Various economic analyses report that there approximately six people looking for work for every available job. The Partnership participates in Jobs for America Now activities and we're grateful to Mike Elk of Jobs for America Now for providing these statistics.

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The national unemployment rate in March 2010 was 9.7 percent. However, that number alone does not capture the full extent of the nation's unemployment crisis. These numbers and facts help paint a more complete picture and should guide the remedies the Obama administration and Congress prescribe to address the problem.

• 5.2 percent. The percentage of jobs lost from the start of the recession through June 2009. That was the steepest decline in employment in six decades.

• 26.4 million. The number of workers who are either unemployed or underemployed.

• 16.9 percent. The percentage of workers who are either unemployed or underemployed.

• 17 million. The number of jobs that need to be created to get the economy to the unemployment level (4.3 percent) that existed prior to the 2001 recession.

Today's unemployment crisis continues to have a particularly devastating impact on:

• Adults with only a high school diploma. They have more than twice the unemployment rate (10.8 percent) of adults with a bachelor's degree (4.7 percent).

• Young adults. Unemployment among workers between the ages of 20-24, already high before the recession, is almost 15 percent.

• African Americans. Their unemployment rate is 16.5 percent. It's particularly bad for African-American men: 19 percent. (White males, by contrast, are experiencing an unemployment rate of under 9 percent. Latino unemployment is 12.6 percent.)
That race gap exists even for the well-educated: African Americans with college degrees have nearly twice the unemployment rate (8.2 percent) of their white counterparts.

• Teen-agers. More than one in four teen-age job seekers are unemployed. But among African-American teens, that percentage exceeds one in three (41 percent), and it is almost one in three among Latino teens.

Long-term unemployment is doing serious harm to individuals and our economy. According to an April 2010 Pew Charitable Trusts report on long-term unemployment and an Economic Policy Institute jobs report:

• More than 6.5 million workers have been unemployed for longer than six months. That's 44.1 percent of all unemployed workers. (During the 1983 recession, that percentage was only 23 percent.)

• About 3.4 million people—roughly equal to the population of the state of Connecticut—have been unemployed for more than a year. That's a post-World War II record.

• More than 31 weeks is now the average length of time it takes an unemployed worker to land a job.

• Almost one-third of unemployed people who are 55 and over have been unemployed for more than a year.

• Workers who are jobless for long periods of time have a tougher time finding a new job and typically end up in jobs that pay less than the job they lost. Workers lose skills when they are out of work for that long and employers tend to be hesitant to rehire them.

Ray Suarez Confirmed as
Opening Speaker in Boston:
Author and Senior Correspondent on
PBS for The NewsHour

The Community Action Partnership is pleased to announce that Ray Suarez, the prolific author and senior correspondent on PBS's The NewsHour, will be the opening keynote speaker on Wednesday, September 1st, at our 2010 Annual Convention in Boston.

Ray Suarez joined The NewsHour in October 1999 as a Washington-based senior correspondent for PBS. He has more than 30 years of varied experience in the news business. He came to The NewsHour from National Public Radio where he had been host of the nationwide, call-in news program Talk of the Nation since 1993. Suarez also hosts the weekly politics program Destination Casa Blanca for Hispanic Information Telecommunications Network.

Since 2009, he has covered the global health beat for The NewsHour, traveling the world to bring back news of severe health threats, and steady progress against some of the world’s most dangerous diseases. His stories have ranged from the possible effects of global climate change on the world’s poorest to the struggle to keep women from dying in childbirth.

He is a critically-acclaimed author, most recently of a book examining the tightening relationship between religion and politics in America, The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America. Suarez also wrote The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration 1966-1999. Over the years he has narrated, anchored or reported many documentaries for public radio and television including the nationally-broadcast Anatomy of a Pandemic and Jerusalem: The Center of the World (2009, PBS), a weekly series, Follow the Money.

Suarez was a co-recipient of NPR's 1993-94 and 1994-95 duPont-Columbia Silver Baton Awards for on-site coverage of the first all-race elections in South Africa and the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, respectively. He was honored with the 1996 Ruben Salazar Award from the National Council of La Raza, and the 2005 Distinguished Policy Leadership Award from UCLA's School of Public Policy.

Click here for Convention brochure and registration form.

