Dessert Night postponed because of weather

Circles Initiative Dessert Information Night scheduled for tonight has been postponed until Feb. 16 7 p.m. At SCCAP.  Please call Linda Patton 339-3447 x 206 to register for Feb 16 or to find out more information about our upcoming resource building training, ‘Getting Ahead IN A Just Gettin’ By World’.

Photos from SCCAP’s Winter Celebration

South Central Community Action Program is expanding

The positions listed below are currently available. For information on how to apply for any of these positions, please see the instructions at the bottom of this notice.

Employment/Training Coordinator (ETC): Will plan, direct, and execute a new jobs/training program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The ETC will select low-income unemployed participants for the program and conduct a skills and interest evaluation of selected participants. The ETC will work with local businesses, agencies, and organizations to build job training and retention opportunities, while maintaining relationships with local employers, helping to meet their employment needs. This position is currently funded through Sept. 30, 2010.

Minimum requirements: B.A./B.S. degree in Management, Human Resources, Social Work, Adult Education or related field plus 2 to 3 years relevant work experience and experience working with adult learners.

For full job description, click here: Employment Training Coordinator

SCCAP is starting a new program, Early Head Start (EHS) in March

Multiple positions available:

Assistant Health Services Coordinator (AHS): Is responsible for organizing children’s medical records and assisting in the running of Health Services. Primarily focuses on infant to 3 year olds with responsibilities in coordinating the health, dental, and nutritional needs of those children.

Minimum requirements: Nursing degree with 1 to 3 years prior related experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.

For full job description, click here: EHS-Assistant Health Services Coordinator Job Description 12-2009

Home Visitors (HV): Plans and implements weekly and ongoing developmentally appropriate plans for infants, toddlers, and their families in the family’s home. Takes a lead role in helping parents to: understand the development of their infant/toddler and grow their parenting skills, ensuring their child’s safety, and becoming more involved in their child’s education.

Minimum requirements: B.A./B.S. in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or Child Development Associate (CDA) credential for Infant and Toddler Caregivers or equivalent credential that addresses comparable competencies within one year of hire.

For full job description, click here: EHS-Home Visitor Job Description 12-2009

EHS Lead Teachers: Plans and implements weekly and ongoing developmentally appropriate plans for a group of infants to 3 year old toddlers with individualized considerations for each child in a classroom setting. Additionally, this position acts as a resource, advisor, and advocate for the parents in the areas of child development, health, education, and community resources.

Minimum requirements: B.A./B.S. in ECE or CDA credential for Infant and Toddler Caregivers or equivalent credential that addresses comparable competencies within one year of hire.

For full job description, click here: EHS-Lead Teacher Job Description 12-2009

Open positions in our Head Start (HS) program:

Education Assistant (EA): Is responsible for supporting the Education Coordinator and the education department of Head Start. The EA is responsible for arranging for classroom substitutes; assisting with classroom operations; monitoring licensing and program requirements; training and supporting teaching staff; and the early literacy program.

Minimum Requirements: B.A./B.S. in ECE or any equivalent of higher education, plus pre-school experience; or any equivalent of education, training, and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.

For full job description, click here: EDU-Education Assistant Job Description 07-2007

We offer competitive salaries that are commensurate with education and experience with an excellent benefits package. Please submit an application, cover letter and resume to: SCCAP, 1500 W. 15th Street, Bloomington, IN 47404 by February 12, 2010 at 4:30p.m. SCCAP, Inc. is an EOE agency.

For an SCCAP employment application, click here: SCCAP Employment Application Jan 2009

Help us pick the theme for SCCAP’s 45th anniversary event

UPDATE 2/3: We’ve have a new suggested theme to add to the list today. It’s “Leading the Fight Against Poverty – 45 Years of Community Action.”

Please give us your feedback on this proposed theme. We’ve added it to the poll below.

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We want your input.

The planning committee for the 45th Anniversary Celebration of the South Central Community Action Program requests your vote on the theme for this event, which will be held in late April.

