ALLIANCE UPDATE:
DECEMBER 2019
In this Edition:
- Year-Round Advocacy - Advocacy Days Registration is Open! & Advocacy through Event Engagement
- Help the Bahamas YMCA!
- YPN Conference Recap
- Statewide Before & Afterschool Survey
- Five Days of Action - Registration Open
- Preparing for and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse
- Funding Opportunities
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
YMCA STATE ADVOCACY DAYS
2019 Florida YMCA State Advocacy Days Registration Open!
Join us in Tallahassee for YMCA State Advocacy Days on January 27th-29th, 2020! Having you advocate alongside us is a critical component to ensuring that the Y is able to secure the State Budget Priorities, educate public officials, and represent our collective power in Tallahassee!
For the agenda, registration and access important event information, visit the Florida State Alliance of YMCAs Website! The agenda will be announced soon!
ADVOCACY AT LOCAL EVENTS
As we gear up to kick off a new year, when looking at your on-going advocacy, consider inviting your elected officials to your local Y events. This serves as a perfect opportunity for them to see how the Y at the center of your community.
Check out the Building Relationship - Invitations to Events and Visits Handout for more tips and an example visit.
Find Your Legislators
For tips on engaging your elected officials, visit the Find Your Legislator page on our website!
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STANDING STRONG
BAHAMAS RELIEF UPDATE
In October we highlighted the work of YMCA of South Florida in relief efforts for the Bahamas. YMCA of South Florida along with a number of generous donors and supports have launched a merchandise sale that 100% of the proceeds will go to the Freeport YMCA in the Bahamas.
This is a great way for YMCAs and individuals to engage in the relief work of the Freeport YMCA in the Bahamas.
Any YMCA that participates will receive a free marketing toolkit to help them.
Please e-mail Jake Steger for more information.
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CONNECTING OUR NETWORK
YPN CHAPTER 27 CONFERENCE - RECAP
The YPN Chapter 27 conference was a great success! This conference had 115 attendees, and over 13 Conference Sponsors!
Thank you to the following Ys and their staff for attending the conference:
- YMCA of Central Florida
- Manatee YMCA
- North Central Florida YMCA
- YMCA of Florida's First Coast
- Florida State Alliance of YMCAs
- Palm Beaches Metropolitan YMCA
- SKY Family YMCA
- YMCA of South Collier
- YMCA of South Florida
- YMCA of South Palm Beach County
- YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- YMCA of the Suncoast
- Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA
- Volusia - Flagler YMCA
- YMCA of West Central Florida
YPN Chapter 27 would like to thank the YPN Chapter 27 Board and Conference Planning Committee for planning an amaizing conference!
YPN Awards
YPN Chapter 27 would like to recognize the following members within the chapter for their individual accomplishments and leadership that strengthens the YMCA movement and our YPN chapter. Please join us in congratulating the following staff:
- Cause-Driven Leader of the Year, Georgie Wilson, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- Outstanding New Director of the Year, Lily Tysinger, Florida State Alliance of YMCAs
- Outstanding Director of the Year, Robyn Ostrem, Tampa Metropolitan YMCA
- Developing Others Award, Stephanie Dushane, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- Emerging Leader, Melissa Bishop, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- YPN Legacy Award, David Jezek, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- YPN Legacy Award, Bob Moss, Tampa Metropolitan YMCA
We look forward to next year's conference!
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ADVANCING BEFORE & AFTERCARE IN FLORIDA
STATE-WIDE BEFORE AND AFTERCARE SURVEY
Thank you for participanting in the AfterSchool Survey conducted by The Florida State Alliance of YMCAs in partnership with the Service Delivery
Partner YMCA, YMCA of the Suncoast.
It is clear that Florida Ys are doing amazing work in the field of Youth Development. All 18 Ys reporting servicing 44,841 Elementary School children and 8,990 Middle School children on a daily basis. The survey was designed for us to have a better understanding of before & aftercare programming, safety across the state and program innovation that can be shared throughout the state.
This information will be shared at the CEOs Meeting at Advocacy Days and will allow us to get our story out there of the incredible impact our Ys
have on our youth in Florida. The results of the survey will also be shared with YPN Before and Afterschool Peer Community.
