~Volunteer USA and Comcast, proud to be a part of that movement~

Volunteering is growing, despite the recession that is gripping the world. That news is good and according to the Corporation for National Service much of the growth in volunteer hours is due to active young adults. To see the volunteer data, click here.

Volunteer USA isn't surprised by the youth numbers. We see their passion every day in our hugely popular Teen Trendsetters™ Reading Mentors program. High-school students and their teachers/advisors are eager to be a part of the youth-led mentoring effort pairing high school teens with struggling elementary students -- to boost reading skills and improve standardized test scores.

Photo: Our new Teen Trendsetters™ ad in the July edition of Florida Trend Magazine, a proud supporter of VUSA. www.teentrendsetters.org

"I have been in education for 39 years and believe this to be the best program I have seen. I know that both elementary and high school students will benefit from Teen Trendsetters mentoring." -Beth Anthony, Tennessee advisor

In addition Comcast, our premier Teen Trendsetters™ sponsor, is supporting the rapid growth of the program. Just this summer, an additional 30 high schools joined the movement. There are now 160 Teen Trendsetters™ programs in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. We currently have opportunities for Teen Trendsetters™ programs to open in some Florida D and F schools. Email teecy.matthews@volunteerusafund.org to learn more.

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PLEASE VOTE FOR US:

We promise this has nothing to do with taxes...but your vote would mean a lot to us. We're trying to win a Great NonProfits Youth Thrive Award. They are looking for nonprofits making a great difference with today's youth.

Your vote matters...it's free and easy. Please click here to write a quick review for Volunteer USA Foundation now. And, when you write a review, you’ll be eligible to win great prizes such as a certificate to Birkenstock, Cliff Bars, Greyston Bakery and more!

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"OCTOBER 8th IS READ FOR THE RECORD"
~Win books for your class to mentor Pre-K students in reading~

"Will you read me a story?" This simple question is an invitation to share the joy of reading with a child.

Read for the Record is a campaign to bring school children together with other youth and adults who will all read the same book, on the same day - October 8, 2009. This year, Eric Carle's very popular book The Very Hungry Caterpillar will take center stage. Many of our Teen Trendsetter's will be enjoying this book at elementary schools where they mentor.

And, to raise awareness of the importance of early literacy, Volunteer USA Foundation is partnering with the Pearson Foundation on a fun essay contest. The contest encourages elementary teachers (1st-5th grade) and Teen Trendsetters' mentors to submit their best event idea based on characters in the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The prize for 10 winning entries is a set of 100 books which will be given to local Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten classes designated by the winner. For more information about the contest, please visit www.VolunteerUSAFoundation.org or email Contest@VolunteerUSAFund.org.

For more information on how to involve your school visit www.readfortherecord.org.

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BACK TO SCHOOL MEANS ADULTS TOO - SHOW KIDS YOU CARE
~A message from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush~

The new school year presents a great opportunity to make a positive difference in a young life. All you need is enthusiasm and a little time to share at a school in your community. Spending just an hour a week, with a child at-risk, is all it takes. Studies show that mentoring really does make a difference. Students who meet regularly with their mentor are:

• Less likely than their peers to skip a day of school -52%
• less likely to use drugs -45.8%
• less likely to use alcohol -27.4%
• less likely to get involved in a physical fight -31.7%

Ten years ago when serving as Governor, I launched Florida's Governor's Mentoring Initiative, with a goal to recruit 200,000 mentors for our students. I'm pleased to say we surpassed that goal and our mentoring effort remains solidly in place with 220,000 Floridians now serving as active mentors.

First bells are ringing...please take the time to find out about student mentoring opportunities in your area by clicking here.

Today, I continue to promote my passion for excellence in education. In October, I will be hosting a national education summit for the country's leading policymakers to share the latest research, lessons learned, success stories and strategy to advance the next round of reforms. Click here to learn more.

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SCHOOL ALERT: HOW TO GET YOUR PARENTS INVOLVED ~Parent workshops meet Title I Family Involvement Goals~

"Parents are a child's first teacher and literacy programs like Love, Read,Learn! are a great way to give parents the tools they need to engage their children in age-appropriate learning from the very beginning." - Dr. Julie McCargar, TN Department of Education.

Love.Read.Learn!™ for Parents of Elementary Children

Looking for a way to get your parents more engaged this school year? Learn about Love.Read.Learn!™ workshops for parents of elementary school students. If your school has Title I funding, this fun and fast workshop meets parent involvement requirements.

Your school can host the 75-minute "edutainment" session and parents will receive a take-home kit to keep them focused on helping their children to be better readers all year long.

