Administrative Announcements
July Time Sheets and Exits
College Student Bonners who enrolled in Fall 08 need to be exited from AmeriCorps as soon as possible. Please meet with your Bonner AmeriCorps members and collect their exit paperwork. If you do not believe one of your College Students is on track to finish his or her hours please contact Becky (rgrinstead@bonner.org) right away to discuss a plan of action. July AmeriCorps Time Sheets are due to the Foundation at this time.
Upcoming Events and Program Calendar
RESPONSE REQUIRED: NJBLP Full-Time and Part-Time Member Training Calendar
For all Directors and site supervisors of Full-Time and Part time members, we here at the Foundation are working hard to create a comprehensive Full Time and Part-Time Member Training Calendar. We would like to be considerate of your members' time and provide the most effective supplemental training to their normal area of service. In this vain, if you have a Full Time or Part Time AmeriCorps member at your campus/agency, please fill out the following survey by the end of this week: Director Feedback on 2009-2010 FT/PT Member Training Calendar and direct all further feedback to Becky at rgrinstead@bonner.org. We would like to release this calendar by next week's Weekly Update (ie. on Wednesday August 5th). Please fill out the survey as soon as possible. Thanks so much!
SAVE THE DATE: The next NJBLP Full-Time and Part Time Member Training session will most likely be on Wednesday August 26th.
Thank you!: NJBLP Director's Meeting July 23rd at The College of New Jersey
Thanks to everyone who came to the Annual Grantee Meeting last Thursday! (It was a great day, even for all of the rain!!) For links to the websites of our guest speakers and for online versions of the documents on your flash drive, click here: 2009 NJBLP Grantee Meeting.
Farmer's Against Hunger, Isle's, and Grow-A-Row present "People Feeding People"
The 2009-2010 NJBLP Program Calendar is Here!
Please check out the 2009-2010 NJBLP Program Calendar for important required and optional NJ AmeriCorps Program Dates for this Fall and Spring by clicking here: NJBLP Program Calendar 09-10.
Important things to note about this year: There is no NJBLP Launch, instead we are holding a NJBLP Summit on the weekend of October 30th and 31st. Also, please see announcement above for NJBLP Full-Time and Part-Time Member Training Calendar.
Pick Two Members to be a Part of the NJ BLP Summit Planning Committee
The NJ BLP Summit is on October 30th and 31st at the New Jersey School of
Conservation (a state forest!) in Branchville, NJ.
This year, in place of the NJBLP Launch, we are hosting the NJBLP Summit, a two day conference (with overnight accommodations) of
workshops and training sessions around issues facing New Jersey and how Bonners are addressing these issues through service. Please select one or two of your AmeriCorps members to be a part of the NJBLP Summit Planning Committee members and send their names and contact information to Becky at rgrinstead@bonner.org. The first Planning Committee Meeting will on August 28th, 2009.
August 11th Reception for Art Space at HomeFront
ART RECEPTION!
For HomeFront’s ArtSpace.
Date: August 11th
Time: 7pm
Location: Triumph Brewery
138 Nassau St
Princeton, NJ 08534
The Art Space at HomeFront
This innovative art program at HomeFront draws on creativity, while promoting socialization, creative-confindence and self-expression of women who are often the “forgotten” members of society. By encouraging our women to tap into their creativity, we can help them open new doors to new ways of thinking, living, and exploring. The results often amaze the aspiring artists themselves – revealing the full voice of their ability to express themselves. The Pinnacle of art is the art completely captivating someone else’s attention. That is the joy and art of art!
Training and Enrichment Opportunities
13th Annual Community Food Security Coalition Conference
Dates: October 10-13, 2009
Place: Polk County Convention Center, Des Moines, Iowa
The Community Food Security Coalition is a non-profit, North American organization dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times. We seek to develop self-reliance among all communities in obtaining their food and to create a system of growing, manufacturing, processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based.
