Tuesday, November 1, 2004: Volume #2, Issue #52
The VERB Weekly Email Digest
Edited by Sophy Pich, VERB Project Associate

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In This Week's Issue

1. Announcements
• National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
• Hmong National Development (HND)
• Youth Service America
• APIAVote
2. Promising Practices
• Nonprofit Staying Power
3. News
• Presidential Campaigns Court Hmong Voters
• English Language Classes Are Packed
• A Growing Need
• Asian American Journalists Association GalaÉ
• New Survey Shows 40 Percent of AmericansÉ
• Msu Faith-Based Project Violates Constitution, Judge Rules
• Rolling the Dice
• Afscme Turns Up the Heat in Minnesota
• Vietnamese Language Program Ends
• Wrapped in Warmth
• Web Head: Fantastic 'Journeys' at Lynn Museum
• York Man Acquitted of Opium Charge
• Refugee Stranded at Lax Finds a Temporary Home
• Getting a Handle on Preventing Aids
• Bilingual Help to Be Available at Polls
4. Funding Opportunities
• New Voices
• Youth Service America and Youth Venture
• National Education Association and Youth Service America
• U.S. Cellular
• The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People
• FamilyFun
• The Norman Foundation
• Leadership for a Changing World
5. Resources
• Free Book on Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations
• The Colorado Trust

I. Announcements

Election Day Is Fast Approaching! Here Is What You Need to Know...

For what may prove to be one of the most important elections in your life time, the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium has produced an Election Day Fact Sheet to educate you on you voting rights and prepare you for the voting process.

Information includes:

• Who can vote
• Your voting rights
• Types of identification accepted at polling places
• Jurisdictions that must provide language assistance by law
• What you can do to avoid potential problems on election day
• Who to call if problems arise

Make sure to print a copy of the fact sheet to take to the polls and be prepared on November 2, 2004! You can download the fact sheet at NAPALC's website, http://www.napalc.org/

CONTACT: Terry Ao (202) 296-2300

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Information for Hmong American Voters

With just one week left before election day, Hmong National Development (HND) has developed fact sheets to better inform Hmong voters of the issues affecting the Hmong community.

The fact sheets contain important information and statistics on Education, the Economy, Poverty and Health Care--four areas that are of most concern to Hmong Americans as reported from the Hmong Civic Census survey which HND conducted earlier this year.

The fact sheets can be accessed directly from the HND website at http://www.hndlink.org/VOTE.htm Don't Forget to Vote on November 2!!! For more information, contact Pang Houa Moua at panghoua@hndlink.org or (202) 463-2118.

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Get Out the Vote - Tuesday, November 2nd Is Election Day

You've registered to vote, you know which 5 friends you're taking with you to the polls, but now is the time you've been waiting for - making the connection to your volunteer service by VOTING. If you're still looking for election information - look no further...Youth Service America is your expert source for election information.

To get election, candidate, polling information go to www.YSA.org and click on red button, "Advocate for Youth Service Now" and visit the Election Guide pages, where you can also see what the presidential candidates say about your top issues, get the 411 on your favorite candidates, find the races in YOUR state, find your polling place, voice your opinion about the election by sending a letter to the editor, and join the YSA Action Forum.

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Sustaining Activism Beyond November 2

Post-Election Debrief

December 10-11, 2004
Washington, DC

What did the 2004 elections mean for the Asian and Pacific Islander American community? Where do we go from here?

After the November election, APIAVote would like to invite APIA voting project leaders, partners, and allies across the nation to a national debriefing session in Washington, DC. Discuss the successes and challenges of APIA voter engagement efforts and how we can maintain the momentum generated from our current electoral activism.

This will be the first meeting of its kind for the APIA community! The National Debrief is only the first step in sharing information that will be utilized for strategic planning and infrastructure building efforts for non-partisan, APIA political activism. We would like to gain input from partners and allies in the field on how we can best build long-term infrastructure for the APIA community like the civic engagement projects other communities of color have instituted.

This meeting is open to all organizations that work with registering, educating, researching, poll monitoring, and outreaching to the APIA community.

Post-election evaluation and strategic planning is of utmost interest to APIAVote. One of APIAVote's main goals is to create and sustain a national infrastructure during and in between election cycles to build capacity within local communities. This debrief will be a perfect opportunity to highlight what is being done around the country as well as coordinate and share best practices.

Dates:
Friday and Saturday, December 10 - 11, 2004

Location:
Washington, DC

Estimated Cost:

• Food and materials will be provided by APIAVote with funding from The Ford Foundation.
• Participants are responsible for own lodging and travel accommodations
• Local lodging accommodations in Washington, DC range from $80 -100
• For those with limited budgets, we may be able to locate free housing accommodations.

