Bonner Weekly Updates

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The Bonner Foundation staff send an email each week to our Bonner Directors, Coordinators, Partners, etc. The purpose of the email is to keep everyone informed of important Bonner announcements as well as to send information we think might be beneficial or valued by the Network.

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November 20, 2009

 

Weekly Update — November 20, 2009 

 

 

[1] AmeriCorps Reminders: ACORN Affiliate, Texting, and Pregnancy Centers

[2] Serve 2.0 Opportunity: National Day of Listening

[3] 2010 Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) Summer Internship in Washington

[4] Hekima Place Documentary

[5] Featured Bonners: Michael Austerlitz and Clifford Gardner, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

 

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[1] AmeriCorps Reminders: ACORN Affiliate, Texting, and Pregnancy Centers

 

DISCLAIMER: I realize that this might not be anyone’s favorite section of weekly announcements, but it is an important section (hence it’s top priority positioning), so please don’t skip it. Instead, sit back, relax, and get ready to learn about the Corporation’s latest proclamations:

 

Acorn Affiliates

We have received word from the Corporation for National and Community Service that AmeriCorps members are prohibited from serving at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations.  Please take a moment to review the attached list of prohibited community partners and verify that none of your AmeriCorps members are serving at any of the sites listed. 

 

Texting

Please remind your AmeriCorps members of President Obama's executive order prohibiting AmeriCorps members from texting while doing service, especially while driving.

 

Pregnancy Centers

Be sure to share with your AmeriCorps members the prohibited activities relating to service at pregnancy centers. Members may serve at pregnancy centers provided they are not involved in the following activities:

 

            1) Abortion services or referrals for such services

2) Evangelism, proselytization, or religious instruction

 

 

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[2] Serve 2.0 Opportunity: National Day of Listening

 

The Corporation for National and Community Service is teaming up with Story Corps on its 2nd Annual National Day of Listening, November 27 to highlight the value of service during this holiday season.

 The public is invited to interview every-day service heroes who help to shape the future of communities across the country—from volunteer firefighters to youth mentors to veterans returning from active duty—as part of the National Day of Listening. Woven together, these stories will help illustrate how volunteering can answer national challenges and trumpet the extraordinary acts of service that make a difference in the lives of so many Americans. Both the Corporation and Story Corps are encouraging participants to share their recordings on recommended websites (such as http://www.entertonement.com/nationaldayoflistening).

Sharing the stories you gather will not only promote your school and the Bonner Program among those who go to the site, but it might also attract the attention of media professionals who will be encouraged by the Corporation to further investigate some of the most compelling clips.

StoryCorps has provided Do-It-Yourself interview instructions to help your organization’s principals and volunteers record and upload an interview, and a tool kit with sample media material. 

For a compelling argument in favor of participation in the 2^nd Annual National Day of Listening, read my blog post on the Bonner Network Forum. Information on this initiative is also available on Bonner’s Facebook page as well as on our Twitter feed (look for bonnernetwork).

Please feel free to contact Ashley Etienne, the Corporation’s Press Secretary at 202.606.6944 if you have any questions. For Bonner-specific questions about how your school can participate in the National Day of Listening, contact Ellen Peltz (epeltz@bonner.org).

 

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[3] 2010 Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) Summer Internship in Washington

 

 Submitted by Annie Pasqua, Rider University

 

The General Board of Church and Society has announced that the deadline to apply for a 2010 Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) Summer Internship in Washington, D.C., is December 15.  The EYA program is for young adults, ages 18-22, who have an interest in exploring issues of public policy, social justice advocacy and social change.

 

Sponsored by the United Methodist Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group (IESDG) and administered by the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS), interns will work in social justice placements in the U.S. capital from May 30 to July 31, 2010.

 

IESDG is a coalition of the denomination's five racial/ethnic minority caucuses: Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA), the Native American International Caucus (NAIC), the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists (NFAAUM), and the Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists (PINCUM).

 

Interns will live in Christian community.  Work placements will be supplemented by evening intern-led devotions, Friday seminars on topics of social justice concern, area field trips and Sunday worship in area United Methodist churches. Participants must commit to participating in these activities.

 

The intern group will experience the rich diversity of The United Methodist Church by visiting a different congregation each Sunday. Congregations will reflect diversity in worship style as well as ethnicity.

 

For more information, contact the Rev. Neal Christie, assistant general secretary, Education & Leadership Formation, General Board of Church & Society, 100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, (202) 488-5611 or the Rev. L.A. McCrae, EYA coordinator, (202) 488-5644 (office) or (443) 528-5138 (mobile).

 

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[4] Hekima Place Documentary

 

Submitted by Sarah Bedison, Waynesburg University

 

The Bonner Scholars at Waynesburg University of Pennsylvania are raising awareness for those in need during their Spring 2010 “Who’s Your Neighbor?” Week. As one of the week’s events, the Bonner students will show a documentary by Josh Malenke, a student in the Waynesburg University Communications department.

 

This summer, Malenke lived and filmed at Hekima Place right outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Hekima is a girls’ orphanage for children who lost their families to HIV and AIDs in Africa. The main purpose of the orphanage is to put the girls through school; Hekima will lift these girls from the bottom of society to the very top.  But the girls need our help.

 

This spring, we will show the documentary to the student body, followed by a showing of the film Yesterday directed by Darrell James Roodt. Each student will be asked to make a donation of at least a dollar to help Hekima Place. More importantly, our students will leave the presentation with a greater view of the need in the world around them and the knowledge that they can make a difference.

 

Now, we are asking you to join us in our efforts. By showing this documentary at your college, you can help us raise funds and awareness for Hekima! Please take the time to watch this preview of our documentary. For more information or a copy of the full documentary to show at your university, please contact Sarah Bedison (724-852-3460 or sbedison@waynesburg.edu) or Sarah Markwardt (mar3354@student.waynesburg.edu) at Waynesburg University Center for Service Learning. Thank you for your time and your help!

 

View the documentary: http://waynesburgbonner.pbworks.com/Hekima-Place

 

Visit Hekima Place: www.hekimaplace.org

 

Donations can be made out to:

Hekima Place

United States Office

3304 Brookdale Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15241

 

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[5] Featured Bonners: Michael Austerlitz and Clifford Gardner, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

 

Submitted by Katie Flowers, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

 

Michale Austerlitz and Clifford Gardner conducted a workshop on Race, Class, and Gender at this year’s Bonner Congress, help at the University of Richmond, Virginia.

The workshop, according to Gardner, was "All about the ability to diversify minds" and it "looked to define these social constructs."  Both students considered the event a success as it allowed for open dialogue between Bonner Leaders from all over the country. 

 

Both students, as well as the workshop they presented, are currently featured on Hobart and William Smith’s website. To view the full story, click here.

 

Many thanks to those who have sent along your stories of Bonners doing exciting work in their communities and beyond. Keep the stories coming!