From: Chuck Bean & Eduardo Romero, The Nonprofit Roundtable
Date: May 7, 2006
Re: Roundtable Events; Members-In-The-News; Welcome Ross Ashley (National Children's Center) and Walter Smith (DC Appleseed)

Sponsored by:

Roundtable Events & Notes
June 8: The Roundtable's Annual Meeting will start with breakfast at 8:00am, the meeting will run from 8:45am-9:15am, followed by a DC Mayoral Candidates Forum at 9:30am (co-sponsored with The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region).

You can RSVP here for either or both the Meeting and the Forum. DC Appleseed's competition, Solving DC Problems, will highlight winning solutions to the Mayoral Candidates. DC Appleseed's competition to collect DC residents' solutions to DC problems has received press in the Washington Post, WAMU, and the Washington Business Journal (April 21-27).

Daring To Lead: The Roundtable co-hosted 'Daring To Lead' in April with the Meyer Foundation and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. (The Washington Post and The Examiner and a press release described the event.) The Meyer Foundation announced their new Exponent Award as part of their 'Rewarding Leadership' initiative. The Award "will recognize strong and effective nonprofit leaders with a track record of accomplishment who have the potential for future growth and development." The deadline is June 15. Information is online.

Member Transition

Anne Heald is the new Interim President at Washington Grantmakers.

Members in the News
Alternative House was among the organizations organizing Culmore Clean Up volunteers to clean the Culmore neighborhood and streets, according to the Falls Church News.

America Online and Greater DC Cares are hosting Servathon on May 20, "the region's largest day of community service." Information and registration available online.

The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area will host the American Red Cross Capitol Hill Day, an event that will focus on educating, training, and recruiting volunteers with Members of Congress, according to a press release. "Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope."

The Arlington Community Foundation celebrated their fifth annual gala, according to the Falls Church News.

Arthritis Foundation, Metro DC Chapter's holds its 2006 Arthritis Walk at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Audubon Naturalist Society's Neal Fitzpatrick challenged the Maryland State Highway Administration's environmental study on the Intercounty Connector highway in both the Baltimore Sun and The Gazette. Neal said, "''We're calling on the federal EPA to reject the environmental impact statement as incomplete, inadequate and biased in favor of the ICC."

Bread For The City's George Jones is among the panelists for Tighten the Reins on your Nonprofit Organization on May 10, sponsored by the Washington Business Journal. Bread for the City's Legal Clinic Coordinator wrote an op-ed piece, 'Leave No Child Behind, Except if a Parent Is Disabled' in the Washington Post.

Bright Beginnings was featured on in a piece by WUSA9. ""We like to say when the children leave Bright Beginnings they are ready to go into any situation. The name of the school is indicative of what happens. DC Bright Beginnings offers hope to those who had none, providing a fresh start for the children as well as the parent."

Capital Area Food Bank was included in a story about junk food in food banks, in the Washington Times. "Maybe half of our donations are snacks or less-nutritional foods -- cookies, crackers, pudding", said Brian. Also, CAFB hosted Metropolitan Area Hunger Conference in April. Separately, CAFB's Blue Jean Ball was featured in the Common Denominator.

Carpenter's Shelter was featured on NBC4's "What's Working" segment and included interviews with staff and clients.

Catholic Community Services' Immigration Legal Services work was profiled and how they might be affected by pending policy changes, in the Catholic Explorer.

CentroNia's "BB" Otero was cited in an article about the challenges of having sufficient tutors placed provided to school children, in the Washington Times. She said, "Systems have to build infrastructures to manage something like this."

Child and Family Network Centers was included in 'Preschool Space is at a Premium; New Sites Hard to Find in Area' in the Washington Post. CFNC, "which has about 150 children on a waiting list, has not been able to find new locations. If it doesn't by June, the 32 children at the centers slated to close will have to go back on the waiting list."

Coalition for the Homeless and Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative are involved in planning and implementing a $350,000 project approved by the D.C. Council last week to hire and train homeless and low-income District residents to clean the U Street corridor and Shaw neighborhoods, according to the Washington Post.

