FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: gva@onestarfoundation.org  

Nominations are now open for the 2019 Governor's Volunteer Awards. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott will again serve as the Honorary Chair of the award committee. The Governor's Volunteer Awards are administered by the OneStar Foundation, and are an opportunity for the state of Texas to honor those who exhibit excellence in serving their communities.

Nominations are open in nine categories:

• Governor’s Lone Star Achievement Award
• First Lady’s Rising Star Award
• Partners in Education Award
• Service to Veterans Award
• Higher Education Community Impact Award – University     
• Higher Education Community Impact Award – Community College
• Corporate Community Impact Award
• Community Leadership Award
• National Service “Make a Difference” Award

To nominate an individual or organization for the award, go to:
https://gvas.secure-platform.com/a

To see the descriptions and criteria for each award, visit:
http://onestarfoundation.org/governors-volunteer-awards/

Nominations will close on Thursday, May 16, 2019, and awardees will be honored in the fall at an evening reception at the Governor’s Mansion.

The Governor's Volunteer Awards are sponsored by CITGO Petroleum Corporation and Phillips 66.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: (512) 463-1826

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed George Green and Shelley Rayburn to the OneStar Foundation for terms set to expire on March 15, 2020. Additionally, the Governor appointed Maria Hernandez Ferrier, Ed.D., for a term set to expire on March 15, 2021. The OneStar Foundation provides technical assistance, education, information and other support to Texas’ extensive volunteer community, and improving and strengthening the state’s volunteerism and community service infrastructure.

George Green of New Braunfels is an adjunct professor with Alamo Community College District and a former New Braunfels City Councilman. He is a lifetime member of Guadalupe Valley Peace Officers Association, member of the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and works with the New Braunfels Thanksgiving Dinner Program.  Previously, he volunteered with the San Antonio Rotary Club, Communities in Schools, and East Texas Food Bank. Green received an Associates of Arts in animal Science from Blinn College, a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education from Sam Houston State University, and a Master of Business Administration from University of Nebraska. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army.

Shelley Rayburn of Fort Worth works with Rayburn Realty. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and the American Association of Christian Counseling, a former volunteer with Woman to Woman Pregnancy Resource Center, and former member of the School Board of Aubrey Independent School District. Rayburn received a Bachelor of Science in human service and counseling from Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Master of Arts in human service: marriage and family counseling from Liberty University.

Maria Hernandez Ferrier, Ed.D. of San Antonio is a trustee of Hallmark University and was appointed to the Commission for National and Community Service. She has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the United States Department of Education, executive director of Federal Programs for Southwest ISD, president and CEO of Texas A&M University – San Antonio and as the director of Mexico Relations for the Texas A&M University System. She is chair of the Plaza Club of San Antonio, board member of Yes Our Kids Can, and member of Center for Hispanic and Jewish Relations and the Association for Mature Citizens. Her past involvement includes serving as commissioner of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and as a member of KIPP San Antonio Public Schools, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Rotary International, and San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. Ferrier received a Bachelor of Arts in speech and a Master of Education in counseling from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University.

Chanel Davis is an AmeriCorps member serving as an Animal Science Team Lead with 4-H CAPITAL.

My Five-Year Plan

I would like to preface this story by saying that I am planner—a five-ish year planner to be exact. When I was a sophomore in high school in Los Angeles I called a meeting with my parents to talk about my five-year plan. It included finishing up high school, going to a college far away from home, and committing to service after graduating college. I chose to attend Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where I graduated with a dual bachelor’s degree in Animals Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and Environmental Studies and a master’s in General Education.

Growing up I went to Catholic school and attended a Jesuit college where it was always encouraged to do community service in whatever capacity you can. Through retreats, service projects, and service trips I learned what it meant to be in solidarity with others as an act of social justice. One of the main takeaways from my Jesuit and Liberal Arts education was to take my gifts and talents, and to be a person who stands with and for others. I chose to serve with AmeriCorps at 4-H CAPITAL because it is an organization that teaches valuable lessons about animals, nature, and science while helping students make meaningful connections between science and their everyday lives. A program that lets you hang out with goats and empowers youth to choose science career? What could be better than that!

