Empowered Newsletter | September 2024 | Issue 9 | |
In Raleigh to fight for weatherization. Dr. William Sawyer, EIC, Inc. Board President, Dr. Landon B. Mason, Sr., Executive Director, EIC, Inc., Bryan Duncan, Executive Director, I-CARE, Inc. | |
Weatherization Followup
Conversation with NCDEQ Continues
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It's That Time of Year
Agency Spotlight: Success in Style at Passage Home
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They're jumping for joy and gratitude at Passage Home for all of the backpacks and school supplies donated by their community! They were able to supply every child in their client families a backpack stocked with the supplies they need to be ready for school. A special thanks to Biologics by McKesson and The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi for providing dozens and dozens of backpacks!
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Four Square Director Ledford Speaks to Clay Co. Commissioners | |
Dr. Sue Lynn Ledford of Four Square Community Action, Inc., recently made a presentation to the Clay County Board of Commissioners concerning critical issues facing clients in that county, along with Cherokee, Graham and Swain.
Her remarks to the commissioners focused on improving Head Start facilities and lengthening the school day; an introduction of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot Program; details about Weatherization assistance, challenges, budget cuts and more.
“Of course, you know about HUD Section 8 rental assistance,” Ledford added. “We have reached our capacity for the first time. We now have a wait list.”
“These are kind of the highlights,” she said. “We’re a hidden gem in the area.”
Commissioners offered praise and support, and pledged to join the effort to improve the working weatherization relationship with the NC DEQ.
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New Kitchen Appliances at Mt. Olive Head Start Center | |
New kitchen appliances, including a commercial refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and milk cooler, were recently made possible for the Mt. Olive Head Start Center through the generous support of the Columbus County Community Development Foundation (CDF). These upgrades will enable the Mount Olive Head Start Program to prepare meals more efficiently, increase the number of meals served, and enhance food safety standards.
READ MORE HERE
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2024 Esther Award Nominations Requested | |
Welfare Reform Liaison Project Inc.,announces its annual 2024 Esther Award luncheon. This is a prestigious event that honors individuals who have shown leadership, bravery, and dedication to serving others. Like Esther, these individuals embody her spirit of courage and commitment, demonstrating that true leadership often involves facing challenges. Her spirit, grace, and humility, along with her advocacy for justice enabled her to make a profound impact on the world. Nominees for this award have been and continue to be committed to building our cities and communities through leadership and ministry.
If you know of someone with attributes of Esther click here to nominate a deserving Guilford County resident. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 15, 2024
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Training Workshops Complete!
2024 NEW Community Action Pre-Service Complete
| All NEW Community Action departments recently completed unique training workshops centered around professional growth and personal development. The agency offered thank you's to several engaging speakers for sharing a wealth of information to strengthen the NEW CA team, and offered appreciation to staff member Carolyn Worsley's hard work in pulling the event together and for the support of the NEW CA leadership team. | |
Neighborhood Revitalization
WAMY Partners With Church in Efforts
| WAMY offers a heartfelt thank you to Perkinsville Baptist Church in Boone for its support in helping WAMY Community Action with neighborhood revitalization in the historic Junaluska Community. This is just one of about a dozen homes that has received repair, and revitalization, all thanks to the dedication and generosity of so many. | |
Congratulations to Young Scholars
WAGES Announces Scholarship Recipients
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WAGES recently celebrated and recognized the hard work, dedication, and achievements of young students by announcing its annual scholarship winners. Recipients of the one-time awards were products of WAGES Head Start.
“Your commitment to academic excellence is truly inspiring, and we are proud to support your educational journey!”
The recipients are shown here Christina Watts, WAGES' Community Engagement Coordinator
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Educating the Public
Charlotte Area Fund Attends Health Fair
| The Charlotte Area Fund staff recently attended a well-attended Health Fair at the Stratford Richardson YMCA, where free health screenings, school supplies and many community resources were made available. | |
ESCHA Hosts Resource Fair | Eastern Carolina Human Services Agency recently hosted its annual Defeat Poverty event, a resource fair for Onslow, Duplin, & New Hanover counties. School supplies, haircuts, clothing and a raffle were part of the well-attended event. | |
Macon Program for Progress Success Story
The Story of Charleigh Radford, RN
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Becoming a registered nurse has always been my dream. Going back to school felt impossible with two children, full time work and otherwise busy lives. After many prayers, my husband and I decided it was time. I started taking prerequisites and was accepted into the nursing program to start in the Fall of 2022. We quickly realized that nursing school was going to take up most of my time, and that I was not going to be able to keep my job. It was absolutely terrifying to let my job go but we put it all in God’s hands and were confident and trusting that he would make a way.