Community Family Life Services presents its third in a series of Community Roundtables on May 17 with a focus on their new report: A City of Lifelong Learning: How A Comprehensive Lifetime Education Strategy Can Help Fight Poverty in Washington DC. Contact: JoAnn Murchison at 202-347-0511, ext. 410, email jmurchison@cflsdc.org.

Community Foundation for the National Capital Region's most recent fund, the Creative Communities Fund, was featured in The Examiner. The idea is to increase relationships between local artists and their communities. "It's a natural partnership, because artists are a crucial part of community life and they work in diverse settings," says Silvana Straw.
The Community Foundation is accepting applications for 2006-07 Spirit of Giving Guide. This year's Guide will highlight 15 extraordinary nonprofits that are improving the achievement of middle school youth. RFP's available online.

DC Hunger Solutions' innovative Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital was featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, WAMU, The Examiner, and a press release. There was also a favorable editorial in the Washington Post. Kim Perry said, "it's high-impact change that really matters and affects children's and families' lives in a very positive way." Separately, Kim said she is working with the Korean American Grocers Association to make healthier foods available at neighborhood convenience stores, according to the Washington Post. Great leadership, Kim!

Dance Place presents its annual DanceAfrica festival June 5-11 and is looking for volunteers; contact Sylvia Soumah at (202) 269-1600 x24. Separately, Carla's dynamic father, Hyman Perlo, recently died, according to the Washington Post.

Affiliate Member Deloitte & Touche kicked off National Volunteer Week by releasing a report that highlights a tremendous opportunity to derive greater social impact from corporate volunteerism, according to a press release and The Washington Business Journal. Among the key findings are that while more than three-quarters of non-profit leaders believe skilled volunteers could significantly improve their organization's business practices, just 12 percent of non-profits actually put their volunteers to work on such assignments. CentroNia is among the many local nonprofits that will be receiving hundreds of Deloitte volunteers on June 9.

Earth Conservation Corps will host an event announcing a $1 million Federal grant to help revitalize the Anacostia waterfront, according to The Examiner. "For the first time the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency will partner to create funds available to the District and Prince George's and Montgomery Counties."

Fair Budget Coalition and DC Jobs with Justice collaborated with Project South on a Popular Education Skills Retreat to address the basics of popular education and develop tools to engage poor and working people in communities to more effectively advocate and organize for social and economic justice in DC on May 5.

The Foundation Center and Washington Grantmakers are presenting an event on Immigrant Health and Wellbeing on May 12 which will include the Center for Multicultural Human Services' Dennis Hunt among others. More information online.

The Freddie Mac Foundation and the Washington Nationals announced a new partnership to help recruit adoptive families for more of our region's foster children as well as raise awareness of their plight, according to a press release. "Every Wednesday home game will be "Freddie Mac Foundation's Wednesday's Child Game," when fans will have a chance to learn more about the plight of foster kids and find out what they can do to make a difference in a foster child's life."

Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington joined All Dulles Area Muslims Society's and Washington Area Jews for Jewish-Muslim Understanding for a three-hour seder to bring the religious communities together to share common interests and dissolve negative stereotypes, according to The Connection.

Latin American Youth Center's YouthBuild Charter School was featured in the Washington Post which quoted one of the students, "I'm ready now to go out and get the job I want, not the job that I have to get because of my education status. And when I leave here? I'm going to be the first in my family to get a GED."

Local Initiatives Support Corporation's Oramenta Newsome was interviewed by The Washington Business Journal: "No conversation about affordable housing is worth having if she is not part of it." Way to go, Oramenta - we agree with the WBJ!

Loudoun Cares Andy Johnston was quoted in an article about Leesburg tax cuts in Leesburg Today. Andy said, "I am disappointed our partner nonprofits had so little time to plan for the cuts... had these agencies known, they might have been able to talk with the county."