Life in Austin, TX

Pre-service orientation was long and oftentimes information overload, but it provided me with all the tools and support I would need to be successful in the classroom, and my personal life during my year of service. The best advice that was inadvertently revealed during orientation was the phrase, “It depends.” This phrase is said so many times at 4-H CAPITAL that it has turned into a game of who can still answer the question, but avoids the word completely (“It varies” became a serious contender). Working in informal education in an after-school setting requires a lot of flexibility. I’ve learned that in order to succeed, you have to be able to adapt to big and small changes and just go with the flow. As long students are safe, and having fun, the science they learn comes more naturally.

I’ve learned that in order to succeed, you have to be able to adapt to big and small changes and just go with the flow. As long students are safe, and having fun, the science they learn comes more naturally.

Life After AmeriCorps

I am half way through my service year now and have the ability to look back at where I was in August and appreciate how far I’ve come, but also look forward to the future. I have met so many wonderful AmeriCorps members at 4-H and those who serve in other programs in Texas.

I don’t have all the steps of my next five years mapped out in its entirety like I did before. Fifteen-year-old me had a plan and followed through up to this point. Twenty-four-year old me now has benefited from a lot of hard work, skill building, and professional development over the last few years, and especially during this service year. I can’t say that I know for-sure what I will do next, but I am certain that I have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take myself wherever I choose to go in my career.

On October 2nd, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Chris Bugbee to the role of President & CEO of OneStar Foundation. As we transition into a new and exciting chapter in our leadership, Chris offers his greetings to our friends and partners and shares his priorities for the future of OneStar. You can read Chris' full bio here.

Dear friends of OneStar, 

I am humbled and honored to be appointed as OneStar Foundation’s President & CEO. It has been my privilege to serve as Chief Operating Officer since 2006, and over the past 13 years, I have cultivated a deep appreciation for the unique role OneStar fulfills as a bridge between nonprofits, government, business, and the citizens of Texas. I want to extend my gratitude to Elizabeth Darling for her vision and guidance, and I look forward to building on the legacy of past OneStar leaders. 

When OneStar was established in 2003, the Governor described Texans as “a dedicated and selfless people who have a long and proud history of responding when their neighbors need help” and cited the power of volunteer action to “transform our communities, our families and the lives of individual Texans, and enrich the life of the volunteer.” OneStar was created to harness and promote this extraordinary Texan spirit of service, and as we embark on a new chapter together, I look to this founding intent as my inspiration and guiding motivation. I share in your passion to make the great state of Texas even greater by strengthening our communities, supporting our neighbors in need, and finding long-term solutions to pressing social needs. To achieve this, I will be focusing on the following priorities. 

• First, I will spend the coming weeks and months listening: reaching out to our stakeholders to learn directly from you how OneStar can best support your efforts and collaborate to best meet our shared goals. In a state as large as Texas, we need diverse solutions to address the complex and unique challenges that face our communities. I invite you to reach out and share your feedback and ideas on how we can better work together to achieve your goals.
• Second, I will be aligning our strategies and clarifying OneStar’s role at the intersection of the public and private sectors. We have the privilege to work with a wide variety of partners – from state agencies and corporations to city councils and grassroots nonprofits – united by a common goal of making Texas a better place to live and work. By bringing these parties together and championing a range of needs and interests, OneStar is uniquely situated to foster collaborations that can lead to improved cross-sector communication and sustainable action.
• Third, I hope to inspire more Texans to serve by being creative and flexible in the ways that we engage people. Service is a powerful vehicle for change that is boundlessly adaptable to the needs of your community, and in these busy times, OneStar wants to support Texans to give back in a way that makes sense to them. I want every Texan to be aware of the power they have to take action and make a difference, whether that be participating in a year of national service with AmeriCorps, or just speaking up for someone in need.