To RSVP or request additional information, please contact Janelle Hu, APIAVote National Director, at 202-223-9170 or info@apiavote.org

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II. Promising Practices

Nonprofit Staying Power

Long-term charity employees say mission is one reason they remain

By Cassie J. Moore

Kate Hillas stayed in the same job for 20 years and says she rarely got bored. Ms. Hillas, 50, who retired in June as head of development at the Madeira School, a private girls' school in McLean, Va., says one big reason she stuck around so long was because her duties evolved so much during her tenure, as she sought to build a bigger and more effective fund-raising office.

"The program has expanded considerably since I first came here," she says. "So the job has always been changing, even though I have stayed as head of the development program. The job was so fluid, I always had new responsibilities and opportunities, and that kept it fresh for me."

Although she opted to leave the school, partly because she wants to find a job that will allow her to travel less and spend more time with her family, she says the mission and the people at Madeira kept her motivated to stay in her post for two decades.

"I have this belief in what the institution does," she says. "I don't think I would have had the same desire to stay if I didn't feel so strongly about it."

Charity employees who stay at the same organization for 20 years or more tend to echo Ms. Hillas's sentiments. Laura Retzler, founder and director of Nonprofit Recruitment Services, a Seattle business that helps nonprofit groups find chief executives and senior fund raisers, informally interviewed 65 people who hold those positions to learn more about how organizations find and keep good workers. Her research, she says, revealed that the most common reasons people stay at their jobs are the charity's mission, their co-workers, and money, along with opportunities to learn.

Read on: http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v17/i01/01002701.htm

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III. News

Presidential Campaigns Court Hmong Voters
Pioneer Press
October 25, 2004

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English Language Classes Are Packed
Minnesota Public Radio News
October 25, 2004

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A Growing Need
Fresno Bee
October 26, 2004

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Asian American Journalists Association Gala to Launch $2 Million...
PR Newswire
October 26, 2004

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New Survey Shows 40 Percent of Americans Have the Entrepreneurial...
Business Wire
October 27, 2004

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MSU Faith-Based Project Violates Constitution, Judge Rules
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
October 28, 2004

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Rolling the Dice
East Bay Express
October 28, 2004
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AFSCME Turns Up the Heat in Minnesota
Yahoo News
October 28, 2004

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Vietnamese Language Program Ends
Washington Times
October 28, 2004

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Wrapped in Warmth
Fresno Bee
October 29, 2004

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Web Head: Fantastic 'Journeys' at Lynn Museum
North Shore Sunday
October 29, 2004

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York Man Acquitted of Opium Charge
WIS
October 29, 2004

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Refugee Stranded at LAX Finds a Temporary Home
Los Angeles Times
October 30, 2004

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Getting a HANDLE on Preventing AIDS
New California Media
October 30, 2004

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Day of the Dead
Pioneer Press
October 31, 2004

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Bilingual Help to Be Available at Polls
Fort Worth Star Telegram
October 31, 2004

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IV. Grants

1. (National)
   New Voices

   Worth, on average, about $100,000, the two-year grants offer support for salary, fringe, financial assistance, and a professional development account. The host nonprofit organization also receives support to purchase a computer for the Fellow's use. A defi8ning feature of the program is that the nonprofit and its prospective Fellow prepare the application together.

   Sponsored fields of work include:

   • International Human Rights
   • HIV/AIDS
   • Migrant and Refugee Rights
   • Racial Justice
   • Reproductive Rights
   • Women's Rights

   Deadline: January 10, 2004

2. (National)
   Youth Service America and Youth Venture

   Get up to $1,000 in start-up funds for sustainable NYSD projects by becoming a YSA Youth Venturer. Youth Service America and Youth Venture are teaming up again to make every day National Youth Service Day! In conjunction with NYSD, April 15th-17th, we're offering funding to enable young people to engage in community service and make a difference in their world. Ten awards of up to $1,000 in start-up funds will be available to young people (ages 12-20) who want to create sustainable new, civic-minded organizations, clubs or businesses ("Ventures"). These Ventures must be youth-led and designed to be a lasting asset to the community. YSA Youth Venturers are required to host a NYSD event.

   Youth Venture is a movement of young people who are changing their communities through youth social entrepreneurship. Youth Venture is based on a belief in the ability of young people to see societal problems, conceive of sustainable new ventures to address them, and lead their implementation. Our mission is to help every young person nationwide find the courage and knowledge to make a difference with his or her life, and to change the way in which society views young people by proving that when given the opportunity, young people have the creativity, resourcefulness, and competency to bring about powerful change in their communities.

