Monday, May 17, 2004:
Volume #2, Issue #30
The VERB Weekly Email Digest
Edited by Sophy Pich, VERB Project Associate
Note: Documents on this page or in this section may be in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. In order to read them, you require Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is downloadable free from Adobe.
In This Week's Issue
- Announcements
- Training for Nonprofit Executives
- Institute for Strategic Communication for Nonprofits
- Finding Funding Prospects
- Partner's Spotlight
- Freedom Inc.'s Kabzuag Vaj
- Promising Practices
- Paying Back with Interest
- News
- Investigators Probe Possible Link between East Side
- Bankers for Little Saigon Know Trust Comes First
- A Place to Call Home
- U.S. Group Battles Sex Trade in S.E. Asia
- St. Paul Police Officer Arrested in Hmong Community Shootings
- Vietnam Flag Furor Ends with International Flag Ban at Fullerton
- Jackie Chan Walks in Cambodian Mine Field
- Us Congressional Ceremony to Mark Legislation's Historic Passage
- Hmong Fear Backlash in Larger Community
- Garden Grove Shuns Vietnamese Trade, Government
- St. Paul: Charged Officer New to Politics
- Vietnamese Stranded on Remote Island Claim Refugee
- The Arrival of 900 Hmong Child Refugees
- Va. Asian-Americans Seek Political Clout
- School Colors
- The Banal Faces of Khmer Rouge Evil
- Younger Generation Less Dependent on Little Saigon
- Funding Opportunities
- The National Endowment for the Arts
- The Mutual Service Foundation
- Nasd Investor Education Foundation
- Department of Education/Office of Vocational
- Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation
- Resources
- 2004 Spirit of Giving Guide
- St. Paul-Ramsey County Delegation Website
- Samhsa Report
- TCBI Website
I. Announcements
Training for Nonprofit Executives
July 2
The Mayor's Office of Partnerships and Grants Development announces that
applications are now available for the 2004-2005 Strengthening Partners
Initiative class. SPI is a training opportunity for emerging nonprofit and
faith-based organizations. The one-year program is designed to help
nonprofit professionals move their organizations to the next level of
operations and service delivery. Executive Directors (or equivalent
positions) from organizations located and providing direct services in DC
may apply if the following conditions are met: incorporated in DC,
501(c)(3) status from the IRS, annual budget under $500,000, desires
professional and organizational growth, and has strong commitment to
complete the 12 month program and attendance requirements.
Applications may be e-mailed, faxed, or picked up from:
OPGD
441 4th Street, NW
Suite 200 South
Washington, DC.
For additional information or to obtain the application, contact OPGD at
202-727-8900.
***
Institute for Strategic Communication for Nonprofits
The American University School of Communication presents this year's
Institute for Strategic Communication for Nonprofits: Improving Capacity of
the Nonprofit Sector.
***
CAN (AND THE IRS) COMES TO YOU
TRANSFORM YOUR BOARD!
JUNE 2 IN L.A.
Frustrated? Mystified?
Just plain fed up? This workshop will help you pull out
systemic, cultural, and environmental board problems by their
roots and develop a board change strategy that will truly get
you on the right track!
- Understand how board behavior is shaped over time.
- Identify the trouble spots on your own board.
- Develop a tailored change strategy for your board.
Presenters include Florence L. Green, Executive Director,
California Association of Nonprofits; Mary Genis, Organizational
Development Consultant; and Yolanda Nunn, Ph.D., President and
CEO, Brilliance Strategies, Inc.
Register today at www.CAnonprofits.org/transformyourboard ! The
cost is just $149 for CAN Members and $189 for non-members,
with a $30 discount for the first 75 online registrants.
***
Finding Funding Prospects with The Foundation Directory Online
Washington, DC
June 14, 2004
Where:
The Foundation Center - Washington, DC
1627 K Street, NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC
Date:
Monday, June 14, 2004
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II. Partner's Spotlight
Three Honorees, Three Lives Dedicated to Justice
By Maggie Rossiter Peterman
Correspondent for The Capital Times
May 12, 2004
A role model for Hmong women, Kabzuag Vaj has vowed to carry on her efforts
to improve the lives of women and girls.
