Lessons on Self-Care from a Trauma-Informed Perspective - For Social Service Providers, Teachers, and Childcare Professionals

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is stressful. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Join CCUSA to raise awareness about symptoms of vicarious trauma in social service staff, teachers, and childcare professionals, trying to stay resilient during this difficult time. We will address important ways to practice self-care to maintain our health. Our team will advise on how to prevent and deal with stress and how to cope with emotions that will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. 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. The post-test survey will close 7 days after you receive the link to your email. CE Certificates will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion. Date: Feb. 16, 2021. Time: 3 PM ET. Register here.

CCUSA’s Research and Evaluation team is hosting a webinar series with Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunity (LEO). Join us for one of the two webinar options, same content will be provided: (1.) Feb 17, 2021 at 3:00 PM EST Register here; (2.) Feb 19, 2021 at 2:00 PM EST Register here. We invite you to learn about LEO and their partnership process to conduct rigorous program evaluation. Two Catholic Charities member agencies - Catholic Social Services of Rapid City and Catholic Charities Atlanta – will be joining us to share how they have successfully engaged with LEO. This opportunity is for anyone looking to measure how specific programs and policies impact the people they serve in areas such as trauma recovery, health management, financial stability and mobility, educational attainment, housing stability, and time spent in institutional settings. Both CCUSA and LEO believe rigorous research is a powerful means to an end to poverty, and a new beginning for millions of families who are ready to thrive. Please contact Kerry G. or Ashley R. with any questions that you may have.

Public Forum: CCUSA Poverty and Racism Paper

Strengthening 2Gen approaches through listening, engaging, and designing with families

Join our experts for a webinar where participants will engage in peer learning to develop and strengthen understanding of a Whole Family Approach (WFA). Additionally, we will focus on ways to become centered in key WFA concepts like racial equity, engaging and listening to families, and attending to system and policy changes that support parents and children. We will address how engaging and listening to customers can strengthen program design and build buy-in internally and externally while exploring multiple ways to connect organizations shifting to a Whole Family Approach (WFA). Date: Feb. 24, 2021 at 2:00 PM EST. Register here.

WIC 101 Webinar - A Presentation for Catholic Charities Agencies

Join us for a webinar to explore the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Join our experts to learn more about one of the nation’s premier public health nutrition program providing nutrition education, breastfeeding support, referral to health and social services, and supplemental foods to the nation’s low-income women, infants, and children through age 5. Across the United States, in urban and rural areas, WIC’s time-limited services and benefits ensure that children get a strong, healthy start in life. There is clear evidence that good nutrition during pregnancy and in the first few years of life has long-term, positive impacts on health. When children have a healthy start, their prospects, and America’s prospects, are brighter. With historically strong bipartisan support and clear evidence demonstrating how WIC is both efficient and effective at improving the health of low-income women, infants, and children, WIC ensures the future health and safety of millions of Americans. Date March 08, 2021 at 3:00 PM EST. Register here.

Grant Opportunities and Resources

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 primarily use the FDIC Money Smart curriculum to teach clients how to enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships. AmeriCorps members can also provide other asset-development activities, including tax preparation, financial counseling, IDA enrollment, and much more. This program has a goal to help clients improve their financial literacy and navigate financial decisions more efficiently. If your agency is interested in learning more about this federal grant opportunity, please reach out to Abby Qualliotine.

Grant opportunity: CCUSA AmeriCorps VISTA program's request for proposals

CCUSA is taking applications for our Family Strengthening AmeriCorps VISTA program! The Family Strengthening program funds one-year AmeriCorps VISTA positions, which support Catholic Charities' programs through indirect activities, capacity building activities, such as fundraising and resource development, communications and social media, outreach, partnership building, volunteer management, and parish outreach, and much more! On January 28, CCUSA held a webinar (recording, slides) giving an overview of the VISTA program and the application process, highlighting sub-grantee expectations, estimated costs, and allowable activities. The application is due Friday, February 26 with a program start date of summer 2021. Please contact Sarah Hendley with any questions.

The Foundation for Financial Planning grant opportunity

The Foundation for Financial Planning is accepting grant applications (until April 30th, 2021) from nonprofit organizations whose programs link pro bono financial planners to people in need. Programs should include one-on-one engagements between Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professionals and pro bono clients, and comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines. Grants are generally in the range of $5,000 to $40,000. For more information about eligibility and how to apply, please visit here. Nonprofits seeking to connect with CFP professionals who want to provide free, no-strings-attached financial planning and advice to underserved populations can register on FFP’s Pro Bono Planner Match website. On Pro Bono Planner Match, nonprofits can post volunteer opportunities that engage financial planners in one-on-one or interactive, small group (virtual) sessions with people in need. To access Pro Bono Planner Match, click here. For more information, please contact Rachel Roth.

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. 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.