Tomorrow night's City Council meeting about the impact of federal funding cuts

Good evening Alums!

Here's a press release about a City Council meeting tomorrow night. People from the public will be allowed to speak for 3 minutes each or they can submit written input. The Council is hoping for lots of speakers and hundreds of attendees. If you can pass this along to members, other programs and other supporters, that would be terrific. Current members are not allowed to be involved in lobbying as official representatives of AmeriCorps, but alums can!  For questions, this release was forwarded by Erin Cooperman at HPER from Doug Wilson (which was generated on his own time and not with federal resources :)).  Doug Wilson Director of Communications and Development South Central Community Action Program 812-369-1423 (cell) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21, 2011 Bloomington Common Council to Hold a Community "Listening Session" on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 to Hear From the Public on Pending Federal Cuts to Social Services Programming. Bloomington, IN -- The City Council will hold a Special Session on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 to hear from the public about pending federal cuts to social services programs. The Special Session will immediately follow the Council's Committee of the Whole discussion, starting at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to reduce the 2011 federal budget by $60 billion. This includes billions of cuts to social services programs. The measure will be sent on to the Senate for consideration the week of February 28, 2011. The cuts to social service programs include: The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Community Health Centers, Head Start, Maternal and Child Health Block Grants, Family Planning, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, Community Services Block Grant, HUD Community Development Fund, AmeriCorps, Legal Services and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. These reductions jeopardize a number of local programs that serve Bloomington's most vulnerable residents. "Decisions are being made in Washington, D.C., but the negative impacts of those decisions are very real and very immediate to our community," said Council President Susan Sandberg. "Pain does trickle down from the Hill and Bloomington citizens are about to get hurt." In an effort to better understand the scope of these funding losses, the Council invites members of the community to come to the Special Session and speak to the ways in which agencies and individuals will be affected by these cuts. Residents unable to attend this Special "Listening" Session are encouraged to give the Council their feedback via e-mail: council@bloomington.in.gov For additional information, please contact the Office of the Common Council at 349-3409 or at council@bloomington.in.gov ###

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AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington
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FoodCorps: Applications Now Open!

Applications Open: Become a FoodCorps Service Member! FoodCorps, a new national service program designed to reverse childhood obesity while cultivating a new generation of farmers and public health leaders, is now accepting applications from potential Service Members. FoodCorps Service Members will spend a year of paid public service building and tending school gardens, developing Farm to School programs and conducting hands-on nutrition education in communities of need. Click here to learn more and apply to be a FoodCorps Service Member. Share the E-Flyer with Your Friends: Look for FoodCorps at the Real Food Challenge Summits: Our friends at Real Food Challenge are hosting meetings this month in Arizona, Georgia, California, Illinois and Massachusetts. The meetings will bring together more than 1,500 students who are passionate about health, justice and sustainability in food. If you're interested in attending, click here for more information. Hope to see you there! And Please Help Spread the Word about Becoming a FoodCorps Member! Forward this email to your friends using the link below. With enthusiasm, Deb, Cecily, Curt, Ian, Jerusha and Crissie The FoodCorps Team

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AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington
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Upcoming deadline! AmeriCorps Opportunity at IU

Please pass on to anyone who might might be looking forward to next year!

Please forward to your organization's membership.

 

$1,132 for 300 hours of service--APPLY NOW!

Are you a student who cares about service and is willing to put your passion into action? Is there a student volunteer at your agency you would like to encourage to continue serving? The Student Activities Office (SAO) LEAD IU program is hosting AmeriCorps positions during the 2011-2012 academic year.  After completing 300 hours of community service and leadership training, members will receive a $1,132 Education Award. This program is graciously supported through Indiana Campus Compact.

Please review the requirements and application here. Deadline to apply is Friday, February 11th. For more information, email acorps@indiana.edu.

 

Colleen Rose

Assistant Director, Student Activities Office

Division of Student Affairs

Indiana University Bloomington

812-855-4311

www.sao.indiana.edu

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AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington
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Welcome New Executive Reps!

Good evening Alums!

Our election nominators for two open positions closed on Friday. We had two parties nominated and decided to forego a formal vote. After discussing with the nominated parties, our new First Year Representative is Chris Bentley.

My name is Chris Bentley, and I am very interested in the 1st Year Representative position for AmeriCorps Alums. When I started with AmeriCorps, I didn't know my community or the needs within it. It was largely through my opportunities in AmeriCorps that I became aware of how I could help, and through undertaking projects and volunteering at various organizations, I grew as a person. Now, I would like to give back to this organization by acting as a mentor so that everyone involved can be fully successful and experience the exhilarating feeling that comes with service!