Julie Andersen has lived up to her parents' teachings of helping to make
life better for others from different cultural backgrounds.
The two women received Visionary Awards Tuesday night from members of
Madison's Social Justice Center.
A retired English professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Robert Kimbrough, collected The Capital Times' Legacy Award for a lifetime
of work dedicated to the pursuit of peace and lasting social change.
"The Social Justice Center is an organization that does a lot of good
helping people who otherwise wouldn't get a lot of help," said Dave
Zweifel, editor of The Capital Times, a sponsor of the event. "It's an
organization that helps make Madison a better place."
A refugee from the Vietnam War, Vaj, 30, arrived in Madison in 1981 with
her mother, three brothers and a sister. No one spoke English.
Vaj's mother, Dia Vang, now 60 and an assembly line worker at Oscar Mayer,
often worked two jobs to pay the rent and buy groceries.
"It was really hard as a young child to see my mother work so hard and
never get a break," Vaj said. "It was a motivating factor to me to become
successful."
A Madison family gave Vaj a private scholarship to help her pay tuition
bills so she could major in history at the UW-Madison. She also studied one
year in Thailand.
"I'm one of the very first Hmong women to pursue higher education," Vaj
said. "I still have $10,000 in student loans to pay back."
Vaj is a co-founder of Freedom Inc., an organization founded in 2000 to
provide services to low-income communities in Dane County through
leadership development and community work. She's also a program developer
and domestic violence family advocate for the group, which focuses on youth
leadership development, ending domestic violence and elderly abuse.
"I was always the defiant one in our family, but in a good way," she said.
"I've always challenged what I didn't think was right.
"I've always created opportunities for myself and other people. I dream big
enough for the whole community."
Andersen, 41, grew up on a farm in Dike, Iowa, a community of about 1,000
residents.
Although her parents, Arlan and Carol Andersen, had three children of their
own, they served as foster parents for another 24 children. During the
summer, the couple often invited young African-Americans from Chicago's
inner city to participate in special summer exchange programs.
"They had a bigger understanding that community was more than just the
people who lived right around us," Andersen said.
Armed with a bachelor's degree in special education from Wartburg College
in Waverly, Iowa, and a master's degree in international development
studies from Iowa State University in Ames, Andersen is coordinator of the
Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project. The new nonprofit organization
trains community organizers through paid apprenticeship programs.
Twenty people have applied to participate in the program. Andersen can
select two to work at the Northside Planning Council, Wexford Ridge
Neighborhood Center or the Madison Area Urban Ministry.
Despite a limited budget and the few workers she can hire, Andersen remains
optimistic about the opportunity. "It's a really exciting way to strengthen
community organizing in Madison so new visionaries have the opportunity to
build collective power to bring about social change," she said.
A Korean War veteran, peace activist and local theater director, Kimbrough,
74, returned from his eighth trip to Cuba two weeks ago.
"It's a struggle to achieve a true democracy - to have a government of the
people, by the people and for the people," he said. "This award means a
leftist, progressive movement in Madison is very strong."
A picture of Kabzuag is available online.
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III. Promising Practices
Paying Back with Interest
Some Charities Turn Clients Into Eager Volunteers
by Cassie J. Moore
When Doreen Wohl came to work one winter afternoon, she had 25 people to
feed, almost 1,000 pounds of groceries to move, and no coworkers to assist
her.
Ms. Wohl, executive director of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, in
New York, was in a bind.
"I hate the line outside on the street -- you know, the old soup kitchen
line," she recalls. "I think it's insulting to people, so I always insist
we open up promptly."
Since waiting for her coworker to show up was not an option, Ms. Wohl
decided to ask for assistance from the men and women waiting to receive
their food. "I walked up the stairs and I said to people, 'I'm by myself
today, and I'm going to need some help,'" she says.