Love.Read.Learn!™ for Parents of Preschool Children

Parents want to be their child's first and best teacher, but some just aren't sure how. You can help parents of preschoolers feel comfortable teaching at home, by inviting them to be a part of the learning process. We can help you host a dynamic Love.Read.Learn!™ Pre-K night your parents will never forget. The preschool world is competitive, be sure yours stands out to parents in your community. The parent involvement focus meets Title I funding requirements.

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SCHOOL IS IN SESSION - AND SO IS HURRICANE SEASON
~Get your students ready to help when an emergency strikes~

Volunteer USA offers Teen CERT Training in Florida: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of community volunteers who have been trained as "pre-responders". The program provides youth an opportunity to be a part of the vital disaster preparedness and recovery after a disaster strikes.

VUSA has teamed up with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Citizen Corps program to provide training to as many Florida teens as possible in the coming year. These teens, along with adult advisors, will be encouraged to form Teen CERT teams in their communities and schools. The training offers teen-friendly activities covering topics such as fire suppression, disaster triage, search and rescue, terrorism events and disaster preparedness.

For those currently CERT trained and interested in training teens in your community, please contact Teecy.Matthews@volunteerusafund.org.

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IS THE ECONOMY GETTING YOUR NONPROFIT DOWN?
~Be sure to check with your state's Faith & Community-Based Office for news on grants, trainings and more~

How partnerships help in critical times: "Governor Riley's decision to form an office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has been a tremendous benefit to the houses of worship and community organizations around the state. The office provides them with training, technical support, and collaborative opportunities which did not exist previously; we are privileged to serve the servants." - Sydney Hoffman, Director, Alabama Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

State Contacts:

Alabama Sydney Hoffman, Governor’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives sydney.hoffman@servealabama.gov www.ServeAlabama.gov Arkansas Sherry Middleton, Arkansas Department of Human Services (501) 682-6214 Sherry.Anderson@arkansas.gov www.state.ar.us/dhs/adov District of Columbia Pat Henry, Manager, Nonprofit & Faith-based Relations Phone: (202) 727-0946 pat.henry@dc.gov http://opgd.dc.gov Florida Kay Kammel, President, Governor’s Volunteer Florida Foundation Phone: (850) 410-0696 Kay.Kammel@vfffund.org www.volunteerfloridafoundation.org Georgia Edna Foster Phone: (706) 573-2228 esfoster@dhr.state.ga.us

Louisiana Natalie Robottom, Governor's Office of Community Programs Phone: (225) 219-4206 robottom@la.gov Mississippi Daryl Neely, Office of Governor Barbour Phone: (601) 359-3150 DNeely@governor.state.ms.us North Carolina Dr. CR Edwards, Senior Advisor for Community Affairs Phone: (919) 733-5201 cr.edwards@ncmail.net South Carolina Jeff Schilz, Office of the Governor Phone: (803) 734-5255 Texas Chris Bugbee, One Star Foundation-Governor's Office chris@onestarfoundation.org info@onestarfoundation.org www.onestarfoundation.org Virginia Jane Brown, Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives Phone: (804) 726-7912 jane.brown@dss.virginia.gov

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CARING HEARTS - DONORS, THE HEARTBEAT OF VUSA PROGRAMS

A special thanks to:

• Florida Lottery, supporting education since 1988 and a proud partner of VUSA.
• Newell Rubbermaid, supporting Teen Trendsetters™ youth mentoring programs in Atlanta, Georgia
• Visit Florida, to see Visit Florida's ideas on inexpensive travel for volunteer vacations, click here.

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TAKE A BOW:

	Art Smith chef extraordinaire and VUSA board member landed a finals spot on Bravo TV's Top Chef Masters show. Art says his strategy is to cook "with love". His semi-finals winnings of $10,000 will go to support Common Threads, his charity that feeds young minds with knowledge about different world cultures and cuisines.
	The 2009 Celebration of Reading video captured a Bronze Telly Award! The video was produced by Diane Wilkins Productions and features families from our successful Family Literacy Initiative. The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional and cable TV commercial video productions.

FYI: Families Wanted: Check out the Explore Adoption in Florida website at www.adoptflorida.org to meet wonderful foster children looking for a home - or call 1-800-96-ADOPT to learn more.

Volunteer USA Foundation, in partnership with GrantStation, brings you the latest information on new funding programs, upcoming grant deadlines, conferences, trainings, and news. To access this week's issue, click here.

September is Literacy Month in Florida’s state parks!

 

This year, the Florida Park Service will offer free day-use entry on Friday, September 11- Sunday, September 13 with the presentation of a library card, library book or the donation of a new or gently used family friendly book.