This event will have several goals: (1) to raise awareness and celebrate the contributions SCCAP has made in helping low-income people over the past 45 years; (2) to thank the many people who’ve been a part of SCCAP over the years and (3) to recognize the work that’s still being done today. The audience at the event will include: (1) employees and their guests, (2) public officials and board members, (3) supporters and volunteers of SCCAP, (4) people who’ve been a part of the organization over the years, and (5) selected clients who offer success stories and/or play other important roles at SCCAP.

Given these goals, appreciate your thoughts on the best theme for our event. We’ve provided some suggestions below that have been used at similar events in other communities. If you’d like you can tell us your favorites among these possibilities (you can pick up to three choices in our poll) or you can make your own suggestions for a theme.

 

Please support our teams in Bowl for Kids Sake

Our agency is once again joining in and helping out with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl-for-Kids Sake by bowling with two teams. 

One of the teams, SCCAPPY Days, is a team that is made up from various members of different programs within our agency. Team members consist of Todd Lare, Doug Wilson, Christine Combs, Kate Scales, Dave Pankoski and Beth Pankoski.

The other team, SCCAP Head Start, is made up entirely of staff from the Head Start program. Team members consist of Eddy Riou, Abbey Bonner, Andrew Hollis, Jason Keller, Monica Miley and Bethany Terry.  

If you would like to donate and help out Big Brothers/Big Sisters, you can donate to SCCAPPY Day’s website by going to

http://2010bfkscommunity.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=336268&lis=1&kntae336268=D1EEE8816FDC4786B842902D4E00FA48&supId=0&team=3639924&cj=Y

or to SCCAP Head Start’s website by going to:  

http://2010bfkscommunity.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=336268&lis=0&kntae336268=A4FFDFB11FF24C49BD2E359EC3108DEA&team=3635372&tlteam=3635912 

To find out more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters, go to http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1539781/k.4319/Mentors__The_Largest_Youth_Mentoring_Programs_from_Big_Brothers_Big_Sisters.htm

Vote for Circles!

Greetings,  

Move the Mountain is requesting your quick help. Change.org recently launched the 2010 Ideas for Change in America competition, and Circles has been submitted under the title of ”Ending Poverty in America.” 

All you have to do is click on the link below to vote.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/ending_poverty_in_america

The top 10 voted ideas will be presented at an event in Washington, DC to relevant members of the Obama Administration, and then promoted to Change.org’s full community of more than 1 million people. So together we could have a real impact.

Thanks for the support!

SCCAP to add 50 households to wait list in Brown County

The South Central Community Action Program is opening its wait list for Section 8 housing vouchers for rental subsidies in Brown County.

This is the second time in four months that SCCAP has taken new applications for its Section 8 wait list in Brown County after previously not taking any new applications in two years. The agency will add 50 households to its wait list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Staff will be taking pre-applications at the Brown County Public Library, 205 Locust Lane on Friday 1/29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. SCCAP will stop taking applications for the vouchers once the wait list is full.

Section 8 is a program in which approved low-income households are given a voucher to find housing on their own. They pay 30 percent of their adjusted gross income toward their rent and utilities, and the federal government pays the rest.

To submit a complete application, each applicant must bring: picture ID, social security card, birth certificate, proof of income (i.e. paystubs, letters from employers, TANF/SSI/Social Security award letters), transcript for adult students, and checking and savings account information. For questions, please call 812-988-6636.

All Section 8 applicants must meet income guidelines, for instance, no more than $23,850 for an individual, $27,250 for a household of two, $30,050 for a household of three and $34,050 for a family of four.

Join the SCCAP Homeward Bound Walk Team!

The SCCAP is forming a team to walk in the 2010 Annual 5K Walk for Homeward Bound. The event will be from 11:30-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at Third Street Park.

Homeward Bound is a project of the Indiana Association for Community and Economic Development (IACED), and walks take place throughout the state. Money raised from the event goes to help people experiencing homelessness with shelter, food and other needs, and the money stays in Bloomington! Over $385,000 has been raised in Bloomington so far.