Maryland Nonprofits' Maryland Budget and Tax Policy's Director, Joanna Shoffner had her letter published in The Baltimore Sun. It addressed the need to restore Medicaid coverage to low-income legal immigrants. Through the hard work of many families and advocates, Maryland Governor Ehrlich signed HB89 into law, which restores the program.

MedStar Health's Michael Rogers was selected by the DC Mayor to serve on a hospital task force studying alternatives to the $400 million National Capital Medical Center, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Mentors Inc's 19th Annual Anniversary Celebration and Graduation Banquet will be held on May 9 were students and mentors will be honored for their hard work during the year and students will be awarded over $80,000 in college scholarships. More information available online.

National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship's May 11 'Dare to Dream: Mission Possible' gala will honor Ted Leonsis of AOL and an online auction is available in advance.

NPower of Greater DC's Julie Chapman and Touch DC's Eric Rigaud were included in an article about online auctions as a fundraising strategy, according to The Examiner.

Piedmont Environment Council has led public participation and citizen involvement in the proposed addition of residential zoning along Route 50, according to the Loudoun Connection and Leesburg Today.

Reston Interfaith held another Best of Reston event, drawing more than 700 people, according to the Fairfax County Times. Separately, the outcome of the Herndon Town Council elections did not favor the day laborer site, though RI was cited in the article, 'Day Laborer Demand Rises in Reston' in the Washington Post.

Summit Fund released the third issue of Progress in the Field a report on recent accomplishments and activities from key partners and grantees working to restore the Anacostia River and prevent teen pregnancy in the District of Columbia. Included are updates on Roundtable Members DC Appleseed, Earth Conservation Corps., Mary's Center, and Sasha Bruce, among others.

Venture Philanthropy Partners' Carole Thompson Cole said their philanthropy was "about expertise, about staffing, about infrastructure planning" according to a profile in The Examiner. Separately, Johns Hopkins University's Nonprofit Listening Post Project recently published another in their Listening Post series which included Mario Mornio in their press release, "This report documents the critical gap that nonprofits face in securing access to capital for the strategic planning and program development activities so crucial for organizational survival."

WEAVE has opened up a new domestic violence clinic in Southeast, offering services through the Greater Southeast Community Hospital.

United For DC's 2006 United Community Grants cycle began and grant instructions and application may both be found online.

Welcome
Ross Ashley of National Children's Center. NCC's mission is to provide a lifetime of opportunities for people in our community with developmental disabilities to live full, meaningful and productive lives. Before leading NCC, Ross co-founded The Templar Corporation.

Walter Smith of DC Appleseed. DC Appleseed is dedicated to solving important public policy problems facing our metropolitan area and organizes volunteers, including attorneys and other experts, who work in teams to analyze and develop solutions to problems facing the region. Walter was a partner for 16 years at Hogan & Hartson, the District's largest firm. He has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Other
The Cafritz Foundation is seeking a Program Officer in the Arts and Humanities.

DC Youth Alliance of Youth Advocates is hosting a youth-led Mayoral Forum on May 25. Several Roundtable members are partnering to in host this event.

Independent Sector released a new report, "Panel on the Nonprofit Sector: Strengthening Transparency, Governance, Accountability in Charitable Organizations" which is a supplement to the final report to Congress and the Nonprofit Sector.The Cafritz Foundation is seeking a Program Officer in the Arts and Humanities.

DC Youth Alliance of Youth Advocates is hosting a youth-led Mayoral Forum on May 25. Several Roundtable members are partnering to in host this event.

Independent Sector released a new report, "Panel on the Nonprofit Sector: Strengthening Transparency, Governance, Accountability in Charitable Organizations" which is a supplement to the final report to Congress and the Nonprofit Sector.
The Cafritz Foundation is seeking a Program Officer in the Arts and Humanities.

DC Youth Alliance of Youth Advocates is hosting a youth-led Mayoral Forum on May 25. Several Roundtable members are partnering to in host this event.

Independent Sector released a new report, "Panel on the Nonprofit Sector: Strengthening Transparency, Governance, Accountability in Charitable Organizations" which is a supplement to the final report to Congress and the Nonprofit Sector.