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News
Alerts - Information
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The monthly
National Senior
Corps Association
update for all FGP,
RSVP, and SCP
Directors,
volunteers and
friends. |
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NSCA Board
Welcomes
Megan
McCarthy |
NSCA
is honored
to
announce
that
Megan
McCarthy,
RSVP
Director
of San
Francisco
and
Alameda
Counties,
has
accepted
her
appointment
to the
NSCA
Board as
the RSVP
Representative
from the
Pacific
Cluster. Megan
replaces
Ann
Hammond,
who
retired
last
month. If
you're
from the
Pacific
Cluster,
please
contact
Megan
at
mmccarthy@ncphs.org
to
express
ideas
and
concerns that
may be
addressed
by NSCA.
Welcome
Megan!
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Budget
Update |
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Before
Congress
left
Washington,
they
passed a
Continuing
Resolution
(CR)
that will
fund
Senior
Corps
programs,
as well
as other
programs
and
agencies
across
the
federal
government,
at
fiscal
2008
levels
through
March 6,
2009. This
ensures
that
Senior
Corps
programs
can
continue
to
operate
uninterrupted,
at
current
FY 2008
funding
levels
through
March
6. Before
the CR's
expiration
date,
Congress
will
begin
working
on a
final
budget
for the
rest of
FY
2009.
The
National
Senior
Corps
Association
will be,
and has
been,
weighing
in with
the
Appropriations
Committees
as they
determine
funding
levels
for
Senior
Corps
programs
going
forward
from
March
2009.
NSCA
will
continue
to keep
you
updated.
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Over-Income
Allowance:
What it
means for
FGP and SCP |
The 2008
Senior Corps
Project
Directors
Survey
indicated
that
one-third of
FGP and SCP
project
directors
were unsure
how
legislation
on
over-income
allowance
could affect
their
programs.
Here's a
brief
overview:
The GIVE Act
that was
narrowly
defeated
this
past summer
by one House
vote
contained a
provision to
allow up to
15% of a
program's
Volunteer
Service Year
level to be
over-income
and still
receive the
non-taxable
stipend. This
provision
would be
optional at
the program
level and
would not
allow the
replacement
of
low-income
seniors
participating
in the
program.
NSCA
envisions
that the
state CNCS
offices
would be
involved in
giving a
program the
green light
to recruit
and utilize
over-income
volunteers.
If a program
had a
waiting list
of
volunteers
that were
income-eligible,
then the
flexibility
would not be
needed in
that
program. The
intension of
the
provision is
to provide
flexibility
to programs
when
recruitment
of
low-income
volunteers
is a major
challenge,
when
stipends are
under-expended,
and when
they are in
jeopardy of
losing
funding.
Having a
limited
number of
over-income
volunteers
could allow
programs to
utilize the
experience
of retired
teachers,
for
instance,
who would
not meet
income
guidelines
but desired
the intense
level of
service
performed by
Foster
Grandparents.
Such
volunteers
might work
closely with
and provide
additional
training to
a targeted
group of
Foster
Grandparents
to better
meet the
needs of
learning-disabled
students.
Likewise, a
Senior
Companion
program
could
utilize the
skills of a
retired
health care
professional serving
together as
part of a
team
alongside
other Senior
Companions. Such
volunteers
could, for
instance,
provide on-going
and
specialized
training to
Senior
Companions
working with
persons with
Alzheimer's
and
dementia.
NSCA
remains
strongly
committed
to
continuing
volunteer
opportunities
within
FGP and
SCP
programs
for
limited-income
volunteers
while
responding
to
requests
from
project
directors
nationwide
for more
flexibility.
As
always,
NSCA
invites
feedback
and
comments
from
members.
Please
share
your
thoughts
on the
NSCA
Forum in
the
Members
Only
section
of the
NSCA
website:
www.nscatogether.org.
NSCA
remains
committed
to
representing
you and
your
program
on key
legislative
issues.
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Criminal
Background
Check Update |
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As you
know,
NSCA has
been
working
in
collaboration
with the
National
Mentoring
Partnership
in
support
of the
Child
Protection
Improvements
Act.
The bill
includes authorizing
a fee of
no more
than $25
for FBI
background
checks.
Congressional
champions
committed
to
ultimate
passage
of the
Child
Protection
Improvements
Act
managed
to
secure a
full
one-year
extension
of the
SafetyNET
criminal
background
check
pilot.