This is a great cause, so mark your calendars! If you are interested in joining the team visit  homewardboundindiana.org/Bloomington. This is the first time SCCAP is having a team, so let’s make it a success!

SCCAP presents employee awards at Winter Celebration

SCCAP presented its annual employee awards Saturday at its Winter Celebration at KRC Banquents and Catering. The winners, along with the remarks read at Saturday’s event, included:

Shining Star Award – Director of Operations Chris Myers

“This year’s winner of the Shining Star Award is Director of Operations Chris Myers. The focus of this award is on internal improvement. Chris is a terrific example of someone who exemplifies the criteria for this award. She shows initiative with whatever needs to be done and has a can-do attitude. She is a positive person who is always willing to help other employees. And she is exceptionally dependable.

“Chris was a leader this year in guiding the Weatherization Department to a very successful year. This department, which Chris oversees, was one of the few in the entire state to meet its first quarter goal for the number of homes weatherized with Recovery Act funds. Chris has also volunteered to take a leadership role in the Brown County long-term recovery from the flooding of 2008. In addition, she played an important role in managing SCCAP opening its wait list for Section 8 vouchers for the first time in a couple of years, and she has taken on projects such as planning for more parking at our Bloomington office and finding and eliminating the sewer gas leaking into our building.

“For all of these things and more, we’re proud to present this year’s Shining Star Award to Chris Myers.”

Making a Difference Award – Circles Coach Linda Patton and IDA Coordinator Kelly Walter

“We have two winners this year of the Making a Difference Award, which recognizes staff who have made a positive difference for agency clients and families, and have performed exemplary work.

“One of the winners is IDA Coordinator Kelly Walter. Kelly, as has been noted by state officials, runs the best Individual Development Accounts program in the state. This program has been essential in the lives of many people in our four-county area, allowing them to buy homes, start businesses or go back to school. Kelly currently manages more than 240 IDA bank accounts in one of the largest programs in the state. She has shown her strong commitment to making a difference for IDA participants. In the other half of Kelly’s job doing accounting work for the agency, she also does outstanding work, with a real nose to the grindstone work ethic.

“Our other winner is Circles Coach Linda Patton. Just being around Linda for a few minutes, you can see her deep commitment to helping the low-income Circle Leaders who are working to make a permanent transition out of poverty. She is constantly talking with them, helping them solve problems, and always sounds like she’s talking to a personal friend. With her outgoing personality and big heart, she spends many extra hours helping the Circle Leaders with whatever is happening in their lives, whether it’s a car that suddenly needs a new transmission or a family problem. In keeping with the mission of the Circles Initiative, Linda encourages the Circle Leaders to take ownership of these situations and develop a plan, while she is a resource to assist them. She also provides opportunities for them to contribute to the community and help others, as they are being helped themselves.

Above and Beyond Award – Director of Head Start Shirley Stumpner

“Our winner of the Above and Beyond Award is Director of Head Start Shirley Stumpner. This award is just as it sounds. It’s for a staff member who goes above and beyond, for instance by taking on new projects, by enhancing the agency’s image, by creating new programs, or by increasing agency funding to serve our clients.

“Shirley has done all of these things in the past year. In particular, she has played a critical role in securing funding for major expansions of SCCAP’s Head Start program. Her efforts have allowed SCCAP to open two new classrooms for its existing Head Start program and to create a new Early Head Start program that will serve children from birth to three years old. She and her staff spent many extra hours to plan and put together grant applications for these programs, as well as for a new bus, a play structure and SCCAP’s Fatherhood Initiative. These are major contributions to our agency that will have a positive impact on many lives in Monroe County.

“We thank Shirley for going above and beyond in 2009.”

In addition to these annual awards, some of SCCAP’s employees got together to present a special award this year:

True Leader Award – Executive Director Todd Lare

“The inscription on this award states that, ‘A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. One does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of their actions and the integrity of their intent. In the end, leaders are like eagles…they don’t flock, you find them one at a time.’

