According to Josh Reynolds of Houston’s Neighborhood Centers, Inc., a Texas Connector subscriber, a community needs assessment “took about an hour and a half with the Texas Connector, as opposed to probably 3-4 solid days the “old way”.  Plus the radius is something we couldn’t have easily done through the old way.  So, that’s pretty cool.”

Imagine…running a detailed demographic report for a 5-mile radius around your program site with two clicks of your mouse!

Don’t take our word for it – Go to www.texasconnects.org, create a free account and try the map today!

How can I learn more?

1.  Head to  www.texasconnects.org for more information and to create a free account and begin your 7-Day Free Trial.
Absolutely no obligation to purchase a subscription!

2.  We’re here to help!  Contact us at texasconnects@onestarfoundation.org with any questions.

Experience the revolution—Experience the Texas Connector today!

www.texasconnects.org

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities affected by Hurricane Sandy. At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), and other partners in this coordinated multi-agency response effort. We salute individuals at every level of government, in nonprofit organizations, and in the private sector whose work is helping save lives, provide shelter, and rebuild communities. Our work is just beginning as first responders and other emergency personnel manage life-saving and rescue efforts. Hundreds of national service members are deployed and serving in disaster-affected communities and nearly a thousand more are standing by for immediate deployment.Before the recovery is complete, we expect thousands of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members to help in the recovery. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of our members, state offices, and state commissions, all of whom are making possible this vital national service response to this unprecedented weather event.  This work makes a difference. Christine Beste, a native of Delaware who is a team leader with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), is on the ground in the Northeast. She summed up what it means to help out her community in the following way:”I like being able to hit the ground running, being responsible for shelters and for my team.  Every one of my family members has lost electricity in their homes in Delaware and Philadelphia. This work is important to me because I am helping people who are in a disastrous situation.”Like Christine, many of us know people or have relatives in one of the impacted areas, and we all know that overcoming the challenges left by this hurricane will require all of us to pitch in. Please visit Serve.gov to find out ways you can volunteer or contribute to organizations that are helping communities that were in Hurricane Sandy’s path. We know this will be a long recovery and that volunteers will be critical in the coming weeks and months.If you are in an affected area, please let me reiterate FEMA’s advice to stay safe. You can visit this site to get safety tips for you and your family.Thank you for all that you’re doing to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and feel free to check in with us at Serve.gov for additional updates and more information on volunteering.Warmest regards,Wendy Spencer

Message from Points of Light:

On behalf Points of Light and the Community Blueprint Advisory Council, I would like to share the great news – the Phase 2 2012 – 2013 RFP for the Veteran Leader Corps program has been released.  Points of Light would like to thank the great contributions that have been made by the Corporation for National and Community Service and our corporate partner ITT Exelis as it is through their support that this program was made possible. 

Points of Light invites state service commissions to apply to serve as a host site for the Veteran Leader Corps OR to send to your constituents to inform them of this opportunity.

The Veteran Leader Corps is a new AmeriCorps program to help recent conflict veterans reintegrate into communities, gain workforce skills and find jobs. 

In October 2012, the founding class of 30 Points of Light Volunteer Leader Corps (POLVLC) members started their service in organizations in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana and the Metro Washington DC area. Points of Light seeks high quality placements for an additional 45 POLVLC members to serve 11 month terms starting in March 2013.  Together, these two classes of POLVLC members will help 8,000 veterans gain workforce skills and volunteer opportunities for 16,000 veterans in their communities.

The Points of Light Veterans Leader Corps supports the Community Blueprint.  The Community Blueprint brings together community leaders, individuals, government agencies and nonprofits to bring collaborative, integrated solutions to addressing the most common challenges facing veterans and military families, from unemployment to education to behavioral health, housing, and reintegration. The Community Blueprint is the only national, scalable approach developed by a coalition of over 55 veteran and military-serving organizations nonprofits and government agencies focused on serving our nation’s military men and women and their families.  The Veteran Leader Corps are the “boots on the ground” in communities across the country implementing real solutions that engage and lift up veterans. 

Points of Light responsibilities include:

• Manage payroll and benefits for POLVLC members, including providing most of the funding for the program.

• Support host sites with program implementation and technical assistance as needed with work readiness or civic engagement elements of the program.

• Manage national partnerships with funders and federal agencies.

• Cover costs of over $11,000 per AmeriCorps member.

Host site responsibilities include:

• Provide high quality service opportunities and supervision to POLVLC members.

• Lead local collaborations with other veteran serving organizations.

• Financial contribution of at least $3,000 to Points of Light to cover AmeriCorps members stipend, health insurance, FICA and workers Compensation and provide supervision and other basic support costs.

• Provide data collection and reporting on the program to POL.

Applicants are encouraged to apply with partners to ensure both the workforce development and volunteer generation elements of the program will be successful. I encourage you to contact us if you need assistance with securing these partnerships. Please contact Tray Deadwyler at tdeadwyler@pointsoflight.org for clarification or more information.

Follow the link below for the RFP/Application. We will also be hosting  Conference Calls where potential applicants can learn more about the opportunity.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B02bEZiO5NKJTEFEUGQ2M3ZiYzg

These calls are scheduled for November 7, 14, 16, at 3pm EST. There is no need to register. Please use the following conference line to dial in and hear more about this opportunity!

Conference Call Number: 1-888-619-1583

Passcode: 709275

Thank you very much for your commitment to helping veterans reintegrate and contribute to your community. 

Sincerely,

Mike Monroe

Vice President, Points of Light, Military Initiatives

Tricia Thompson

Director, Military Initiatives

Tray Deadwyler

Manager, Veteran Leader Corps

For more information contact:

Traymone Deadwyler, CVM
Manager, Program Adoption and Training
Points of Light
600 Means Street NW, Suite 210, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
t: 404.979.2915   c: 678.362.2253   f: 404.974.2338
email: tdeadwyler@pointsoflight.org

skype: traymone.deadwyler