The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Mt 23:11, 12b

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Highlights from CCUSA

Series of CCUSA Immigration and Refugee Services CoP Monthly meetings

You are invited to the CCUSA Immigration and Refugee Services Community of Practice meeting. During this meeting, we will hear from the field about pressing Immigration and Refugee Services issues and receive a policy update from CCUSA, MRS/USCCB, and CLINIC. Dates & Times: Feb 16, Mar 16, Apr 20, May 18, Jun 15, 2022 at 2 PM EST (US and Canada). Register here for the series. 

Children, Youth, and, Family Professional Section Steering Committee member recruitment

Catholic Charities USA is recruiting additional members to join the Children, Youth, and Family Professional Section (CYFS) Steering Committee. The purpose, mission, and vision of the CYFS Services Professional Interest Section are to provide information, formation, and networking opportunities to staff and volunteers working with children, youth, and families. If you are interested in becoming a steering committee member for this section, please click here to request more information! Your participation on the committee will bring valuable expertise that will continue to enrich and build upon the knowledge of our network. The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, January 31, 2022.

A Partnership to Support Haitians

Supporting Haitians, a partnership between Catholic Charities USA, CLINIC, USCCB, and Catholic Charities of NYC. Join us to explore more the following aspects of this process: Discuss background context, current context including possible status issue/NTAs, etc.; Service barriers for Haitians; Where Haitians are going and current efforts that may be replicable around the country; Find ways to support Haitians in a meaningful way/not reinventing the wheel/not infringing on Haitian-led efforts. Date: Feb. 16, 2022. Time: 12 PM ET. Register in advance for this webinar here.

AmeriCorps VISTA Funding Opportunity

CCUSA is taking applications for our Family Strengthening AmeriCorps VISTA program! Applications Due Friday, February 25^th at 5:00 pm EST. Watch this webinar, and review these slides to learn more about AmeriCorps VISTA and how this program could help expand your existing programming through the power of national service. The Family Strengthening program focuses on the foundational services that Catholic Charities provides, allowing it to be a broad-based program that can support a variety of program types and interventions. VISTAs in this program support strengthening families 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! Bring your creative ideas to the session and consider if this program is right for your agency. Apply here!

AmeriCorps State and National Funding Opportunities

CCUSA COVID-19 Response AmeriCorps Program CCUSA is currently looking for additional grantees for the CCUSA COVID-19 Response AmeriCorps Program! The AmeriCorps members in this program will primarily provide supportive services related to disaster case management to clients affected by COVID-19.  Through the disaster case management model, members will work with clients to have their basic needs met and increase their self-sufficiency.

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.

CCUSA Nutrition Education AmeriCorps Program CCUSA is currently looking for additional grantees for the Nutrition Education AmeriCorps program! The AmeriCorps members in this program will primarily use the American Heart Association’s Healthy for Life curriculum to teach clients how to improve behaviors regarding food and nutrition. Members demonstrate cooking techniques and prepare delicious and healthy food with the help of volunteers, enabling clients to acquire new skills to prepare more nutritious meals, as well as provide culturally relevant healthy recipes to clients, increase their level of comfort with healthy foods, & educate clients on budgeting and shopping for healthy foods.

Please reach out to Abby Qualliotine if you are interested in learning more.

Workshop proposals for the 2022 Annual Gathering are now being accepted!

The 2022 Catholic Charities USA Annual Gathering will be held in-person September 27-29 in Baltimore, Maryland. Our schedule will once again include workshops and we ask you, the experts, to consider submitting a proposal for consideration.  To access the form and review the guidelines go to 2022 Annual Gathering Call for Proposals. Forms must be submitted by the deadline of Monday, March 28, 2022.

O'Grady Advanced Leadership Institute: Registration Now Open!

Register now to attend the Catholic Charities USA O’Grady Advanced Leadership Institute, to be held from May 16-20, 2022, at the Bethany Center near Tampa. The Institute offers an in-depth consideration of the particular knowledge and skills necessary for effective Catholic Charities leadership, and is designed for Catholic Charities agency directors, other senior leaders, and those who have completed the foundational O’Grady Leadership Institute (either virtually or in-person). Early action is encouraged, as space is limited. Click here to learn more or to register. Questions may be directed to Scott Hurd.

