community Action Resources
AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity
Could AmeriCorps be the solution your organization is looking for to make greater impact in your community? The Virginia Service Commission has announced its RFA for 2022-23 AmeriCorps State Competitive Grants. A Mandatory Pre-Application Conference Call will be held on November 8, 10:30am-12:30pm for organizations interested in applying. The deadline for applications is November 29, 2021.


CAPLAW New Resource for Boards: All a-Board! Series: 3 New Training Videos
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond: Rural Spotlight: Advancing Early Childhood Education in Danville-Pittsylvania
The Danville-Pittsylvania County region in southside Virginia has moved the needle on Early Childhood Education for its residents over the past decade. In the latest installment of the Richmond Fed’s Rural Spotlight series, learn more about the work of Smart Beginnings Danville Pittsylvania (SBDP) and how it has leveraged investments from the Danville Regional Foundation to develop an ECE ecosystem in the region. You can read about this topic and listen to an interview with Angela Wells, executive director of SBDP.