The recipient of this award has worked effortlessly in turning the agency around by improving the professionalism and productivity in many areas of the agency, especially in the financial management area, which is critical to the operation of the agency and our reputation in the community, as well as with our funding sources.

Our agency’s mission statement states that “we exist to provide opportunities for low-income citizens to move toward personal and economic independence.” Still in the early stages of it’s development, the Circles Initiative, under the direction of tonight’s recipient, has redirected the agency back to our mission statement where it allows SCCAP to truly live and achieve its mission of helping people to become economically and socially self-sufficient.

When federal or state policies have not been in the best interest of low-income people in Indiana, this recipient has publicly stood up for our agency and the clients that we serve. Whether working with public officials, funding sources or agency staff, this recipient has stood up for his principles and consistently strived to do the right thing, even when he knew it would not be popular or easy.

It is with our sincere gratitude that we present our Executive Director, Todd Lare, with the True Leader Award for his service to the agency.”

Congratulations to each of you for these much-deserved honors!

Chris Myers receives the Shining Star Award

We’ll have more about the Winter Celebration Tuesday on Inside SCCAP, but for now, we’d like to give our thanks to the Culture Team for its outstanding work in organizing this event. The picture below shows the beautiful room where the dinner was held.

SCCAP to add 50 households to Section 8 wait list in Owen County

The South Central Community Action Program is opening its wait list for Section 8 housing vouchers for rental subsidies in Owen County.

This is the second time in four months that SCCAP has taken new applications for its Section 8 wait list in Owen County after previously not taking new applications for three years. The agency will add 50 households to its wait list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Staff will be taking pre-applications at the Owen County Public Library, 10 S. Montgomery St., on Monday 1/25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Section 8 is a program in which approved low-income households are given a voucher to find housing on their own. They pay 30 percent of their adjusted gross income toward their rent and utilities, and the federal government pays the rest.

To submit a complete application, each applicant must bring: picture ID, social security card, birth certificate, proof of income (i.e. paystubs, letters from employers, TANF/SSI/Social Security award letters), transcript for adult students, and checking and savings account information. For questions, please call 812-829-2279.

All Section 8 applicants must meet income guidelines, for instance, no more than $23,850 for an individual, $27,250 for a household of two, $30,050 for a household of three and $34,050 for a family of four.

Head Start profiled in video

Hello all!

It’s Lauren again. I’m back from break and back at SCCAP. Before break, though, for my final project in my visual communications class, I made a video profiling Head Start and all they do. Take a look!

http://journalism.indiana.edu/syllabi/ccookman/j210/pages/gallery/lesedam/video.html

The video may be a little jumpy because the file is SO big, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

New Head Start bus is here

A new, $56,346 Head Start bus has arrived thanks to a grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The upgrade, said SCCAP Head Start Transportation Coordinator Kathy Potts, was needed. Previously, the program used a 13-year-old 1997 wheelchair accessible bus.

Potts said this bus was incurring five to seven times more maintenance costs than newer models. Additionally, parts were becoming harder to find, as the manufacturer went out of business.

The new bus is a 2010, 27-passenger model equipped with a wheelchair lift and tie downs as well as a “tracked” floor that can secure either a wheelchair or removable seats.

The bus also contains more advanced mirrors and defrosters, as well as lighting and cooling systems.

The most important aspect, Potts said, is how tailored the bus is to the needs of kids. It has a Child Alert System, which tells drivers that all children who have boarded have also departed. Additionally, it has seats specially made for children’s smaller size, which will boost safety.

Potts says this bus will be more cost-effective and help better serve the children using it overall.

“We are very privileged and thankful to have been awarded this grant to purchase a new bus,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Winter Celebration for SCCAP employees this Saturday

It’s almost time for the South Central Community Action Program’s annual employee Winter Celebration, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 6:00 pm – 11:30 pm at KRC Banquets and Catering.