 

Partnership president/CEO Don Mathis was among the 100 select invitees to a recent White House briefing and convening on obesity prevention. First Lady Michelle Obama opened the session and emphasized the Obama administration's and her personal commitment to addressing the interrelated problems of obesity, poverty, food deserts, and nutritional needs, especially as such needs pertain to children.

Later this month, the Partnership will join forces with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation on a proposal to the U.S. Public Health Service as part of a competitive grant process for national level projects. The Washington Post article describing the White House meeting appears below.

 

 

 

WONKISH? Michelle Obama set the tone for a gathering of experts and administration officials who reeled off statistics on childhood obesity. (Evan Vucci/associated Press)

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Michelle Obama delves into the details on kids' obesity at task force meeting

By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 10, 2010

The fresh-faced elementary-school children were nowhere to be seen. There were no bright spring vegetables being harvested, no celebrated athletes or actors for added sizzle. First lady Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity got down, dirty and wonkish Friday afternoon with a gathering of administration officials reeling off statistics and academics quoting from research papers.

Obama's opening remarks, low-key and without exclamation points, set the tone for the afternoon. She sounded more like an executive preparing to dive into the minutiae of an immense project than a first lady speaking in sweeping statements that are designed to inspire.

"We've started an important national conversation. But we need your help to propel that conversation into a national response," she said. "The information that we collect here today will be essential to construct the final report that's going to come from the task force -- a report that will serve as a very important road map, with goals, benchmarks, measurable outcomes that will help us collectively tackle this challenge."

Obama gathered about 100 suits, profs, politicos and activists in the South Court Auditorium in the Old Executive Office Building where the air was artificially chilled, the lights were flickering and four American flags adorned the stage. Peter Orszag -- Office of Management and Budget -- was in the house detailing the financial costs of obesity-related health care: about $150 billion a year. Arne Duncan -- Department of Education -- was on stage talking about the importance of eradicating "recreation deserts," those neighborhoods where kids simply have no place to play. And Ken Salazar -- Department of the Interior -- was making a pitch for building more parks in the vicinity of schools.

Back in February, when the first lady launched "Let's Move," her childhood obesity initiative, the president signed a memorandum creating a task force charged with developing workable ideas to help end childhood obesity within a generation. This summit brought together members of the task force, as well as folks who have, for years, been in the trenches doing research and trying to come up with ways to change the unhealthy eating habits of a nation.

The opening session did not get fizzy, but during the question-and-answer portion, with hands flying up left and right, many of the task force members in attendance proved themselves to be eager and well-read students on obesity. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan highlighted the connection between hunger and obesity, a paradox stemming from the lack of access to healthy food. Duncan reminded everyone about his department's $1 billion budget. Then he talked about the importance of taking a holistic approach to education: "If we want students to be much more successful academically, they have to be active."

"I'm a big fan of recess," he said.

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin noted that large corporations should provide female employees with a clean and private place to breast-feed because, she said, research has shown that children who are breast-fed for the first six months of their lives are less likely to become obese.

And Orszag proclaimed himself a star pupil, noting that he hadn't met all the researchers sitting in the front row but he'd read all their work. Then he showed off his knowledge of behavioral economics while discussing how proximity to running trails, bike lanes and gyms makes people more likely to exercise; even four blocks can make a difference. He went on to note that the relationship between obesity and chronic disease is more profound than the connection between smoking and illness. Obese employees are less productive at work, he said.

And then for extra credit: Obesity causes premature aging, he posited. "Forty may be the new 30; but if you're obese, 40 is the new 60."

After about an hour, the audience divided into smaller groups to brainstorm. Melody Barnes, the director of the Domestic Policy Council and chair of the task force, gave them their assignment. "Come up with three to five of the best ideas, the important actions, the task force should recommend to the president," she said. Don't come back with 10 to 15, she warned. Focus. Edit. "Think critically."

Class dismissed.

 

Thanks to Melissa Boteach, Half in Ten Campaign Manager, for her leadership and tenacious advocacy that enabled the Partnership to sign on to the letter to Congress (below) that advocates for adequate funding for domestic discretionary programs and for responsible tax policy. Half in Ten is chaired by the Coalition on Human Needs, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

March 29, 2010

Dear Members of Congress,

The FY2011 Budget Resolution represents an important opportunity to invest in programs and policies that will rebuild our economy from the bottom up. Unemployment is expected to average 9.5 percent in 2011, according to the Congressional Budget Office; poverty is expected to surge beyond the one in eight Americans who already were living in poverty in 2008; and 2008 data revealed that nearly one in four children were living in a household struggling against hunger. The budget decisions Congress makes this year will be critical in promoting a shared economic recovery that will reduce unacceptably high levels of poverty in our nation.

