NSCA e-News September 2016

NSCA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings:

It seems as if it was just yesterday that I wrote my first note as President of NSCA and already I am penning another. This past month has been filled with lots of activity with my programs and our NSCA board meeting.

Although I wasn't able to attend, I want to congratulate NAFGPD for the awesome conference they hosted in Reston, VA and thank our NSCA members, Suzette Boydston, Pamela Carre, Lyndon Drew, Mag Holland, Fred Lugo, Jolene Nierenberg, Mary Lynn Smith, and Donna Teel, for helping to make the conference a great success and representing NSCA on the committees.

We had quite a productive board meeting while in D.C. during the week of September 12th. We started out with a session on Board Leadership, presented by BoardSource, that was very informative and educational. The time with our Washington Advocate, Alan Lopatin, was quite helpful for board members as they met with Congressional leaders and staff members on the Hill. NSCA board members educated them about the great works and the impact that our SCP, FGP and RSVP programs provide for seniors and youths in the communities and to thank them for the support they give. Much work was also done in regards to updating the current NSCA by-laws, which will be completed and presented to the membership for ratification.

Our meeting with Senior Corps Deputy Director Erin McGrath and Program Officer Jan Newsome was also very enlightening, encouraging and engaging. Erin shared with us that the Corporation is currently working on developing materials for both transition teams for the new administration to ensure a smooth process in the coming year; working on changes in the regulations that will go to General Counsel and OMB for approval; and while no exact date has been scheduled there will also be a change from E-grants to a new system - Grants and Member Management.

As you read through this E-news, you will see that NSCA has been extremely active in advocating for all Senior Corps, for we are indeed, Stronger Together.

~Lynnetta
Lynnetta Kopp, NSCA President

LEGISLATIVE NEWS FLASH

Members of the House and Senate returned to Washington in early September after a 7-week hiatus to a singular agenda: spend as little time as possible in Washington in September to get back home to campaign! But first, lawmakers must find their way out of potential government shutdown and address the dreaded Zika virus.

What does this mean for Senior Corps? As we reported in August, both the House and Senate

	Appropriations Committees earlier this summer proposed Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations measures that included flat funding for Senior Corps Program. It is incumbent upon the members of NSCA and their friends, colleagues, beneficiaries, and other allies to continue to educate members of the House and Senate, and their staff, on the merits of the services provided by RSVP volunteers, Senior Companions and Foster Grandparents. - Alan Lopatin, NSCA Washington Representative
	LEGISLATIVE VISITS NSCA Board Members were busy during our few days in Washington visiting Capitol Hill and meeting with elected officials and their staff members in both the House and Senate. Here is a list of the offices we visited: Congressman Alcee Hastings (FL - 20th District) Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL - 23rd District) Congresswoman Federica Wilson (FL - 17th District) Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ - 7th District) Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX - 28th District)) Congressman Filemon Vela (TX - 34th District) Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (TX 15th District) Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR - 4th District) Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS - 4th District) Congressman Tim Walz (MN - 1st District) Senator Cory Booker (NJ) Senator Robert Menendez (NJ) Senator John McCain (AZ) Senator Jeff Flake (AZ) Senator Richard Heinrich (NM) Senator Tom Udall (NM) Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) Senator Rob Portman (OH) Senator Michael Bennett (CO) Senator Al Franken (MN) Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) Returning board member Jose Perez, through his visits with Congressman Vela and the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), was invited to attend the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Awards Gala. Jose had a great meal and saw and heard Cheech Marin, President Barack Obama, and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton.

	Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX) with NSCA Board Member Jose Perez
	AU REVOIR TO CONSTANT CONTACT After many years of using Constant Contact for membership communication, this is the last e-News that will be sent via this platform. Beginning in October, NSCA e-News will be distributed through our new web platform, Club Express. If you have enjoyed receiving e-News but are not a member, now is the time to join and continue to stay informed. Visit NSCA's Member Sign-Up page to join now!
	CNCS REQUEST We received a request from Jan Newsome at CNCS to gather information about improved health of our FGP, RSVP and SCP volunteers. If you have any stories, please share them with Jan at jnewsome@cns.gov as soon as possible. Are there volunteers in your program who believe their health has improved because of their volunteer activities? Has their blood pressure gone down? Are they more physically active than they were before volunteering? If you have such volunteers, we want to hear any anecdotal or real information that they might have shared with you or others. Tell us a little about their backgrounds their service activities and whether or not you think they might consent to an interview.

	BEST PRACTICE FGP/RSVP/SCP: Have an annual Open House for volunteer station staff and representatives. Educate about national performance measurements and stress the importance of their support/contributions to meet planned outcomes. Provide certificates of appreciation to stations/sites.
	WELCOME NEW BOARD DONNA WHITCOMB Donna has served as a Program Director for Ecumen RSVP since 2004. She is currently serving as the President for the Minnesota Senior Corps Association (MnSCA), and previously served two terms and the MnSCA Secretary. She also is the Pacific Cluster Rep. for the National Senior Corps Association board. In addition she serves as the Coordinator for the Meeker Council on Aging, for Meeker County Minnesota. Prior to her work in Senior Corps she was the Director for the Grove City Area C.A.R.E. LAH/ BNP program for four years . Donna holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration Management obtained from Southwest Minnesota State University. Donna is Minnesota native and lives on her family farm with her husband. Her two sons and their families currently run the family farm. Donna is also a certified Deputy Medical Examiner with Midwest Medical Examiners, and has been with the team for 18 years. In her spare time she enjoys music, gardening, and her three grandchildren.
	REMINDER Senior Corps project staff and stipended and nonstipended volunteers ARE permitted, by federal law, to EDUCATE their state and U.S. legislators about Senior Corps programs while charging time to CNCS. However, staff and volunteers are NOT permitted to lobby for the passage of a particular bill or budget while on federal time; but may do so on their own time.

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