Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:10

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Highlights from CCUSA

Important news about Catholic Charities USA's 2020 Annual Gathering

Out of concern for everyone’s safety and health, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) has decided to CANCEL the 2020 Annual Gathering in Cleveland scheduled to take place October 27-30. This was a very difficult but necessary decision we had to make. While the in-person event is cancelled, CCUSA is working on a virtual, online professional development experience that will be rolled out over the next several months. This includes information regarding CCUSA's Social Innovation Award! In addition, we hope you will SAVE THE DATE as we are planning a virtual celebration on Friday, September 25, 2020, commemorating the 110th anniversary of CCUSA's founding. Please stay tuned for email updates as details are confirmed. You can also reach out to us at [email protected] with any event-related questions.

Video pitches from nine finalists in CCUSA Innovation Challenge 

We are excited to share the 90-second “Big Idea” video pitches from our nine finalists in the CCUSA Innovation Challenge that highlight fresh solutions toward alleviating, reducing or eliminating poverty. Each of the proposals addresses a specific area of poverty and was evaluated based on its innovation along with overall achievability, measurability, replicability and scalability. Check them out here.

CCUSA COVID-19 Response Center

Check out the CCUSA COVID-19 Response Center on the CCUSA website. The resource provides the latest news, advocacy efforts and stories from the Catholic Charities ministry in the United States. Also included is general guidance from the federal government.

Events and Webinars

Spread the word about Boost Your Budget Week, July 13-17

You’ve seen what happens when an older adult can’t afford necessities. With COVID-19, even more older adults are struggling to make ends meet. We’ve designated July 13-17 as Boost Your Benefits Week to encourage more older adults to see if they qualify for benefits programs to help pay for food, medicine, utilities, and more. Please help us spread the word! Use our digital toolkit, which includes posters, social media posts, newsletter blurbs, and other materials to share. Download the toolkit | Visit ncoa.org/Boost

Placing Catholic Charities clients in high-wage jobs through union construction apprenticeships webinar

Date: July 14, 2020, at 1:30 PM EDT.  Join CCUSA's Social Enterprise Community of Practice to find out how to connect your clients with a pathway to a stable construction career through this informative webinar detailing the growing prevalence of multi-craft core curriculum (MC3) pre-apprenticeships in the building trades. These programs restore dignity to working people, allowing them to become self-sufficient, supporting themselves and their families. Understand the qualifications that make a client a good candidate for success in a construction union apprenticeship. Learn how to locate, approach, and partner with union apprenticeship training programs in your community and with local parishes to provide referrals. Identify geographic locations where the construction unions offer a two-week pre-apprenticeship program that can help clients decide if a construction career is right for them and can prepare them to succeed in a trade. Register here.

Integral Human Development: A tool to overcome the effects of racism webinar

Join the Management & Administration section for a webinar on July 14, 2020, at 3:00 PM EDT. Integral Human Development Approach centers on the idea that the dignity of the person is expressed not only in work but also in culture, spirituality, relationships, and power. Join us to explore how with its comprehensive assessment and equity-based program development IHD can serve as a powerful tool to counteract the effects of racism. NOTE: This webinar offers 1.0 Continuing Education Credit. Course completion requirements - To earn CE credit, participants must log in at the scheduled time, attend the webinar and complete an online course evaluation and CEC post-test. Certificates of credit will be emailed within 10 business days of each course completion. Register here.  

Resettlement and Asylum Advocacy After COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities

Date: July 15, 2020, at 2:00 PM EDT. The current COVID-19 crisis has brought sweeping changes in policy and operations impacting refugee and asylum seekers and those who serve them. This webinar takes stock of the impact of COVID-19 on refugees and asylum-seeking individuals and families, service agencies and how the impacted individual, families and agencies have responded. It will also recount the need for a restoration of the US resettlement and asylum programs, consistent with Catholic Social Teaching. Register here.

Making decisions on when to reopen senior programs webinar

Join us for a webinar on July 17, 2020, at 2 PM EDT. Thinking about when to reopen your senior programs? How to keep your clients and staff safe during this outbreak? Join us for a conversation with a group of your peers working in this field to learn more about their plans. On the webinar, you will hear from the staff of Catholic Charities CYO San Francisco. The agency has been asked by the State of California to reopen their adult day center to help support first responders. Additionally, staff from Catholic Charities of Chicago, Philadelphia and others will outline their key decision points to take into consideration when making the decision to reopen. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Register here. View System Requirements

Having Tough Conversations – Supporting clients with an estate planning conversation

Date: July 21, 2020, at 2:00 PM EDT. Join us for a webinar to support staff to open conversations on the importance of Estate Planning. Presenters will be focusing on ways that staff can encourage clients to think about final arrangements including financial and medical guardians, creating a will, selecting guardians for children, among other important decisions and where to go for additional resources. Leading the discussion will be: Guadalupe Millan , Director, Microbusiness & Asset Development, Catholic Charities of Omaha; Esther D. Coleman, Esq. Staff Attorney, Catholic Charities Legal Network, CCDC. Register here. 