   Deadline: November 22, 2004, by 12:00 noon

3. (National)
   National Education Association and Youth Service America

   Youth Leaders for Literacy, a joint program of the National Education Association and Youth Service America encourages, celebrates and honors youth-led reading-related service projects. Twenty $500 grants will be awarded to applicants who are conducting literacy, service projects during a seven-week period starting in early March (Read Across America Day) and culminating on April 15-17 (National Youth Service Day).

   DEADLINE EXTENED: Friday, November 26, 2004

4. (North Carolina and Wisconsin)
   U.S. Cellular

   The U.S. Cellular Connecting with Our Communities Program provides monetary donations and free wireless phones and service to nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life in communities where the company has a solid business presence. The company focuses its support on projects in the areas of civic and community; education; health and human service; the environment; and arts and culture. Nonprofit organizations located in eligible cities in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin may apply.

   Deadline: Open

5. (National)
   The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP)

   The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) focuses its efforts on the empowerment of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people seeking to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and injustice. SDOP supports local groups in the United States or other countries who are oppressed by poverty and social systems, want to take charge of their own lives, have organized or are organizing to do something about their own conditions, and have decided that what they are going to do will produce long-term changes in their lives or communities. Supported projects must be presented, owned and controlled by the groups of people who will directly benefit from them and must address long-term correction of conditions that keep people bound by poverty and oppression.

   Deadline: Open

6. (National)
   FamilyFun

   The FamilyFun Volunteers Program, offered by FamilyFun in partnership with DisneyHand, recognizes U.S. families that volunteer together to benefit others or improve the community or world. The program provides grants and prizes to families that have performed a volunteer community work project as a team. Twenty-five First Prize families will win a gift package of FamilyFun books and kits and $1,000 will be donated to the families' charities of choice. For the five Grand Prize winners, the family will win a deluxe gift package of FamilyFun books and kits and $5,000 will be donated to the families' charities of choice. Families throughout the U.S. that consist of not less than two persons, at least one of whom is less than 18 and one 18 or older, are eligible to apply.

   Deadline: January 3, 2005

7. (National)
   The Norman Foundation

   The Norman Foundation supports efforts that strengthen the ability of communities to determine their own economic, environmental and social well-being, and that help people control those forces that affect their lives. Support is provided for efforts to promote economic justice and development through community organizing; to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice; and to promote civil rights by fighting discrimination and violence and working for equity. Current civil rights priorities are education equity and criminal justice reform.

   Deadlines: Letters of inquiry are due December 1, 2004 in the area of environmental justice; March 15, 2005 in the area of economic justice; and July 15, 2005 in the area of civil rights.

8. (National)
   Leadership for a Changing World

   Leadership for a Changing World is seeking nominations of community leaders across the country who are successfully tackling tough social problems. Seventeen outstanding social justice leaders and leadership teams who are not broadly known beyond their immediate community or field will receive awards of $100,000 to advance their work, plus $15,000 for learning activities that will advance their efforts. The program seeks to encourage a public dialogue that recognizes a wide variety of leaders and leadership models as authentic and important to social progress. To this end, the program includes a major, multi-year research initiative and numerous forums to bring awardees together with other leaders to share experiences, address specific challenges, and explore opportunities for collaboration.

   Leadership for a Changing World is a program of the Ford Foundation, in partnership with the Washington-based Advocacy Institute and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.

   Leaders must be nominated by someone who is well acquainted with their work and can attest to their qualifications.

   Deadline: January 7, 2005

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V. Resources

"All Hands On Board: A Handbook for Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations" is now available free from BoardSource. This booklet is designed for board members of all-volunteer organizations that (among other tasks): clean up beaches, care for the dying, coach basketball teams, advocate for gun control, rescue abused animals, raise their voices in song, fight for environmental health rights, raise scholarship funds, preserve local history, serve as volunteer fire departments, fight race discrimination, host visitors from foreign countries, help people conquer alcoholism, change public perception about the disabled, help adoptees and birth parents find each other, and in general, make our communities, however defined, work better. Wow! Download at http://www.compasspoint.org

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The Colorado Trust has made available to refugee and immigrant communities a wonderful resource. This is a guide for newcomer families to familiarize them with the U.S. school system. The Trust has also included some guidelines for use of the material to maximize the benefit to the community. What is really great about it is that is a template that can be adapted by any ethnic group to personalize it and provide the cultural comparison and contrast information.

The template is available in Word format at www.coloradotrust.org Susan Downs-Karkos, a Colorado Trust officer, presented this idea at the SCORR conference in the very last session.

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If you wish to contribute to the VERB Weekly e-Digest, please send all materials to sophy@searac.org