In the coming weeks, as Congress crafts the FY2011 budget, the undersigned organizations urge you to prioritize policies and programs that will spur job creation in economically distressed communities, increase economic security for those suffering the harshest effects of the recession, and invest in children and families to lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth.
President Obama’s budget request encompasses these principles and represents a strong blueprint for rebuilding the economy. The undersigned organizations hope to work with your office to build on the President’s request and ensure that both discretionary and mandatory programs encompass the aforementioned principles:

Discretionary Spending: Even in the context of a FY2011 domestic discretionary budget freeze, the President’s budget makes room for important investments in income and work supports. In this year’s budget resolution we respectfully request that Congress’ FY2011 Budget Resolution adopt a domestic discretionary cap no lower than the President’s request. We also urge you not to adopt a multi-year discretionary spending freeze or cap, which could translate into harmful cuts in programs helping families to weather the recession and preparing workers for jobs in high-growth fields in the future. In addition, many of the needed investments to create jobs fall under the discretionary category. For example:

• Funding for transitional jobs and youth employment programs such as summer jobs

• Investments in Workforce Investment Act policies designed to help low- and moderate-income Americans prepare for future employment opportunities in high-growth fields

• Funding for national service programs, a policy that will offer opportunities for youth to enter the labor market and will provide needed volunteers to nonprofit organizations struggling to respond to growing need with shrinking resources.

• Discretionary child care and Head Start funding that allows low-wage working parents to keep their jobs, creates new jobs for child care and Head Start staff, and puts low-income children in a quality learning environment so that they enter school more on pace with higher-income peers.

Projections of a slow recovery in the labor market underscore the need for a jobs package of a larger scale and scope than the President requests in his budget. In addition, disproportionate jobless rates among low-income and minority communities and women who head families call for a more targeted approach to job creation. High rates of unemployment are causing a sharp drop in revenue and increase in costs for safety net programs. Prioritizing job creation is the responsible long-term fiscal choice, even if it adds to deficits in the short term. We therefore urge Congress to pass a budget resolution with a discretionary number that builds on the commitments made in the President’s budget with additional investments in direct job creation.

Mandatory spending and tax provisions:

• Refundable Tax Credits: We urge you at least to accommodate the President’s proposal to make permanent improvements to refundable tax credits for working families. The President’s budget proposes a Child Tax Credit threshold permanently set at $3,000, marriage penalty relief for couples receiving the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), an increased EITC for families with three or more children, and partial refundability of the American Opportunity Tax Credit. If these tax credit improvements are allowed to expire, millions of working families will be pushed deeper into poverty and the purchasing power they bring to the economy would be weakened, undermining a nascent economic recovery. We urge you to leave room in the budget for the provision in the House-passed Jobs for Main Street Act which would start counting eligibility for the refundable Child Tax Credit with the first dollar of earnings, providing the strongest work incentive and much-needed help for families struggling in the recession.

• Child Nutrition: The President reaffirms his commitment to ending child hunger by 2015 by calling for $1 billion a year in new investments for child nutrition programs while also pledging to fully fund the discretionary Women, Infants, and Children program that provides nutritious food packages to pregnant and nursing women and young children. We urge you to craft a Congressional Budget Resolution that includes no less than $1 billion a year in new funding for child nutrition programs.

• Child Care: The President’s budget includes $800 million in mandatory funds for child care assistance for low-income families, which when combined with his discretionary request would allow states to provide help to 235,000 children.

• Temporary Assistance: We urge you to accommodate the expansion and extension of the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund in the amount of $2.5 billion in FY2011. This policy represents an efficient way to create jobs directly because the funding can be used to fully reimburse states for creating subsidized employment opportunities. In fact, by September 30th, states are expected to have created over 100,000 new jobs. We also urge you to include the $500 million in requested funding for the Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Innovation Fund, which could yield important new ideas and models for TANF reauthorization.

• Child support enforcement: The President’s budget would protect child support enforcement services for over 17 million children by restoring, for one year, federal funds cut from the program by the Deficit Reduction Act. We urge you to include this funding in the FY2011 budget.

