OneStar’s Service Project: LifeWorks

March 18th, 2010 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

We raked and bagged leaves at LifeWorks’ Transitional Housing Center.

Here at OneStar, we recognize the importance of service as a strategy to tackle community challenges. We also recognize the value of collaboration, and the importance of strong working partnerships to help strengthen the nonprofit sector. So every few months, OneStar employees get together with two of our national service partners—the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) State Office, and Texas Center for Service Learning—for a day of volunteering and discussions.

Our most recent meeting was Friday, March 12, 2010. We spent the morning at LifeWorks, an Austin nonprofit that provides counseling, education and housing services to youth and families. We raked leaves, planted bushes, scrubbed doors and cleaned out rooftop gutters at their Transitional Living Services facility, which provides housing and case management to young adults who have aged-out of the foster care system. We truly enjoyed working on the facility, making it more welcoming for its residents. Thanks go out to Susan Akin, Steve Bewsey, Mitch Weynand and all the LifeWorks staff and residents, who made us feel so welcome during our project.

In the afternoon, our partners and several OneStar staff members listened to a fantastic presentation from Fred Lugo, Director of Travis County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), and Graham Duncan, a Travis County RSVP volunteer. Their program connects people ages 55 and over with volunteer opportunities that utilize their skills and their interests. They discussed the program’s success, stressing the importance of effectively matching volunteers to the right opportunities while also offering volunteer recognition events. Their program has around 1,100 volunteers at any given time, which they credit to positive word-of-mouth referrals.

After the Travis County RSVP presentation, three representatives from College Forward spoke: Emily Steinberg, Associate Director; Adriana Gomez, AmeriCorps*VISTA leader; and Max Arzola, AmeriCorps*State member. Steinberg talked about the origins of College Forward, and how much of their program’s success can be attributed to its unique collaboration between AmeriCorps*State and AmeriCorps*VISTA members. With 99% of its participants getting into college—a full 100% of those who have applied were admitted to four-year schools—College Forward is having tremendous social impact in the Central Texas region.

We’d like to thank everyone from Travis County RSVP and College Forward who took the time to meet with us in the afternoon. We learned a tremendous amount during both our service project and our afternoon presentations. We truly appreciated the opportunity to celebrate our partners’ successes while also getting involved and helping directly!

(Go here to view more pictures from our service project on Facebook!)

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Mark Your Calendar for Service Events and Deadlines

January 5th, 2010 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Happy New Year! As you break out your 2010 calendar, make sure you add the following events and deadlines to it. These are just some of the many service-related events going on this year:

  • January: National Mentoring Month. The Web site NationalMentoringMonth.org has information about finding mentors, serving as a mentor, partnering with mentoring organizations and more.
  • January 15: Deadline for Coccia Award Nominations. The first-annual Gladys Marinelli Coccia Award through Youth Services America honors young female social entrepreneurs. More information on eligibility is available here.
  • January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. What will you be doing for the first national service day of 2010? Find or post a project through MLKDay.gov or Serve.gov.  In addition, an online project toolkit is available at MLKMobilization.org.
  • January 29: Deadline for Disney Friends for Change Grants. Disney and Youth Service America will distribute 150 $500 grants toward projects that engage children’s service projects focusing on the environment. More information can be found here.
  • February 22: Deadline for Get Ur Good On Grants. Youth Services America and celebrity Miley Cyrus are sponsoring 100 $500 grants for youth services projects to take place on Global Youth Services Day. More information is available here. 
  • March 24-27: National Service-Learning Conference. This year, the country’s largest service-learning conference will be held in San Jose, California. Visit their Web site to learn more and to register.
  • April 18-24: National Volunteer Week. Points of Light sponsors this weeklong celebration of volunteering. Start planning your project now!
  • April 23-25: Global Youth Services Day. Be a part of the largest youth-oriented service-learning celebration in the world. Visit GYSD.org to post your project or find a project.
  • May 1: Join Hands Day. This national service day brings adults and young people together to make a difference in their communities. Go to JoinHandsDay.org to find or post a service project.
  • May 9-15: AmeriCorps Week. What are you doing for AmeriCorps Week? AmeriCorpsWeek.gov can help you find a project, post a project or get ideas for creating a project. The Web site also offers tools to help you spread the word about your AmeriCorps Week project.
  • September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Officially designated by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, this day is a nationwide opportunity to strengthen communities and bring people together through service. More information can be found on Serve.gov.
  • October 23: Make A Difference Day. USA Weekend magazine began this day of service for people of all ages. Find or post a service project through their Web site.
  • November: Family Volunteer Day. Sponsored by Disney and Points of Light, this event encourages families to get involved in volunteering together. Information on the 2009 Family Volunteer Day can be found here.
  • Various dates: Grant deadlines. Don’t forget to check ServiceWire.org for different grant opportunities and their deadlines!