Events and Webinars 

2021 CCUSA Annual Survey Preparation Webinar

In 2021, the Catholic Charities network provided help, hope, and critical support to millions of families across the country. The 2021 CCUSA Annual Survey is a vital tool to capture the size and scope of the network's impact this past year, and the results illustrate the essential role that our ministry continues to play in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. Your participation is crucial to collecting and reporting this data. The 2021 CCUSA Annual Survey and CLINIC Survey on Immigration Legal Services will launch on Friday, February 4th. To help prepare, we invite you to join us for this preparation webinar, where we will:

- Highlight notable changes to this year's instrument
- Detail the submission timeline
- Provide suggested data collection processes, and
- Outline methods for technical assistance during the submission process.

The Webinar recording and presentation slides will be sent directly to all registrants for later viewing. All staff or leadership contributing to or overseeing your agency’s submission are encouraged to participate in this instructional webinar. Please direct any questions or Survey contact updates to Ashley Rininger. Date: Feb. 3, 2022. Time: 3 PM EST. Register in advance for this webinar here.

2022 GetYourRefund and CBPP Navigator Training

Join Code for America and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for the 2022 kick-off Navigator Training. This training will cover tax credits, anticipated challenges for the filing season, GetYourRefund.org services, how to help families access free tax assistance, and additional resources. There will be an open Q&A so you can get your questions answered. Date: Feb. 3, 2022. Time: 1 PM ET.  Register here.

Financial Empowerment Capacity Building Project

Catholic Charities USA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are collaborating to bring financial empowerment resources to Catholic Charities front line staff and clients through a series of training and technical assistance events this year. We will begin with a six-part training series held on the first Wednesday of each month, starting in March. This training will be for managers and front-line staff of any program. Topics are still being considered but could include financial assessments, goal setting, savings, cash flow with public benefits, and other topics. In addition to the six-part general training for front-line staff, we will explore specialized training for specific services. All training and materials are free to agency participants. Additional technical assistance will be available at no cost for agencies that are interested in special consultations or developing a longer-term plan for using the resources in their programmatic work. Training will be virtual and held on the first Wednesday of each month from 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern. Free materials can be viewed and ordered at: www.consumerfinance.gov/your-money-your-goals. The CFPB is sending a starter packet of materials to each Catholic Charities agency. CEU’s are expected to be available to participants who complete the training series. Date: Feb. 8, 2022. Time: 3 PM ET (US and Canada). Register in advance for this webinar.

Walking with people toward healing

Join a panel of experts for this webinar as they discuss the following topics: Overcoming the stigma of seeking help for mental illness; how to recognize the signs of mental health distress; ways to respond when someone turns to you; how to refer a person for help; and resources for mental health ministry. This webinar is co-sponsored by CCUSA, Catholics for Family Peace Initiative on Domestic Abuse, and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Date: Feb. 9, 2022. Time: 3 PM ET. Register here.

Grant Opportunities and Resources 

“Synod on Synodality” Slack Workspace

To facilitate intra-Catholic Charities conversations and resource sharing on the “Synod on Synodality,” inaugurated by Pope Francis, a dedicated Slack workspace has been established. Catholic Charities leaders engaged in the synodal process may join this workspace by contacting Scott Hurd for a time-sensitive signup link.

Foundation for Financial Planning is accepting grant applications (until April 30^th, 2022)

Nonprofit organizations whose programs link pro bono financial planners to people in need may apply. 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 click here.

New EITC outreach toolkit is here

EITC and CTC Outreach Resources 2022 – Get It Back (taxoutreach.org). The EITC Outreach Toolkit contains messaging and earned media materials, social media toolkit, call and text scripts and newsletter copy, and flyer and mailer. Below are some ways you can use the toolkit to spread the word: Share the entire toolkit with partner organizations and encourage them to engage outreach efforts; Post on social media: the toolkit includes Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts with images; Issue a press release; Send a newsletter to networks of employees or clients to inform them of their potential EITC eligibility; Print and distribute flyers to community members. Feel free to use and adapt the toolkit in any way that fits your outreach efforts. Your involvement is especially critical as we seek to reach the 17 million working adults not raising children in the U.S. between the ages 19-24 and over the age of 65 who are now eligible for the expanded EITC. Please reach out to our outreach team, either Roxy Caines ([email protected]) or Janne Huang ([email protected]) if you have any questions or concerns. They will keep you informed of additional resources to help promote the EITC.

More toolkits

We’ve released two new toolkits for EITC and CTC outreach. We also have put together guidance on how to use the toolkits that includes key dates during the tax season, audience-specific recommendations, and best practices for earned and social media. You can find everything at TaxOutreach.org/coronavirus.

Employment Opportunities 

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 Nick Paige. 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.