Conclusion: The undersigned organizations look forward to working with Congress to pass a budget resolution that reflects these principles and policies and builds on the President’s proposals, particularly in the area of increased investments and additional targeting for job creation in economically distressed communities.

The continuing economic crisis requires a federal budget that balances the need for long-term fiscal discipline with the need to create jobs, sustain critical services, and promote long-term economic growth.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Boteach at the Half in Ten Campaign, 202-481-8160.

Respectfully,

Alliance for Children and Families
American Association of University Women
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Bread for the World
Campaign for America's Future
Center for Law and Social Policy
Change that Works
Change to Win
Child Welfare League of America
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Every Child Matters Education Fund
First Focus Campaign for Children
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Half in Ten
Interfaith Worker Justice
Leadership Conference of Women Religious Staff
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for State Community Services
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Center on Family Homelessness
National Consumers League
National Council of Jewish Women
National Employment Law Project
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National WIC Association
National Women's Law Center
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
OMB Watch
RESULTS
Single Stop USA
United Food and Commercial Workers
United Neighborhood Centers of America
Women's Action for New Directions

As the U.S. Senate returns from its two week recess and may consider extending unemployment benefits, a recent article by Debbie Weinstein in the Huffington Post analyzes the importance of restoring these benefits to America's families and workers.

The Senate Lets Unemployment Benefits Expire
Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

Today—April 5—is not a good day for people who've been out of work more than six months. That is because the U.S. Senate failed to extend the federal program of Unemployment Insurance benefits before leaving for a two-week Congressional recess, even though the program was scheduled to expire on April 5 -- a week before they return.

So here it is, April 5. In the next week, more than 212,000 jobless people will lose unemployment benefits because the Senate failed to act, according to an analysis by the National Employment Law Project. The Senate leadership, which tried to take up the extension, has said they will make the benefits retroactive when the Senate finally acts. That is undeniably a good thing, but in the week or two people will be without their $300 - $400 weekly benefit checks, it's likely that some will run out of food. Some, once denied benefits, will not understand that they are only temporarily ineligible, and may not come back to seek assistance after Congress acts.

The latest unemployment figures are a painful reminder of why the federal benefits are so badly needed, and why letting the program expire is simply shameful. The federal program picks up where state benefits leave off, covering people who remain out of work after their state benefits run out (usually after 26 weeks). The number of long-term unemployed has been growing month after month, and grew by a stunning 414,000 in March. There are now 6.5 million people jobless for more than six months; their proportion of all the unemployed has now grown to 44.1 percent. The jobs picture showed some signs of improvement in March, but it will be years before we get back to where we were before the recession. If we abandon the jobless now, their loss of income will put the brakes on the economy just when we need to accelerate. And it is a pretty nasty thing to do, besides.

Providing unemployment benefits is not by a long shot all we should be doing. We need to do far more to help the long-term unemployed find work. Congress has been too slow and too timid to invest productively to create jobs and provide training. Now is the perfect time to give people the chance to get jobs repairing schools and roads, and to enter the fields of renewable energy and health care. Representative George Miller has recently introduced the Local Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4812) to put people to work rebuilding communities and to save existing local jobs. Such an approach would allow people to improve their skills and experience while meeting community needs. Their work will strengthen the economic recovery. The bill would do a lot - creating or saving one million jobs - and therefore it is not cheap ($100 billion over 2 years). It is just the kind of investment we need to jumpstart the economy. But it will be opposed by some in Congress because of the deficit - the same wrong-headed rationale that has temporarily stymied unemployment benefits.

There is little doubt that there is a majority in the Senate to continue unemployment benefits, and the House has already passed the extension. Why, then, did the program expire? Because one Senator - Tom Coburn of Oklahoma - blocked the Senate from bringing a thirty-day extension of the program up for a vote. When the Senate wants to take up legislation quickly, without prolonged debate, it often does so by "unanimous consent." The Senate did not have a lot of time in the week before the recess, because it had just finished up work on the historic health care legislation. So it needed unanimous consent to bring the unemployment bill to the floor. Senator Coburn denied consent. There was not enough time to move through the regular Senate procedures. That was it - as of April 5, no more federal unemployment aid.

Senator Coburn insisted that he did not oppose unemployment benefits, but believes they should be paid for, to avoid deepening the deficit. There are two things wrong with his position. One, he held unemployed people hostage, knowing there was no way to avoid letting the program expire if he continued to stand in the way. Two, economists believe that unemployment benefits provide a needed boost to the still fragile economy, and should not be paid for. The money paid out in benefits is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus, because hard-up jobless people have no choice but to spend the money they receive, and their spending helps the bottom lines of supermarkets, phone companies, and other businesses. If government cuts other programs to pay for this infusion of cash, it reduces the economic benefit.