Are there additional service-related dates that you have already added to your 2010 calendar? Share them with us in the Comments section!

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Projects on National Day of Service and Remembrance

September 11th, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Today is the first September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, as designated by the federal government as part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. In addition, today is also the conclusion of President Obama’s United We Serve campaign.

We would be honored if you shared your stories of service with us in the comments section:

  • Tell us how your United We Serve project went.
    • What did you or your organization do?
    • How many people were engaged?
    • What level of impact did you have together?
    • Are you are planning to continue the initiative beyond this summer?
  • Tell us about your September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance project.
    • What do you plan to do?
    • How do you hope it will benefit your community?

In addition to posting your stories of service here, please share them at Serve.gov and 911dayofservice.org.

We hope that United We Serve has encouraged you to make volunteering a part of your life, not just one summer. In addition, we hope that you find meaning and solace on this day, whether through engaging in a service project, honoring current and past military personnel, spending time with friends and loved ones or simply quietly reflecting.

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Reflecting on GVA, United We Serve and the National Day of Service

August 27th, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Recently, we chose to push the nomination deadline back for the 2009 Governor’s Volunteer Awards. This decision was not made lightly, especially as so many people had already taken the time to nominate their friends and colleagues for an award. However, the end of summer is a busy time for everyone, especially those of us who are getting ourselves or our families back to school. So we decided to offer people a little more time to craft a stellar GVA nomination package.

After careful consideration and reflection, we chose to move the deadline to coincide with the end of the United We Serve summer initiative. United We Serve concludes on September 11, which has been designated by the federal government as a National Day of Service. This day serves as a combination of remembrance for and reflection on the tragedy our nation endured eight years ago. By also serving as the culmination of a nationwide volunteer movement, we felt it should celebrate those who strive tirelessly to make our state a stronger, safer and more compassionate place to live.

We hope that you will take the time to identify a dedicated individual, group or organization in your community by submitting a GVA nomination for them. We also hope you will create or participate in a service project on the National Day of Service on Friday, September 11, that will enrich your community and bring people together to both remember our nation’s past and strengthen its future.

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Notes from the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, Part I

June 24th, 2009 - Posted by Elizabeth Darling - No Comments

The kickoff for the 2009 Conference on Volunteering and Service could not have been more appropriate. The event was bookended by First Lady Michelle Obama, passionate champion of national service, and Jon Bon Jovi, proponent of community service, philanthropy and civic engagement! The crowd of 5,000 was inspired to see reflected in our national leadership, a commitment to and acknowledgment of the power of civic engagement through service.

This year’s theme—“Civic. Energy. Generation.”—speaks to the momentum generated around the issue of civic engagement: being involved in community, and being part of the solution. This is a unique moment in our nation’s history, as national service and the power of volunteer involvement is recognized at the highest levels:

  • The White House with the President’s renewed call to service;
  • Congress and the passage of the Serve America Act;
  • Major corporations integrating robust pro bono skilled professional volunteer programs;
  • Philanthropists rethinking their funding decisions to incorporate measurable impact;
  • Social entrepreneurs implementing innovative solutions to age old problems;
  • Many nonprofits beginning to shift emphasis from symptomatic problems to root or systemic causes;
  • More K-12 schools embedding service learning into their curriculum and
  • Universities committed to infusing student service throughout the academic experience.

As Texans, we know civic engagement is the cornerstone of what makes our state great. OneStar is committed to promoting social responsibility and volunteering as indicators of the healthy communities. If you are not involved locally, consider making an investment in your community through service—it’s good for you!

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