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PROTECTING OUR YOUTH
5 DAYS OF ACTION
Five Days of Action (April 13 -17) is an awareness-building campaign about child sexual abuse prevention to engage communities, improve internal operations and advance policy and environmental changes to protect children from sexual abuse.
 YMCAs and other youth-serving organizations will come together to spread prevention messages on social media, host events to train parents and community volunteers, and educate the community about keeping kids safe from sexual abuse.
Help us reach our goal of 100% of Florida YMCAs participating in 5 Days of Action!
Register to participate and download the Five Days of Action toolkit.
PREPARING FOR AND RESPONDING TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
As a youth-serving organization that reaches 8 million children and teens every year, the Y’s most important work is creating safe environments for all young people.
Greater attention is being paid to child sexual abuse as a critical social issue facing communities today. Support for those who have experienced abuse is improving, especially for adults who may have experienced abuse in their youth. Many laws are changing to expand or remove statutes of limitations on abuse cases, allowing victims to hold their abusers accountable, even if the abuse occurred decades ago.
With these changing laws, it’s increasingly important that YMCAs are prepared to respond compassionately, swiftly and thoroughly if allegations of abuse—whether historical or new—are reported.
 To help YMCAs prepare for these changing laws,
YMCA of the USA has developed a
comprehensive guide of critical steps your YMCA can take to prepare for potential allegations of abuse related to the Y, as well as guidance on how to react if an allegation is made.
Check out LINK for more information.
Webinar: Trauma-informed Responses
As seen on LINK or in the Executive News email, you can also sign up for:
Webinar: Preparing for and Responding to Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse
Britt Darwin-Looney, Y-USA's Vice President of Child Protection and Organizational Risk, will host a webinar at 2 p.m. (CT) Dec. 17 with Erica Smith of Praesidium and Jamie Forbes of Hadley Rock Advisors to discuss the importance of employing trauma-informed responses for allegations of child sexual abuse. They also will review the attached new response guide and share case studies to review with your staff and volunteers.
Register here: Register
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TRANSFORM YOUR GAME
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Walmart Foundation Accepting Applications for Community Grant Program
The Walmart Foundation is accepting applications through its Community Grant Program.
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to local nonprofit organizations located within the service area of individual Walmart stores in the areas of hunger relief and healthy eating, health and human services, quality of life, education, community, and economic development, diversity and inclusion, public safety, and environmental sustainability.
To be eligible, applicants must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code; or a recognized government entity (state, county, or city agency, including law enforcement or fire departments) requesting funds exclusively for a public purpose; or a K-12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university; or a church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 31, 2019. Link to full RFP here
ALDI Invites Applications for Smart Kids Program
The ALDI grocery store chain is inviting applications for its ALDI Smart Kids program.
ALDI Smart Kids is dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of children in communities where ALDI has stores, warehouses, offices, and conduct business. Through the program, grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to local community organizations that encourage kids to actively participate in the areas of education, physical activity, nutrition, socializing, and the arts.
To be eligible, applicants must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a publicly funded service agency such as a police or fire department, a public or private K-12 school, or faith-based organizations that benefits children in the community.
Applications accepted until December 15th. Find the full RFP here
2020 Safe Routes to Parks - Activating Communities Program
The Safe Routes Partnership invites communities and organizations working to improve safe, equitable access to local parks to apply for the 2020 Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program. The program provides tailored technical assistance for seven communities to develop Safe Routes to Parks action plans and awards $12,500 to each community to begin implementation of those plans.
Applications are now being accepted with a deadline of December 16, 2019.
Grantee communities will work closely with staff at the Safe Routes Partnership from February through September 2020 to develop action plans aimed at improving safe, equitable access to local parks in their communities.
Read about how previous grantees advanced safe, walkable, bikeable park access to local parks in communities in Houston, TX, Youngstown, OH, and Planada, CA
Grantee communities will receive training, individualized consultation and technical assistance, connection with peer communities to learn from one another, an in-person workshop in their community, as well as grants of $12,500 each to begin the implementation of the Safe Routes to Parks action plan. At the end of the grant period, awarded communities will have a customized action plan to improve safe, equitable local park access that includes ideas for how to fund and sustain their efforts and will have implemented at least one action from the plan.
Apply Here
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