The Community Food Security Coalition’s annual conference is the nation’s primary food systems networking and educational event. More than 700 participants will gather in Des Moines for four days of presentations, workshops, networking opportunities, local foods, and a variety of field trips around the state. For more information check out: http://www.communityfoodconference.org.
If you are interested in sending an NJ AmeriCorps Full-Time members to this conference. Please email cfoell@bonner.org right away.
Mexican Cooking Class at Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen
CPR and First Aid Certification
If you are interested in having your members attend an American Redcross CPR/First Aid Certification class this summer, please email Becky at rgrinstead@bonner.org. Details below:
Dear Americorps Members,
The International Institute of New Jersey, located in Jersey City, would
like to host a training by the American Red Cross to have
all participants receive a certificate in CPR and First Aid. The cost of
the training would be $60.00 and it would take a total of
6 hours, possibly divided up into a 3 hour two-day training. If you are
interested in attending this training at IINJ and become
CPR and First Aid certified, please respond to this email and let us
know of your interest so we can then inform the American Red
Cross of how many participants we can anticipate. Further details will
then be given shortly.
For more details, please visit: http://www.redcrossnnj.org
Volunteer Opportunities
Earn AmeriCorps Hours at a Block Party in Trenton this Thursday
Partner with Get SET AmeriCorps Members & The City of Trenton to host the Annual Take it to the Streets Block Party. Over 250 attended in 2008!!! Volunteers are needed to help out with Games, Face Painting, and a 17 1/2 foot Water Slide!!!
Date: Thursday, July 30, 2009 4:00 - 8:00
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church
1140 Greenwood Ave., Trenton, NJ 08609
Contact Rev. Karen Hernández-Granzen for more information and to sign up to volunteer!
609-695-8025
Visit Website: WPCTrenton.googlespages.com
August 8th is Riverpalooza!
Show your support for clean water this summer by volunteering with NJPIRG's Community Water Watch, an AmeriCorps program. Help clean up a local waterway as part of Riverpalooza, our state-wide river cleanup day, on Saturday, August 8th.
Sign up online at
http://njwaterwatch.org/riverpalooza
We have answered the President's Call to Serve and we're calling on you to join us. Taking the time to volunteer will help us clean up a waterway for the betterment of the community and highlight the need to better protect and restore our waterways for future generations.
You can sign up for one our many cleanup locations or host your own cleanup site. So far we have cleanup sites organized in Newark, Trenton, New Brunswick, Green Brook, Highland Park and Toms River. But our goal is to have every New Jersey county represented with a cleanup site, from Sussex County all the way down to Cape May. So we need you to get involved and help us make a difference this summer!
We know its summer break and you're busy with other activities. But we're hoping you can take one day to pick up a trash bag and lend a hand. Your participation made Earth Day a huge success - let's make Riverpalooza just as big and turn it into an annual summer event!
Every cleanup we do makes a difference. Plus it's going to be fun! We will be providing food and live music and guest speakers.
Job and Internship Opportunities
Job Opening at the Bonner Foundation: Program Associate for National Bonner Americorps
The Bonner Foundation and The College of New Jersey are pleased to announce a job opening that is ideal for a Bonner graduate. The Program Associate position is a two-year fellowship based at the Bonner Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey. The Program Associate is responsible for campus support and AmeriCorps management working closely with Ariane Hoy and Christen Foell.
Applicants should email a cover letter and resume to jobs@bonner.org.
Rider University: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS LIFE FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Rider University seeks an Assistant Director of Campus Life for Service Learning to coordinate and provide administrative leadership to the growing service learning initiatives at the University. Major direct tasks will involve coordination of participants and resources associated with a four-year service learning project supported by a grant from the Bonner Foundation; creation of a "culture of service" at Rider University and assisting in the creation of an intentional developmentally based four-year program in service learning that is open to every undergraduate with the objective of equipping Rider students with the skills, knowledge, and experience to continue their commitment to service and social justice throughout their adult life.
Successful candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two years experience working with student volunteers in community agencies. Master’s degree preferred in counseling, human service or related field. Must possess demonstrated organizational and communication skills; the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse populations; a conceptual understanding of development and service learning theory; an understanding and appreciation of diverse learning styles; and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty.
