FINAL STRETCH:
NATIONAL SERVICE BUDGET NEARS COMPLETION

In one of its final actions before adjournment, the House and Senate last week passed the conference report on the fiscal year 2006 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which includes funding for national service. The conference report provides a total of $909 million for the Corporation and its programs, subject to a 1 percent across-the-board cut for all federal programs except veterans. The bill provides $96.4 million for VISTA and $219.8 million for Senior Corps – with $60.2 million for RSVP, $112.1 million for Foster Grandparents, and $47.4 million for Senior Companions. The bill includes $267.5 million AmeriCorps*State and National grants; $27 million for NCCC; $140 million for the National Service Trust, $37.5 million for Learn and Serve America; $16.4 million for Innovation, Demonstration, & Assistance; $15 million for Partnership Grants; and $12.6 million for State Commission Administrative Grants. The President is expected to sign the conference report in the next few days.

BOOMERS TURN 60:
NEW CAMPAIGN URGES THEM TO GET INVOLVED!

This January the first of America’s 77 million baby boomers will turn 60. To tap their skills and experience, the Corporation launched a multi-year public service advertising campaign to urge boomers to volunteer in their communities. The campaign was unveiled earlier this month at the White House Conference on Aging, which among other priorities urged the development of a national strategy to engage boomers in volunteering. The campaign drives boomers to a new website www.getinvolved.gov to search for volunteer opportunities by zip code and interest area. More than 30 national nonprofits and corporations have signed on as supporters of the campaign including AARP, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities, IBM, AOL, and CVS. The television, radio, and print ads will start airing in January.

SERVICE HERO:
AMERICORPS MEMBER ANGELA KYLE

Applying for a second year as an AmeriCorps member, Angela Kyle was sure of one thing: she wanted to do something that she had no idea how to do. She got her wish when she signed on as the first full-time AmeriCorps member for the Community Energy Project in Portland, OR, as the volunteer coordinator for the 26-year-old organization. Angela was unfamiliar with all the tasks of the position, from wielding a hammer to installing a light bulb—to managing volunteers. Yet she finds it the perfect challenge. She moved to Portland from Spokane, WA, where she served with the Washington Reading Corps last year. The Community Energy Project is helping low-income residents who want to weatherize their homes to stave off the high utility bills because of skyrocketing energy prices. The organization provides weatherization kits and conducts weatherization for senior citizens and people with disabilities. When her second service year is over, she plans use her AmeriCorps Education awards to complete her bachelor’s degree, and hopes eventually to work in a position that will allow her to help single parents like herself.

PROMISING PROGRAMS:
DELAWARE COUNTY RSVP

The Program: At a recent luncheon honoring the Delaware County RSVP’s volunteers, the band sponsored by the organization provided entertainment so lively that the volunteers filled the dance floor. Several times a month, a singing group that has been sponsored by the RSVP for 20 years visits local nursing homes to perform. Just as frequently, volunteers who have participated in training as clowns by the organization brighten the days of children in hospitals, while those who have undergone additional “therapeutic” clown training spend time with Alzheimer’s patients. The RSVP also sponsors a reading program at 45 of the county’s 65 elementary schools; a pen-pal program that links homebound seniors with fourth and fifth graders; disaster preparedness training; and a speakers’ bureau with volunteers providing information on everything from World War II history to environmental challenges. There is enough to keep a roster of more than 900 suburban Philadelphia volunteers busy.

The Results: Norma Testa, director of the Delaware County RSVP, comes up with creative ideas by paying attention to what other organizations do. She found a local professional clown to offer training to volunteers after learning that another RSVP has a similar program. After attending a conference that featured a band sponsored by an RSVP project, she returned home and sent out a press release inviting musicians to attend a meeting to get a group together. The band does more than provide entertainment to listeners. It also provides people who had to give up marching with bands a way to continue playing music. The band, the singing group, and the clowns all have added benefits—their performances result in increased awareness of the RSVP’s programs and in donations of about $300 a month.

Why It Works: RSVP director Norma Testa points to her ongoing relationship with local media as a way to publicize activities, recruit volunteers, and strengthen community support for the organization.

Lessons: Delaware County RSVP has come up with creative ideas for addressing issues, but creativity isn’t enough to make a program successful. The most important criteria for any service project is meeting a community need. The organizations focuses on addressing community needs first, then securing the support of community partners, such as school administrators for the reading program, to establish a good working relationship. For information, contact Norma Testa, (610) 432-6650, norma.testa@verizon.net.