Senator Coburn has not been consistently concerned about the deficit. In 2008 he voted to reduce the estate tax, which, if the amendment had passed, would have cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. He even voted against a similar amendment that would have paid for a proposed reduction in the estate tax. It was fortunate that both amendments failed, because reducing the estate tax helps only a handful of heirs to multi-million dollar estates, and the nation has better uses for that money. (Two years later, Congress has temporarily allowed the estate tax to be repealed altogether, but that's an outrage for another day.)

Now that federal unemployment benefits have expired, it is entirely appropriate to be dismayed by Senator Coburn's willingness to cut off lifeline assistance for unemployed people. We should be dismayed not only because of the injustice to hundreds of thousands of people, but because selective grandstanding about the deficit is getting in the way of the actions we need to take.
It is also worth noting that this is just one more failure of the Senate's usual approach, which has depended on a spirit of bipartisan cooperation. Because there is ample evidence the Senate can no longer count on unanimous consent to move even strongly supported legislation along, the Senate leadership should have prepared in advance by moving to limit debate with enough time before the recess to be able to get to the vote that would have prevented unemployment benefits from expiring. The vote to limit debate has at last been filed, and will take place when the Senate returns on the evening of April 12. Every Senator should be encouraged to vote to limit debate, and then as soon as possible to restore the federal unemployment insurance program through the end of this year.

The widely-read and nationally-esteemed Non Profit Times has recognized NORWESCAP, the Community Action Agency in Phillipsburg, NJ which serves Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, and Passaic counties as one of the top 50 non profit agencies in America to work for.

NORWESCAP HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE TOP 50 NON-PROFITS TO WORK FOR IN 2010 AS RATED BY THE NON-PROFIT TIMES PUBLICATION AND THE BEST COMPANIES GROUP.

NORWESCAP was rated as the 44th Best Non-Profit to work for across the country and 26th in the Medium group of employers with 25 to 249 employees.

The Editor-in-Chief for the Non Profit Times Publication said that “the most striking element of the findings is the optimism. The people at these organizations look forward (most of them anyway) to going to work – even on a Monday.”

This is truly a great honor for NORWESCAP and all of its employees. We are very proud of this recognition.

NORWESCAP's executive director Mr. Terry Newhard, will do an intensive workshop at our 2010 convention in Boston, focusing on the system the NORWESCAP board of directors and he use to attain such excellence, specifically, the model described by John and Miriam Carver in Reinventing Your Board: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Policy Governance.

Here’s the link: http://www.nptimes.com/10Apr/NPTBestPlaces2010(web).pdf

 

Kudos to the tremendous leadership of Denise Harlow, CEO of the New York State Community Action Association, and Andy Stone, Executive Director of the New York State Weatherization Directors Association, and their teams for organizing and managing a special event on April 7th that highlighted the effectiveness and success of the federal Weatherization Assistance Program throughout New York State. Special guest at this event, Congressman Dan Maffei, helped demonstrate how weatherization saves energy and keeps families warm--he helped install insulation along with offering his positive views on the program.

Thanks also to Arley Johnson, Rebecca Stewart, and Bob Scott of the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) for their leadership and solid work in making this high-visibility, public awareness event a great day for the weatherization program. Check out some of the media coverage below. Lil Dupree, the Partnership's Director of Training & Technical Assistance, represented the Partnership at this event and worked closely with our NASCSP colleagues.

Rep. Dan Maffei showcases program spurred by stimulus funds
By Charley Hannagan / The Post-Standard
April 07, 2010

North Syracuse, NY -- Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt, Wednesday visited a program that trains people to weatherize homes to showcase how the federal stimulus package is creating jobs and making homes more energy efficient.

Onondaga County has received about $6 million so far from of the $5 billion in stimulus money set aside nationally for weatherizing homes and training people to do the work. New York has received $394 million in stimulus money for weatherization.

The previous administration tried to cut federal money for weatherization, said Arley R. Johnson, director of government relations for the National Association for State Community Services Programs. In the last three or four years, money for weatherization had fallen to $225 million to $250 million a year, he said.