During the second year of the program, students travel two counties away for classes and clinicals, and that became very expensive.
From an instructor I learned about WIOA, and I figured I would give it a try. I met with Lisa Penland at Macon Program for Progress. Lots of prayers and tears were being shed trying to figure out how I would get through this second year, and I walked into Lisa’s office exhausted, feeling defeated and stressed.
She became one of my biggest supporters. She worked so hard on getting me approved for this program, I cannot thank her enough. Then she went above and beyond to make sure that I had everything I needed. Completing nursing school was difficult mentally, physically and financially, and WIOA was able to alleviate that financial burden. Our prayers were answered! I graduated with honors, accepted a position with Erlanger and I have passed the NCLEX. WIOA helped make a way for me to have a successful career that has changed my family’s life forever.
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It Takes a Village
Agency Spotlight: Blue Ridge Community Action
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Blue Ridge Community Action staff recently celebrated a successful open house at Northside Children’s Learning Center in Caldwell County.
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News From National Community Action Partnership | |
Head Start Final Rule Released
On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released a final rule making significant changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The rule, Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming, addresses multiple standards ranging from staff compensation and benefits to incident reporting requirements. Effective dates for policy changes are staggered over the next seven years, with the first changes going into effect on October 21, 2024. The rule is the culmination of a nine-month federal rulemaking process, which began with OHS publishing proposed changes to the standards on November 20, 2023. Over 250 Community Action Agencies, Associations, and National Partners submitted a set of public comments in January 2024 addressing that initial proposal.
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Anniversary Webinar
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Economic Opportunity Act, the federal legislation launching Community Action, the National Community Action Partnership, and CAPLAW, in partnership with the LBJ Presidential Library, hosted a special webinar this week featuring remarks from library representatives and historical objects from its extensive collection.
Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) of 1964, which formed the cornerstone of the War on Poverty. The EOA came not even two months after the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The year launched an unprecedented period of executive and legislative action designed to achieve President Johnson’s vision to “elevate our national life and advance the quality of our American civilization” by ending poverty and racial injustice.
View webinar below.
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RPIC Region IV Webinar Workshops | |
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Customer Engagement
Dr. Barbara Mooney, Executive Director, Association of Nationally Certified ROMA Professionals, and Carey Gibson, Deputy Director, Association of Nationally Certified ROMA Professionals, will facilitate.
Description:
Join us for an interactive webinar where will discuss customer engagement approaches and strategies including centering customer voice of people with lived experience, using powerful questions for engagement, understanding the impact of trauma and supporting resilience building.
When:
September 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Click Here to Register
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Strategic Focus for Success
Join Dr. Menefee for the "Strategic Focus for Success" workshop, an enlightening journey into the heart of what propels some organizations to thrive while others falter. Discover how strategic focus serves as the cornerstone of impactful organizations and learn how this targeted approach to goal-setting can significantly enhance your agency's effectiveness and outreach. In this interactive session, participants will delve into the essence of strategy development—examining the roles of leadership, process, and tools essential for crafting successful strategies. With a blend of theoretical insights and practical wisdom, Dr. Menefee will navigate you through the methodologies that foster success and organizational significance.
Learning Objectives:
- Grasp the critical role of strategic development in achieving organizational objectives.
- Discern the elements that constitute a robust strategy development process.
- Identify and comprehend key metrics for evaluating success and impact.
- Recognize and learn to circumvent common pitfalls that can undermine organization-wide progress.
When:
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 2:00 PM
Click Here to Register
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Storytelling for Impact
Linda Mosely, founder, and owner of 365 Degree Total Marketing has led her award-winning communications and marketing firm to national and international acclaim for over 30 years. Join us for an immersive workshop designed to hone your storytelling prowess.