Grant Opportunities and Resources

Sterling Volunteers offering FREE basic background checks to Catholic Charities agencies

Sterling Volunteers, a valued Catholic Charities USA partner, is extending a helping hand to our network to help safely mobilize trusted volunteers around essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sterling Volunteers is offering FREE Basic Background Checks, along with reduced pricing for MVR’s and other screening packages (click here for full details). This COVID-19 special offering has been extended through August 31, 2020. If interested, CLICK HERE to connect with Sterling on this offering and any other specific needs. Please note, the special pricing is not retroactive nor automatic for existing customers; please contact SV if you are interested in utilizing the discounts.

Catalyst Kitchens' Train the Trainer program is going virtual

Train the Trainer: Virtual Edition. Adapt your culinary program for virtual and hybrid learning for COVID-19: August 13th, 14th, 20th, & 21st in a virtual format. The current “new normal” during COVID-19 demands some flexibility, creativity, and finding new ways to connect. We are offering a new online workshop focused on virtual culinary training and how to become a great teacher, whether in an in-person capacity or virtually. This workshop will cover remote teaching, adapting your program to virtual learning, student evaluation and assessment, and honing your coaching techniques based on different learning styles. Find out more here or reach out to Steve Bogus.

Grant Opportunity – CCUSA Nutrition Education AmeriCorps Program

CCUSA is currently looking for additional grantees for the Nutrition Education AmeriCorps program. This direct service program is a collaboration between The American Heart Association (AHA) and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) to help Americans learn to lead healthier lives by eating healthier foods. The AmeriCorps members will provide food education (learning experiences, recipe demos, grocery store tours etc.) to food insecure clients to increase knowledge about the about the relationship between food and health. If your agency is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member to serve in your community, please reach out to Teiara Turner at [email protected].

Grant Opportunity – CCUSA Financial Education AmeriCorps Program

CCUSA is currently looking for additional grantees for the Financial Education AmeriCorps program. The AmeriCorps members in this program will use the FDIC Money Smart curriculum to educate clients of all ages on how to enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships. This program will help clients improve financial literacy and navigate financial decisions more efficiently.  If your agency is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member to serve in your community, please reach out to Teiara Turner at [email protected].

Announcing the 2021 RSVP Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is releasing the Fiscal Year 2021 Senior Corps RSVP Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). CNCS intends to fund successful applicants that increase the impact of volunteers age 55 and older who provide volunteer service in response to local community needs. The Notice of Funding Opportunity and specific geographic service areas can be found here. Please see Appendix A for a full list of the available opportunities. The following entities, including those that are current CNCS grantees, are eligible to apply: public or private nonprofit organizations (including faith-based and other community organizations); institutions of higher education; government entities within states or territories (e.g. cities, counties); government-recognized veteran service organizations; labor organizations; partnerships and consortia; and Indian Tribes. We strongly encourage all eligible applicants to visit nationalservice.gov/rsvpcompetition to learn more about how Senior Corps RSVP can help them increase their impact by engaging adults age 55 years and older in volunteer service. Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM Eastern (2:00 PM Pacific), Tuesday, September 1, 2020. Successful applicants will be notified in mid-January, 2021. CNCS will host a series of technical assistance calls to answer questions about this funding opportunity, performance measures, and eGrants. CNCS strongly encourages all interested applicants to participate in these sessions. Call dates and times can be found here. If you have questions at any time during the application period, please send an email here.

Employment Opportunities

Catholic Charities job opportunities now listed on CCUSA website 

Anyone can view the job opportunities by clicking on the "Careers" tag on the footer of the CCUSA webpage. To post a job opportunity, one must be a member and have access to the members' portal in order to fill out the submission form (click on "Careers" tag on members only portal homepage). If you have any questions about the new job opportunities submission form, please contact David Werning or Lily Stewart. Please click here to access job opportunities.

CCUSA Photo Gallery

Did you know that one of the benefits CCUSA provides to member agencies is access to a professional photo gallery? Visit our Flickr photo pages to explore our albums and photos. If you would like a high-resolution version for your agency's use, please email CCUSA with photo number.