For more information on this position and for application instructions, please visit our website at www.rider.edu/hr, ‘Employment Opportunities’. Position #: 712006.
Rider University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to excellence through diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, handicap/disability, Vietnam-era/disabled veteran status, or any other non-job related criteria.
New Jersey AmeriCorps Bonner Leader Recovery Corps is Looking for Applicants
There are three positions left in the NJ AmeriCorps Bonner Leader Recovery Corps:
1 Full-Time Position at Habitat for Humanity
1 Full-Time Position at HomeFront
For more information contact rgrinstead@bonner.org or submit resumes to njamericorps@bonner.org.
AmeriCorps Alumni Sought for Prestigious Eli Segal Fellowship
Washington, DC—The Corporation for National and=2 0Community Service is seeking applications from former AmeriCorps members who are interested in serving as the 2009-2010 Eli Segal Fellow, a year-long leadership opportunity to help advance national service policy, operations, and strategy from the Office of the CEO at Corporation headquarters.
This prestigious fellowship was created in 2006 to honor the legacy of Eli Segal, who was a key architect of the 1993 national service legislation and served as the first CEO of the Corporation from 1993 to 1995. Segal died in February 2006.
The fellowship is open to AmeriCorps alumni who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, drive, and commitment to national service, and who are committed to advancing the mission and goals of the Corporation. The duties of the selected fellow will include helping to advance the mission of national service and the strategic goals of the Corporation while working closely with the CEO on projects that benefit the national service field.
The 2009-2010 fellow will serve at moment of strong momentum for the Corporation and the larger service and volunteering movement. President Obama has made service a ce ntral cause of the Presidency and has called on all Americans to make service a part of their daily lives. The President’s strong focus has resulted in several early achievements, including record turnout on the Martin Luther King Day of Service, Recovery Act funding to support 13,000 new AmeriCorps members, passage of the landmark Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, and the launch of the United We Serve initiative.
The fellowship offers the opportunity for career development and gaining a first-hand understanding of national service and the workings of a Federal agency. The fellowship will last for a term of not more than 13 months beginning in September 2009 and includes a $27,000 salary, plus benefits.
Eligible applicants for the fellowship include all AmeriCorps alums who served full-time in the past three years. Exceptions to the three-year limit may be made for candidates who have been in school full-time since serving in AmeriCorps, or who have been in military or other national service such as the Peace Corps. The Segal family will be represented in the selection process.
The deadline to apply for the Eli Segal Fellowship is July 31. For further information, application instructions, and frequently asked questions, please visit:www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/09_0713_eli_segal.htm. For questions, please email elisegalfellowship@cns.gov. Visit https://applicationmanager.gov/Login.aspx?VacancyID=263049 to apply online.
On July 23, 2009, there will be a conference call dedicated to answering questions about the fellowship from 4 PM to 5 PM Eastern Time. Potential applicants should call the toll free number 888-769-9419 and enter passcode 9527552 to join.
The Corporatio n for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation engages four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit NationalService.gov
Bonner Program Highlights!
Learning to End Hunger Campaign
This Fall a collaboration of Rutgers University, the New Jersey Higher Education Service Learning Consortium, and the New Jersey AmeriCorps Bonner Leader Program is launching the Learning to End Hunger Campaign. Four Full-Time AmeriCorps members will be coordinating much of this effort, organizing Bonner schools and other New Jersey Higher Education Institutions around the following issues:
Farm to School/Community Gardens
Community Food Assessments
Food Stamp Outreach
Emergency Food Sustainability
For more information, contact rgrinstead@bonner.org
New Brunswick Community Farmers Market
New Jersey AmeriCorps Member Paul Helms has been working with Elijah's Promise and Johnson and Johnson to launch a New Brunswick Community Farmer's Market, making fresh, healthly food options accessible to downtown New Brunswick Residents!
Past Weeklies
July 20th-24th, 2009
July 27th - 31st, 2009