Whether you're aiming to inspire politicians, secure funding, engage with families, or empower employees, this workshop will equip you with the tools to capture and convey compelling stories.
- Storytelling Calendar Creation - Learn to strategically plan and schedule your stories for maximum impact.
- Identifying Your Narrative - We'll guide you in discovering the powerful stories within your organization that demand to be told.
- Audience Tailoring - Effectively identify and customize your story for diverse audiences, from policymakers to clients.
- Channel Optimization - Get insights on choosing the right channels (e-blasts, newsletters, etc.) to reach your audience effectively.
- Media Presentations - Gain confidence with practical advice on presenting your story to the media, including dress codes, and responding to questions with poise.
This workshop is your springboard to not just tell stories, but to tell them in a way that leads to tangible change and bolsters your organization's mission.
When:
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 2:00 PM
Click Here to Register
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WAGES and HEAL NC Plan Workshops to Help Team Members Avoid Burnout | |
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WAGES and HEAL NC are offering workshops in Wayne County based in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM), which teaches participants to re-set the natural balance of the nervous system with easy-to-understand concepts that bring reliable relief. CRM helps people help themselves and others. Beneficial to small teams and the general public, CRM helps navigate life’s difficult situations.
More Information
Christina Watts
WAGES Community Engagement Coordinator
Email: cwatts@wagesnc.org
Phone: 919-731-9999 Ext. 212
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NCCAA Certificate Program Classes Begin in October | |
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The NCCAA, in partnership with Southern University, continues to offer popular certificate courses in Case Management and Head Start Family Engagement.
Class start dates have been set for the first quarter of 2024. Please reach out if we can provide fliers for your distribution.
Read More About the Certificates at These Links:
Head Start
Case Management
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Careers with the NCCAA Network | |
Links to Career Pages in the NCCAA Network | |
(Link goes to home page when career page isn't offered) | |
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Far West
Blue Ridge Community Action, Morganton
Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission Inc., N. Wilkesboro
Catawba County, Hickory
Community Action Opportunities, Asheville
Four Square Community Action, Inc., Murphy
Macon Program for Progress, Franklin
Mountain Projects, Waynesville
WAMY, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey Counties
West
Charlotte Area Fund, Inc., Charlotte
Davidson County Community Action, Lexington
Experiments in Self-Reliance, Inc., Winston-Salem
Gaston Community Action, Inc., Gastonia
I-Care, Inc., Statesville
Salisbury-Rowan Community Action, Salisbury
Sandhills Community Action Program, Southern Pines
Union County Community Action, Monroe
Yadkin Co. Economic Development District, Boonville
Central
Alamance Co. Community Services Agency, Burlington
Central Piedmont Community Action, Durham area
Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc., Henderson
Johnston Lee Harnett Community Action, Inc., Smithfield
Passage Home, Wake Co.
Southeastern Community Action Partnership, Lumberton
Telamon, Raleigh
Welfare Reform Liaison Project, Greensboro
East
Action Pathways, Fayetteville
Choanoke Area Development Assoc., Rich Square
Coastal Community Action, Newport
Economic Improvement Council, Edenton
Eastern Carolina Human Services Agency, Jacksonville
Greene Lamp, Inc., Kinston
NEW Community Action, Rocky Mount
Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency (WAGES), Inc., Goldsboro
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Share your community action career opportunities on our web page and have them distributed to 7000+ emails through the NCCAA newsletter! Send your job listings to communications@nccaa.net. | |
Working together to share the impact of Community Action
Does your Community Action Agency have impactful content to share? Let's collaborate. The NCCAA develops creative content year-round to celebrate, educate and inform. Let's amplify the voices of organizations in our network! Let's share the impactful work of community action and tell the stories of our clients! Reach out for collaboration: communications@nccaa.net.
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Share Community Action News with a Friend | |
As a member of the NCCAA community, we work to empower low-income families, change people's lives for the better and improve the communities we serve. We are all dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. Please take a moment and forward this news to a co-worker and grow the community of professionals dedicated to this important work. | | | | |