Chris will help us with the following over the rest of the semester:

a)   Serve as liaison between 1st year SPEA students and AmeriCorps Alums
b)   Directly assist the Professional Development Coordinator with planning and implementing events
c)   Directly assist the Service Coordinator with planning and implementing events
d) Directly assist the Outreach Coordinator with AmeriCorps outreach and membership recruitment

We also had an opening for a First Year Social Chair and Lindsi Lara-Perez and Evan Davies submitted a nomination for co-representatives. They will help us this year to:

a)   Plan and organize AmeriCorps Alums social events
b)   Be responsible for sending event announcements to AmeriCorps Alums through the listserv
c)   Send announcements on the AmeriCorps Alums Facebook page
d) Send announcements on the AmeriCorps Alums blog
e)   Distribute flyers and information for social events throughout Bloomington

Lindsi and Evan are first-year MPA students who both served two years with City Year and the YMCA, respectively.  They are both excited about joining AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington and furthering the group's mission here at SPEA.

Thanks so much for being a part of AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington and we look forward to an exciting semester!

Enjoy the last night of the weekend,

Stefanie

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Fwd: Election Nominations Reminder and Service Opportunity

Good Morning Alums,

Here is a quick reminder that nominations for 1st year representatives are due by COB today. If you are interested in getting more involved this year, please just hit "reply" and send us a few sentences about yourself and what your interests are. 

Have a great day!

AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington

Below is a message from the SAO that might interest our members:

Due to the service-based orientation of your student organization, I would like to bring an opportunity for further service to the Bloomington community to your attention.  Homeward Bound is a walk that aims to raise awareness about homelessness in Indiana.  You can participate in this initiative by simply registering for the walk itself and by donating to the walk; please note that all funds raised stay in Bloomington.  As an IU student, you are also part of the Bloomington community, so please take the opportunity to learn more about Homeward Bound:

 

http://homewardboundindiana.org/bloomington

 

Thanks, and have a wonderful afternoon!

 

Jared R. Eakins

Student Organizations and Leadership Advisor, Student Activities Office

Divison of Student Affairs

Indiana University Bloomington

812-855-4311

www.sao.indiana.edu

 

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AmeriCorps Alums-Bloomington, Indiana Chapter
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Election Update, Volunteer Opportunity and Happy Hour Reminder

Good afternoon!

I hope the first couple weeks of the semester haven't been too crazy for everyone and that you can all make it out to Yogi's from 5-7pm for our January Happy Hour. Our 1st Year Representative meeting was set to close today, but we are going to extend the deadline for one more week. Thank you to those who have already submitted statements! Our next "e-board" meeting will be Tuesday at 7pm in the SPEA grad lounge. We meet every other Tuesday at 7pm. Anyone who is interested in being a part of AmeriCorps Alums Bloomington (community members included!) but would like more information is welcome to come to that meeting. We have built a lot of momentum over the past year and would like to find a good team of 1st years to continue that into the fall 2011/spring 2012 academic year. 

Below is a local volunteer opportunity. We hope to schedule an orientation soon, but this past week was difficult to coordinate. Please respond back to this email if you are interested in having something set up at SPEA, or contact Holly directly:

Since 2005, Area 10 has been helping local senior citizens and people with disabilities stay in their homes by improving the accessibility and maintaining the safety of their houses through the REPAIRS Team. That stands for Reliable Experts Providing Accessibility, Independence, Repairs, and Safety.

Our REPAIRS Team has done everything from building ramps to changing batteries in smoke detectors. One request that our current team cannot meet is snow removal. In fact, we know of no group that offers snow removal to the public in Monroe or Owen counties. We need a large crew to call upon this winter to shovel, sweep, and salt walkways to ensure all our neighbors are safe.

You are invited to call to schedule a volunteer orientation and hear the details of how the program works. After you’ve attended orientation, you will be “on-call” after a snowstorm to shovel/sweep/salt a client’s walkway. We ask that you commit to shoveling at least twice in the winter of 2011. You may also continue to volunteer with the REPAIRS Team after winter if you choose. Anyone can volunteer, although we ask people 13 and under to volunteer with an adult. If you have questions, please contact Holly athmclauchlin@area10agency.org or (812) 876-3383 extension 522.

Thank you all and hope to see you soon!

Stefanie

MLK Day is Monday! Are you looking for a way to get involved?

Time: 8am-1pm

Where: 827 West 14th Court

What: We will be cleaning and painting interior walls of the building in the childcare program and gym. Some volunteers may complete additional projects such as organizing the food pantry and creating bags for hungry families.

How: Make sure to wear clothes that can get paint on them! If you need a ride to the volunteer site, please meet in the parking lot behind SPEA at 7:40 am and let the event organizer know when you RSVP.

Spots are limited! To RSVP or ask questions, email Danielle Rankin at darankin@indiana.edu.