Since
SafetyNET
pilot
program
was
created,
over
40,000
background
checks
have
been
performed.
Of
these
volunteer
applicants,
6.1%
were
found
to
have
criminal
backgrounds
that
rendered
them
potentially
unfit
to
work
with
children,
including
sexual
crimes
against
youth.
Nearly
40%
had
moved
across
state
lines
with
the
hope
of
leaving
their
records
of
conviction
behind
and
once
again
having
unfettered
access
to
children.
Thank
you
to
all
the
FGP
and
RSVP
project
directors
who
contacted
their
legislators
in
support
of
this
bill!
Your
time
and
effort
will
benefit
programs
nationwide.
For
more
information
about
this
bill
and
the
SafetyNet
program,
please
refer
to
the
Members
Only
section
of
the
NSCA
website:
www.NSCAtogether.org.
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New Report
Provides
Recommendations
for Senior
Service |
"More to
Give -
Tapping
the
Talents
of the
Baby
Boomer,
Silent,
and
Greatest
Generations"
is the
title of
a new
report
from
Civic
Enterprises,
LLC,
containing
new
research
on and
recommendations
for
Senior
Service. Among
the
issues
reported
are the
transformative
effect
that Baby
Boomers
can have
on our
society
because
of their
sheer
numbers; the
barriers
and
motivations
of
volunteers;
incentives
for
volunteering,
e.g.
Silver
Scholarships;
and
the potential
to
increase
volunteering among
specific
demographic
groups. A
section
of the
report
discusses
the need
to
expand
Senior
Corps,
as well
as the
need to
reform
Senior
Corps
legislation
regarding
age and
income
eligiblity.
You can
read the
entire
report
here:
http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/aarp_moretogive.pdf
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... your
voice heard
in
Washington
multiplied
by over
1,300
projects
nationwide?
... your
volunteers'
voices
heard in
Washington
multiplied
by more
than
550,000
volunteers
nationwide?
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Join
NSCA
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Enter
Drawing
for
Free
Laptop
Computer
by
Joining NSCA
|
The
deadline
is
quickly
approaching
to join
NSCA
and have
your
named
entered
in a
drawing
for a
free
laptop
computer.
If
you've
already
joined
NSCA
this
year,
your
name has
been
entered.
If you
haven't,
you have
until
October
31,
2008, to
join.
The
winner
will be
announced
December
1, 2008.
Note:
NSCA
Board
members
or
their
staff
are
not
eligible
for
the
drawing.
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YOUR program
cannot
afford to be
unrepresented.
WE can
no
longer
afford
to act
as single
Senior
Corps
programs.
WE are a
Senior
Corps
family -
helping
each
other,
expecting
the best
from
each
other,
defending
each
other,
learning
from
each
other.
NSCA
needs
your
membership
to carry
your
voice to
Washington.
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NSCA
provides
more
detailed
information
on issues
affecting
Senior Corps
in the
Members Only
Section of
the NSCA
website.
Visit
www.NSCAtogether.org. |
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Fred Lugo,
President, Texas
(RSVP); Camellia
Pisegna, Vice-President, Michigan
(SCP/FGP); Jody
Steinhardt, Secretary, New
York (SCP); Normalyn
Powers, Treasurer, Massachusettes
(RSVP); Dwight
Rasmussen, Immediate
Past-President, Utah
(FGP/SCP); Katy
Allen, New
York (FGP/SCP); Suzette
Boydston, Oregon
(SCP); Cheryl
Christmas, Washington
D.C. (FGP); Sue
Conner, New
Hampshire (At Large); Ann
Hammond, California
(RSVP); Nancy Hess, New
Jersey (RSVP); Jackie
Johnson, Minnesota
(FGP); Angela
Kocher, West
Virginia (RSVP); Janice
Laws,Oklahoma (FGP);
Anne Marie Mann,
Ohio
(RSVP/FGP/SCP); Jolene
Niernberger, Kansas
(FGP/SCP); Jose
Perez, Texas
(SCP);
John
Pribyl, Minnesota
(FGP/SCP);
Dolores
Schwertner, Texas
(RSVP);
Sherry
Shively, Arkansas
(SCP); Diana
Slais, California
(FGP/SCP); Debra Smith, Arizona
(At Large)
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This
NSCA newsletter is brought to you
by the 2008-2010 National Senior
Corps Association Board of
Directors.
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NSCA
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01201
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