I would like to thank the OneStar board and staff and all our partners for your incredible support during this transition, and I look forward to continuing our dialogue and exploring opportunities to build on our current success. 

Warmest regards,

Chris Bugbee
President/CEO
OneStar Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As America enters the holiday season searching for unity at a time of division, a new federal study shows that volunteer service is a core American value that can help build bridges among Americans. The annual Volunteering and Civic Life in America (VCLA) research study, released on November 15, 2016 by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) shows 1 in 4 Americans volunteered through an organization and nearly two-thirds helped their neighbors last year, demonstrating that service to others continues to be a priority for millions of Americans.

This year’s report found that 62.6 million adults (24.9 percent) volunteered through an organization last year. Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 7.8 billion hours in 2015, worth an estimated $184 billion, based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour. The volunteer rate consistently remains stable and strong. Over the past 14 years, Americans have volunteered 113 billion hours, service worth an estimated $2.3 trillion. In addition, more than 138 million Americans (62.5 percent) also engaged in informal volunteering in their communities, helping neighbors with such tasks as watching each other’s children, helping with shopping, or house sitting.

Texas-specific report highlights include the following:

• Statewide, 4.6 million Texans contributed 566.2 million hours of service worth an estimated value of $12.7 billion.
• 46.4% of Texas residents donate $25 or more to charity.
• Texas improved its overall statewide rank from 43rd to 40th in volunteer rates.
• Four Texas metropolitan areas are ranked among the top 50 large cities based on volunteer rates:

   

  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (21st)
  • Austin-Round Rock, TX (23rd)
  • San Antonio, TX (30th)
  • Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX (44th)

Nationwide, the research shows that the overall rate of volunteering remains strong and stable, despite a slight decrease from the previous year, and that Americans’ commitment to volunteering spans across generations.  Key highlights of the report include:

• Generation X leads volunteering among generations. Americans aged 35-44 had the highest volunteer rate (28.9 percent) followed by Baby Boomers (25.7 percent).
• One in five (21.9 percent) of Millennials (age 16-32) volunteered. Young adults age 18-24 attending college volunteer at twice the rate (25.7 percent) of their non-college attending peers (13.6 percent).
• Older Americans, including Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation, tend to volunteer more hours. In 2015, the age groups with the highest median hours among volunteers were ages 65-74 (88 hours) and those 75 and older (100 hours).
• Working mothers continue to maintain the highest rate of volunteering among all populations at 36 percent. The volunteer rate of parents with children under age 18 is higher than the national average at 31.3 percent.
• More than one-third of Americans (36.3 percent) are involved in a school, civic, recreational, religious, or other organization. Americans most frequently volunteer with religious groups (34 percent), followed closely by education or youth service groups, and social or community groups.
• Volunteers are meeting wide range of pressing needs.  Millions of volunteers devoted their time to working with youth through tutoring and teaching youth (18 percent) or mentoring youth (17.5 percent).  Nearly one-quarter of volunteers helped prevent hunger (24.2 percent) by collecting, preparing, and distributing food, and one in four (24 percent) participated in fundraising activities.

"When we stand shoulder to shoulder to serve with others, we gain another perspective on the lives we share, while using our time and talents to build a stronger nation," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.  "Each year, millions of Americans do extraordinary things as volunteers; this is America at its best. As we enter the holiday season, we are calling on all citizens to unite in service as a way to unify our country and keep our communities strong.”The Volunteering and Civic Life in America research also shows that volunteers are more likely than non-volunteers to talk to neighbors, attend community meetings, participate in civic organizations, discuss politics or local issues with family and friends, do favors for neighbors, and fix things in the neighborhood. A growing body of research indicates that communities with higher levels of civic engagement have been linked to lower crime rates, improved health outcomes for aging adults, lower rates of mental illness, improved academic outcomes for children, improved employment outcomes for job seekers, and greater community resilience following a disaster.