If you haven’t already submitted your RSVP, please do so by Thursday, January 21.

Employee price is $5.00 and $10.00 additional if you bring a guest.

We look forward to seeing all of you there!

Monroe County Low-Income Election on Jan. 21

An election to pick a new low-income representative from Monroe County on the SCCAP Board of Directors will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 21 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Any low-income adults in Monroe County are invited to participate in this election.

SCCAP Head Start classes closed today

With the closing of Monroe County schools today – Friday, Jan. 8 – because of inclement weather, all SCCAP Head Start classes are also closed for the second straight day.

SCCAP Head Start expansion classes open today

Tracy Campbell, Lead Teacher at the new St. Paul Head Start site, shares a snack with her students Tuesday afternoon

SCCAP Head Start had its first day of class today after the holiday break.

That meant it was also the first day for two new classes created with the Head Start expansion grant that SCCAP received as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. One of the new classes is at a new Head Start site at St. Paul United Methodist Church on W. Third Street. The other is at the existing Arlington Head Start site.

These two new classes raise SCCAP’s Head Start enrollment from 232 children to 267 3-5 year-olds served each day in Monroe County. This does not include the infant through 3-year-olds that will be served in SCCAP’s Early Head Start program, which will begin this summer.

The new Head Start site at St. Paul United Methodist Church

New e-mail addresses at SCCAP

Email addresses at SCCAP were changed today. The old domain names, @sccap.monroe.in.us and @headstart.bloomington.in.us were both changed to @insccap.org.

This means, for instance, that my email address, which used to be doug@sccap.monroe.in.us, is now doug@insccap.org.

These changes coincide with an upcoming new website for SCCAP that will have the address insccap.org. You may have noticed that the old SCCAP website is available at that new address now.

For any questions about the new e-mail addresses, contact Beth Pankoski at 339-3447, ext. 233. Beth has distributed a memo to SCCAP staff that gives further explanation of this change.

CASI turns eatery into Head Start site

Here’s a story from the News-Tribune about how one of our fellow Indiana CAP agencies, Community Action of Southern Indiana, is spending close to $1.95 million in stimulus funds. One of the programs and projects these funds are being used to support is a new Head Start site in Sellersburg that used to be a restaurant.

http://www.news-tribune.net/clarkcounty/local_story_362230030.html?keyword=secondarystory

Not everyone enjoys peaceful winter day in Bloomington

As some of us are back in the office this week for another holiday-shortened week, it’s a peaceful day in Bloomington. IU students are out of town. Many of our co-workers and friends are still on vacation.

And it’s a cold day with a layer of snow on the ground. In contrast to the hoards of pre-Christmas shoppers, there aren’t many people on the roads today. It just doesn’t seem like much is happening in B-town.

But in our lobby at SCCAP, it’s a different story. We’ve had quite a crowd of people here seeking various types of assistance since early this morning. There was a story in the Herald-Times this morning about local agency leaders expecting to see greater needs for help in 2010.

It feels that way here today. While many people across the country are hoping for an economic recovery that will allow them to go back to leading their secure middle-class lives, what we see at SCCAP are people who likely were already struggling and have seen their lives become only more difficult with the recession. Job opportunities are scarce and the cost of living in Bloomington is still expensive. We see people every day having to make hard choices between such necessities as paying their rent and utilities, feeding themselves and buying medicine they need. We’re also seeing some formerly self-sufficient people who’ve never had to seek assistance from SCCAP before. And it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better at this point.

At SCCAP, we’re fortunate to be here to help those in need, and particularly to try to help them get back on a path where they can support themselves financially. We’re appreciative that the Obama Administration has provided us with more resources to do this job. But we still wish our lobby wasn’t so full and that there weren’t so many people struggling just to get by. They don’t get a holiday from worrying about being without power, without food or medicine, or without a place to live. There is no peace in their lives.

Being poor could be the greatest health burden

From the LA Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/12/being-poor-could-could-be-the-greatest-health-burden.html