February 2016 Newsletter – Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association

See newsletter for full story on each of these items

Cindy Gillespie, Former Romney Health Care Advisor, to Lead Arkansas DHS – Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday announced Cindy Gillespie, a former health care advisor to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as the new director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services…

• ACAAA will be hosting a History of the War on Poverty workshop, to be presented by David Bradley, CEO of the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF), from February 9 – 11
• ACAAA’s website has a brand new look for 2016!
• ACAAA Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday, February 17

• 2016 Mid-Winter Training Conference for NASCSP will be held February 22-26, 2016, in Alexandria, VA
• NCAF will be holding its 2016 Legislative Conference on March 15 – 18 in Washington, D.C.
• Philander Smith College Health & Wellness Department is hosting their 2nd annual Mind, Body & Soul Health Fair on Friday, April 1

• GrantSpace is offering a free webinar – Introduction to Proposal Writing – Wednesday, February 17
• 4Good.org is offering a free webinar – Strategic Planning Part 1: Cultivation & Organizational Development – Wednesday, March 16
• The latest issue of VirtualCAP RoundUP is now available...check out the listing of 2015’s articles
• Office of Head Start and the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement are hosting a series of free webinars as part of their launch of a year-long focus on Building Foundations for Economic Mobility for Head Start/Early Head Start Families (open link and scroll down for recording of each of the 13 webinars)
• Community Action Partnership is offering Part 3 of its webinar series, CCAP, Is It for Me? on Wednesday, March 30
• Civil legal assistance due to recent flooding being provided by Arkansas Legal Aid providers
• The HHS Office for the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation has released an intramural research brief on Community Action Agency Activities in Affordable Care Act Outreach and Enrollment
• The national Office of Community Services has compiled a list of LIHEAP Frequently Asked Questions for Consumers
• Handouts and presentation materials from the Community Action Partnership 2016 Management and Leading Training Conference
• The National Head Start Association has released a new report: Moneyball for Head Start: Using Data, Evidence, and Evaluation to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families
• The Community Action Partnership reports that there are still available openings in the Utilizing Place-Based Strategies Group of CAP’s Learning Community

Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission was the subject of a recent KAIT8 News story about a visit paid by White House representatives to Blytheville to boost awareness of the Rural IMPACT program—a nationwide effort to address rural childhood poverty

Freedom House—the substance abuse and treatment facility operated by Arkansas River Valley Area Council recently played host to members of U.S. Senator John Boozman’s staff in addition to welcoming a visit from U.S. Representative Steve Womack

Central Arkansas Development Council’s Benton Senior Wellness and Activity Center played host to Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who was holding a press conference to announce the addition of “prescription drug take-back boxes” to the AG’s mobile office.

Employees of the Month – see newsletter for details

• Cherri Fowler, Crowley Ridge Development Council
• Charlsie Stine, Community Action Program for Central Arkansas

See newsletter for links to Facebook pages of each CAAs in Arkansas.