Since June, about 1,800 people Upstate have received some kind of weatherization training, said Matt Redmond, director of training for the New York State Weatherization Directors Association. The association hosted the congressman at its training facility on East Taft Road.

Twenty six students are going through the center’s one-week bootcamp training program this week; about half of whom already work for non-profit programs that provide weatherization for low-income families, Redmond said. The rest of the students are part of workforce development programs designed to train people for jobs in construction or weatherization, he said.

Betsy Alexander, 22, of Auburn, had worked at Honeywell Imaging Products before the factory closed and shipped its work overseas.

She told the audience of dignitaries and classmates the training program will help her find a job that brings together her passions of helping the environment and people.

“This is the best of both worlds, and this job can’t be moved overseas,” she said.

The weatherization programs, which train workers, provide work for others and warmer, energy-efficient homes for low-income families, shows that the stimulus program is working, Maffei said.

“We can create jobs in this region even as our factories are closing,” he said.

Top row, from left: Linda Walker and Cheryl Steveson. Bottom row, from left: Diane Hansen and Sharon Abbegglen

 

Kudos to Stacy Flowers who was profiled in the most recent issue of National Journal, one of the most widely-read and respected publications in Washington, D.C. Special acknowledgement to Lisa Holland, the Partnership's director of communications who worked diligently with both the National Journal writer and photographer to get Stacy's story placed.

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June J. Bailey, CCAP, 77, passed away Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at her home in Altus, Ok. June was born June 19, 1932, in Hiawatha, Kan., She married Rex Bailey, on April 14, 1952, in Clinton, OK. They had one son and one daughter.

June worked extensively in the community and her church. In the late 1960s, she was Director of the Grace Methodist Day School. While there, she worked with the Associated Christian Ministries to provide transportation for senior citizens. In 1973, June wrote the grant for a new federal program called the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Altus was awarded the grant and became one of the first programs in the United States. June became director for five years and with the assistance of the Southwest Community Action group, the volunteers started providing transportation for senior citizens. In 1978, June became associate administrator of Southwest Community Action Group with duties to obtain state and federal grants. One of the grants June wrote and received was the Senior Nutrition Program with the goal of feeding senior citizens twice a week who live alone. This program developed into a large and valuable service known as “meals on wheels” and is available in many Southwest Oklahoma communities. In 1982, June became Executive Director of Southwest Community Action Group and immediately focused on expanding Headstart centers in the Altus area and other surrounding cities. Additionally, they obtained federal grants to start renovating homes for low-income families as well as build new homes and offer affordable loans in Altus and surrounding cities.

June became a CCAP in 1993, a part of the first group to achieve certification. She served as Chair of the National Certification Commission for the Community Action Partnership from 1996 until her retirement in 2000. In 2003 she was awarded CCAP Emeritus and remained active in the CCAP program until 2009 as an evaluator for Executive Skills Portfolos submitted by CCAP candidates. "June's dedication to Community Action was an inspiration,” said Karen K. Lueck, CCAP, present Chair of the Certification Commission. "We will miss her leadership, her warm and generous heart. Our movement lost another member of the Community Action family."

 

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

You've spent years honing your skills and developing excellence in programs and services as a Community Action professional. Now share your experience and knowledge by submitting a proposal for consideration as a presentation at the 2010 Community Action Partnership Annual Convention in Boston, August 31 - September 3

The purpose of our Convention is to provide high-quality education and networking opportunities for our Community Action Network. Our multiple day, multiple track format offers a self-directed, facilitated learning environment with education sessions and interactive forums. Education sessions focus on current and emerging issues, best practices, and challenges facing Community Action practitioners, board members and senior staff. Presentations are designed for all levels of experience - from fundamental to intermediate to advanced topics.

You are invited to submit a written proposal. By submitting a proposal, you will help shape the educational component of the Convention and the future of Community Action. Click here to download the Call for Sessions. Presentation proposals must be received by April 30, 2010.

On Tuesday, August 31, we are planning to offer an exciting pre-conference all-day intensive session for Emerging Leaders. Plan to come and participate in interactive sessions on Community Action in the 21st Century, leadership versus management, modern branding, public speaking and more! Watch upcoming issues of the eNews and our website convention page for detailed information and registration.

To view or download the 2010 Annual Convention Brochure, click here. Hotel rooms are selling quickly at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Click here to reserve online and assure your reservation is confirmed at the convention rate of $189.00 single or double.