Minutes - July 16, 2008

Location: Teleconference
10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
July 16, 2008

Commissioners Present: Dave Lawrence, Peter Kamps (Sheryl McGill), Fred Rodriguez, Jocelyn D. Cheng, Sara Montmayor (John Hosteny), Nancy Jameson, Steven Wolfe, Tim Capparelli (Jody Weis), Don Baden, Cory Foster (Ted Gibbs), Mythili Rundblad, Kelly Reffert, Dan Bassill, Julian Brown, Howard Lathan, Bob McCammon, Indra Montelongo (James Tyree)

Commission Staff Present: Scott Kimmel, Executive Director; Lisa Hooker, AmeriCorps Program Officer; Ebone Lott, AmeriCorps Program Officer; Scott Niermann, Volunteer Program Manager

Guests Present:

The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m. by Chairman, Dave Lawrence. Introductions of person on teleconference were made.

Commissioner McCammon moved to approve the April 16, 2008 minutes. Commissioner Brown seconded. The minutes were approved.

Commissioner Lawrence noted that the teleconference format for this Commission meeting was a temporary solution to the restrictions that have been placed on travel. He said that he was not going to provide a report so that the meeting could proceed with updates from staff and adjourn prior to the scheduled adjournment time of 2:00 pm.

No report.

Kimmel provided the report. He updated the commissioners on the June 11th meeting in which the public service announcement (PSA) campaign for the new serve.illinois.gov web site and his meeting with the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA). Kimmel informed the Commission that there was an issue with finding matching funds for the Administration Grant resources which would be used to pay for the PSAs. He said that he was in conversation with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) about the calculation of the media spot value as compared to the cost of the PSAs. He reported that the CNCS was not accepting the argument that the difference between the media spot value and the cost of the PSAs could be treated as matching funds. He said that he would continue to pursue this issue with the CNCS and seek other solutions to the matching funds problem.

No report.

Scott Kimmel reported that the ad hoc committee met via teleconference on June 16th to discuss the Serve Illinois Commission's intent and next steps to determining whether to submit Chicago as a possible host site city for 2010. Next steps included contacting a couple of corporate representatives and the Chicago Mayor's Office to try and get a sense of the resources and support that would be present for the event. Commissioner Brown reported on his conversation with Ms. Debra DeHass of Deloitte. He said that Ms. DeHass wanted to know that Illinois had committed to the conference before weighing in on Deloitte's support. Commissioner Lathan requested that Commissioner Designee Kamps relay to Commissioner McGill the Serve Illinois Commission's desire to get reaction from the Mayor's Office and a letter of support. Kimmel reported that the Serve Illinois Commission's letter of interest in hosting the 2010 National Conference had been approved within DHS, but that he was not aware that the specific approval had been received from the Governor's Office. Several Commissioners reported their experiences at the national conference in Atlanta, Georgia in June. Commissioners Bassill, Wolfe, Lathan, and McCammon all stated that they enjoyed the conference and found it very informative. All acknowledged that the event is a large undertaking but would be beneficial to Chicago and to Illinois.

Scott Kimmel provided the update. Kimmel reported that the RFP was completed, as well as the Peer Review Score Sheet and the list of reviewers. He said that these documents were now working their way up through DHS for approval but that several changes had been made to the application requirements and the time line for application submission since the RFP ad hoc committee last met. These changes include: 1) A posting date revision from August 1st to August 18th to allow time for DHS approval of the RFP documents; 2) The elimination of the requirement for applicants to submit a Concept Paper and receive an invitation to apply due to the delayed time to get the RFP posted; 3) The Grantee Information Conferences had been moved back from August 18th to 21st to September 8th through 11th; 4) There were no Commissioners or Commission staff on the Peer Review Team in order to avoid any conflicts during the Commissioners' process for making the final awards. All other time lines remain the same. Applications will be due in eGrants by October 31st. Final submission to CNCS will be made by January 13, 2009. Commissioner Deginee Montemayor offered to send the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) to the recipients on the CNCS state office's list serve.