In 2013, CNCS released Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment, research which found that unemployed individuals who volunteer have 27 percent higher odds of finding employment at the end of a year than non-volunteers.  Among rural volunteers and volunteers without a high school diploma, the likelihood increases to 55 and 51 percent, respectively.

Volunteers provide critical support to our nation's nonprofit, civic, and faith-based organizations, offering time, skills, and monetary support.  The Volunteering and Civic Life in America research found that volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to charity as non-volunteers. Nearly 80 percent of volunteers donated to charity, compared to 40 percent of non-volunteers.  Overall, half of all citizens (50.5 percent) donated at least $25 to charity in 2015.

As the federal agency for service and volunteering, CNCS funds the annual research to provide government and nonprofit leaders with in-depth information on volunteering and civic trends to help them develop strategies to mobilize more Americans to address local needs through service. The Volunteering and Civic Life in America data includes profiles for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 51 metropolitan areas, and 75 mid-sized cities, including data on volunteer rates, civic indicators, rankings, area-specific trends, and analysis.

The research is part of the agency’s efforts to expand the impact of America’s volunteers on key challenges facing the nation. CNCS provides critical support to America’s nonprofit and voluntary sector through grants, training, research, and partnerships. Last year, CNCS engaged millions of Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, MLK Day, and other service programs.

The full analysis and customizable data sets can be found at volunteeringinamerica.gov. Americans interested in finding local volunteer opportunities can visit www.serve.gov.

Click here to read the full Press Release.

Click here to view the Texas Volunteer Profile and downloadable data sets.

Click here to view the full Infographic with national trends.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is accepting applications for membership on the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) System Redesign Advisory Committee. Please use the links below to access the application materials.
• Click here for the IDD System Redesign Advisory Committee Call for Applications (DOC)
• Click here for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Application for Advisory Committee Membership (DOC)
 
For additional information please contact:
John Seagraves, External Stakeholder Relations
Medicaid/CHIP Communications-Health and Human Services Commission
John.seagraves@hhsc.state.tx.us / 512-462-6214

AUSTIN, Texas – A State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open in Hays County for homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage as a result of the ongoing severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31.

Specialists from the State of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), nongovernmental organizations and the local community are on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.

The DRC location and hours of operation are:

Hays County Government Center
712 S. Stagecoach Trail
San Marcos, TX 78666
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Closed Sunday

If possible, register for FEMA assistance by phone or online before visiting a center. Going to a DRC is not a requirement of registration, but specialists there can provide guidance regarding disaster recovery and rental resources, explain written correspondence received from FEMA, inform survivors of the status of their application, make referrals to other organizations and answer questions.

Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Applicants will be asked to provide:

• Social Security number
• Address of the damaged primary residence
• Description of the damage
• Information about insurance coverage
• A current contact telephone number
• An address where they can receive mail
• Bank account and routing numbers for those preferring direct deposit of funds

The presidential disaster declaration of Nov. 25 makes federal assistance available to eligible individuals and business owners in 16 counties: Bastrop, Brazoria, Caldwell, Cameron, Comal, Galveston, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Liberty, Navarro, Travis, Willacy and Wilson.

Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Also, low-interest disaster loans from the SBA are available for Businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private nonprofits, homeowners and renters.

Low-interest disaster loans help fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. Economic Injury disaster loans are available to businesses and private-nonprofits to assist with working capital needs as a direct result of the disaster.

Renters and homeowners may qualify for grants for other disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs, such as clothing, child care, room furnishings and appliances, medical and dental costs, specialized tools, heating fuels, vehicles and moving and storage expenses.

Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4245, Twitter athttps://www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website,https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

OOn December 3, 2015, hundreds of VISTAs gathered and life changed as we know it for Texas! Celebrities were sighted:

• Terry Gunnell
• Lauren Tarin
• Glenn Goodrich