What happened next on that afternoon a decade ago drastically changed the
food pantry's volunteering system. "The line of people came alive," she
says. "People were eager to help and had good skills. They became people
with names and abilities rather than a line of passive and anonymous faces."
Now, the pantry operates as a cooperative supermarket with 40 to 50 regular
clients who volunteer. No one is required to work to receive food, although
Ms. Wohl will still informally invite people to help when she's
short-handed. Usually, the customers need no prompting.
"People feel involved, they have a good time helping out, and they ask if
they can come back and do it again," says Ms. Wohl.
Gaining Self-Esteem:
Although no one keeps statistics on how many nonprofit groups enlist their
clients as volunteers, the practice appears to be widespread. Some
charities, such as Ms. Wohl's, use current clients as volunteers. Other
organizations, such as rape centers and domestic-violence shelters, allow
only former clients to volunteer, to ensure that they can withstand
potentially stressful volunteering situations.
Read on: http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v16/i14/14002701.htm
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IV. News
Investigators Probe Possible Link between East Side Fire and Crimes against Hmong
May 9, 2004
Pioneer Press
***
Bankers for Little Saigon Know Trust Comes First
May 10, 2004
Los Angeles Times
***
A Place to Call Home
May 11, 2004
News-Record
***
U.S. Group Battles Sex Trade in S.E. Asia
Christian Organization Gets Federal Funds
May 11, 2004
The San Francisco Chronicle
***
St. Paul Police Officer Arrested in Hmong Community Shootings
May 11, 2004
Inforum Associated Press
***
Vietnam Flag Furor Ends with International Flag Ban at Fullerton
May 11, 2004
SignOnSanDiego.com
***
Jackie Chan Walks in Cambodian Mine Field
May 12, 2004
Houston Chronicle
***
Us Congressional Ceremony to Mark Legislation's Historic Passage
May 12, 2004
U.S. Newswire
***
Hmong Fear Backlash in Larger Community
May 12, 2004
Pioneer Press
***
Garden Grove Shuns Vietnamese Trade, Government
May 13, 2004
Contra Costa Times
***
St. Paul: Charged Officer New to Politics
May 14, 2004
Pioneer Press
***
Vietnamese Stranded on Remote Island Claim Refugee Status and Beg World for Help
May 14, 2004
CalToday
***
The Arrival of 900 Hmong Child Refugees Challenges Fresno Schools
May 15, 2004
The Mercury News
***
Va. Asian-Americans Seek Political Clout
May 16, 2004
Times-Dispatch
***
School Colors
May 16, 2004
Sacramento Bee
***
The Banal Faces of Khmer Rouge Evil
May 16, 2004
The New York Times
***
Younger Generation Less Dependent on Little Saigon
May 17, 2004
Viet Weekly
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V. Grants
- (National)
The National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts' Learning in the Arts for Children and
Youth Grants fund projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge,
skills, and understanding of the arts consistent with national, state, or
local arts education standards. The program also funds projects that
recognize and cultivate best practices and exemplary research that explores
the effect of arts learning on the cognitive and social development of
children and youth. The projects may take place in school-based or
community-based settings. School districts and state and regional education
agencies and nonprofit organizations throughout the country are eligible to
apply. Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth is a component of the
Grants for Arts Projects.
Deadline: June 14, 2004
- (National)
The Mutual Service Foundation
The Mutual Service Foundation supports projects and programs that encourage
cooperative education and development. Foundation grants are awarded only
to cooperatives or cooperative-related programs including, but not limited
to, credit unions, natural food co-ops, senior housing, daycare centers,
and agricultural education. Preference is given to proposals directed
toward cooperative education, training or development. Organizations
located throughout the U.S are eligible to apply.
Deadline: June 30, 2004
- (National)
NASD Investor Education Foundation
The mission of the NASD Investor Education Foundation is to provide
investors with high-quality, easily accessible information and tools to
better understand investing and the markets. The Foundation is seeking
grant proposals for investor education projects and research aimed at
segments of the investing public who could benefit from additional
resources. Specific priority areas include encouraging women to take
control of their financial future, better preparing older Americans for
handling their finances in retirement, and researching methods to improve
disclosure to investors about investments and financial services. Most
nonprofit organizations throughout the United States are eligible to apply.