Kimmel reported that Deb McCarrel, AmeriCorps Program Manager, had accepted another position within the DHS, Division of Community Health and Prevention in the Bureau of Youth Services. He said that he had every confidence that Lisa Hooker and Ebone Lott, AmeriCorps Program Officers, would do a fine job in maintaining the program and that the rest of the Commission staff was always available to assist when needed. He also stated that a new Graduate Program Student Intern (GPSI), Ms. Eden Lawson, was starting with the Commission on August 18th. Kimmel stated that he was requesting and completing paperwork, as necessary, to refill the AmeriCorps Program Manager position.

Lisa Hooker provided the report. She stated that the 2007-08 program close-out meetings were being scheduled.

Has been scheduled for August 26-28th in Springfield at the Abraham Presidential Hotel and Commissioners were encouraged to attend.

Hooker stated that in 2008-09, Illinois will have 22 programs as Logan Square Neighborhood Association had been awarded a new competitive grant for the 2008-2011 program cycle.

Scott Niermann provided the report. Niermann informed the Commission of the statewide food and clothing drive activities that were coordinated by the LeaderCorps Members during the 2008 AmeriCorps Week (May 11-18). He said that 600 (copy-paper sized) boxes of food and clothing were collected and donated to local distribution agencies statewide. Highlights of the week, as reported by participating programs, included:

• 4 media hits in Southern Illinois and Springfield
• Chicago-area corporate partnership with Jewel-Osco grocery stores
• AmeriCorps/Commission display in the James R. Thompson Center
• 15+ Chicago-area program collaboration at Project YES's AmeriCorps "job fair," including National Direct and VISTA programs
• 2 community garden plantings involving some 150 youth

Niermann also reported on the LeaderCorps – Alumni Committee final report from the June conference. Fifty-three (53) Illinois AmeriCorps alums provided general feedback through an (unscientific) online survey and reported the following:

• Over 50% of respondents interested in:
  • Days of Service activities coordinated by the Commission
  • Volunteer Opportunities in their communities
  • Joining an AmeriCorps alumni chapter
  • Mentoring current AmeriCorps Members and recent alums
• Most frequently reported current professions of alums in Illinois include:
  • 36% "Program Management" (including AmeriCorps or other volunteer-related position)
  • 33% Higher Education
  • 14% Medicine, Nursing, or other health-related
  • 11% Attorneys, Court officials

Scott Niermann provided the report. Commissioners were informed that since the last Commission meeting, regional VMN meetings in Dixon and Oak Brook were held in April and May, respectively. The second VMN meeting of the Southern Region was held on June 24th in Marion, and July 31st will be the second East Central Region meeting in Champaign. Additional meetings in Macomb and Dixon are scheduled for September.

Staff reported that indeed the Network appears to already be doing some of the things the Commission had hoped, including cross-program communication as evidenced by new collaborations and discussions about volunteerism from a regional and statewide perspective, and Southern Illinois' interest in starting at least one volunteer center and volunteer management association. Niermann added that he had received positive feedback after the East Central regional meeting indicating that area's interest in beginning a regional volunteerism conference like the Southern Illinois Volunteerism Conference (SIVC) in Bloomington or Champaign in the next year. Niermann noted that he had received confirmation that Ellen Ferber, Vice President – Northern Region, Points of Light/Hands On Network, will attend this October's SIVC event to sit on a panel with Scott Kimmel to discuss state and national trends and happenings in volunteerism. The Illinois Conference on Volunteer Administration (ICOVA) in May was also deemed a success, with 100 of its 190 participants being new to the conference, and 66% of attendees having served in the field less than 2 years. ICOVA also hosted national and internationally-known speakers this year – leaders specializing in the field of volunteer management.

Scott Kimmel reported that the Commission staff have not worked on this issue since the last meeting. Kimmel said he would be working with Volunteer Center representatives on developing some criteria.

Scott Kimmel reviewed the Commission staff calendar and invited Commissioner to attend any of the upcoming events.

None

None

The next meeting of the full Serve Illinois Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Kimmel asked commissioners if they would be available for a meeting before then and he suggested a date in early September. Kimmel said he would email out a couple of meeting date alternatives.

The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.