Qualified individuals may apply for research grants.
Deadline: July 2, 2004
- (National)
Department of Education/Office of Vocational and Adult Education
The Department of Education/Office of Vocational and Adult Education
announces funds to significantly expand access to computers and related
services for disadvantaged residents of economically distressed urban
communities who would otherwise be denied such access.
Eligible applicants include entities, such as foundations, museums,
libraries, for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations or
community-based organizations (including faith-based organizations),
institutions of higher education, state educational agencies, local
educational agencies (including a charter school that meets its state's
definition of an LEA), a private school, or a consortium of such entities,
institutions, or agencies.
Approximately $10 million is available to make 18-25 awards, ranging from
$250,000-$500,000.
For further information, contact Karen Holliday at 202-245-7708 or
Karen.Holliday@ed.gov.
- (National)
Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation
The Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation is presented annually
to three nonprofit organizations in recognition of an innovative, existing
program that has made a difference in the lives of the people it serves.
The award program is administered by the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito
Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont,
California. The award, which has been given annually since 1991, was
previously administered by the Leader to Leader Institute
(http://www.L2Li.org/), which continues to publicize and support the program.
The award is accompanied by a first-place prize of $20,000 and two
runners-up prizes of $2,500 each. The cash prizes are unrestricted and
designed to celebrate and further the work of innovative nonprofit
organizations in the United States.
The selected program must have specific and measurable outcomes; exemplify
innovation by demonstrating a new dimension or standard of performance;
have made a demonstrated difference in the lives of the people it serves;
and serve as a model that can be replicated or adapted by other organizations.
Applications must be submitted by the organization responsible for the
program; third-party nominations will not be accepted. The organization
must be a U.S.- domiciled entity serving a U.S. population (information on
the Canadian awards program is available at:
http://www.innovation-award.ca/index.html) and be a registered 501(c)(3)
nonprofit. In addition, the program must be fully operational at the time
of application and must have been launched no earlier than January 1, 2000.
See the program's Web site for complete application information, forms, and
descriptions of previous award winners.
Deadline: August 3, 2004
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VI. Resources
The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is accepting
applications from nonprofits to be included in its 2004 Spirit of Giving
Guide. This year's Guide will provide an in-depth look at the extraordinary
work of 15-20 nonprofits bringing residents, youth, and community leaders
together in creative and inclusive ways to bring about community change.
The Guide will also provide an overview of civic engagement and the past,
present, and future role this work plays in the region. Visit www.cfncr.org
to learn more.
***
The St. Paul-Ramsey county delegation and assessment team traveled to the
Hmong refugee settlement outside the Buddhist monastery of Wat Tham Krabok
in March, 2004. The purpose of the trip and assessment was to collect as
much information about the coming refugees in order to better prepare for
their possible educational, social, and medical needs. The web site
provides the results of the final assessment as well as some additional
resources concerning the WTK refugees. Additionally this information is
meant to support the strong Hmong community in St. Paul working hard to
receive the WTK refugees and aid in their transition to Minnesota.
Questions or comments about the Thailand delegation or final assessment
should be directed to 651.266.4429.
***
SAMHSA Report
"Core Competencies for Clergy and Other Pastoral Ministers In
Addressing Alcohol and Drug Dependence and the Impact on Family Members"
***
For more than 30 years, TGCI has been the world's leading source of
grantsmanship training and grant information. First offered in 1972 and
continuously updated, TGCI's Grantsmanship Training Program covers all
aspects of researching grants, writing grant proposals and negotiating with
funding sources. More than 90,000 nonprofit and government personnel have
attended this demanding, five-day workshop, which now includes a full year
of valuable membership services.
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If you wish to contribute to the VERB Weekly e-Digest, please send all
materials to sophy@searac.org
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