Virtual Southeast Listening and Strategy Session

We’re all navigating significant change as we move into 2017: a new Administration, a new Congress, new state and local policy environments and more. With all that’s at stake, now is the time to map out how we can work together most powerfully to advance economic opportunity at the local, state and federal levels while protecting all the progress that we’ve made so far.

In partnership with the Assets & Opportunity Network Steering Committee, CFED will facilitate virtual listening sessions in eight regions across the country in the first couple of weeks of 2017. SCACED will be hosting the Southeast session on January 5, 2017, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi & South Carolina. It will be moderated by SCACED President & CEO, Bernie Mazyck.

Virtual Southeast Listening and Strategy Session
Thursday, January 5th
Noon CST / 1 pm EST

Each Virtual Regional Listening & Strategy Session will last an hour and will include:

• Peer-to-peer sharing about the risks facing vulnerable families, state and local policy priorities and lessons learned about which strategies are most effective in achieving progress.
• Updates on CFED’s perspectives on federal policy challenges and the opportunities we see to drive our collective strategies forward.
• Discussion about opportunities for organizations and individuals to engage at local, regional or federal levels.
• The chance to voice which types of support would be most valuable to you as you work to create opportunity in your state or community. 

These Virtual Regional Listening & Strategy Sessions are open to anyone committed to creating a more equitable economy. All sessions will take place via interactive conference call.

It is more important now than ever that we work together to make economic opportunity a reality for all. Your participation in these sessions is vital as we chart a new course. We encourage organizations that are working to empower all U.S. families to become more financially secure to join the session for your region.

Questions? Email Fran Rosebush Baylor, Director of Field Engagement, atfrosebush@cfed.org.

Housing Counseling Training

Our upcoming 2-day CDI class will give participants the knowledge to conduct a pre-purchase homebuyer education course at their agencies. 

Housing Counseling Training
January 18th and 19th
10am to 4pm
Columbia, SC

The class will focus on designing and presenting a homebuyer education workshop, recruiting partners, marketing the workshop, measuring the impact of the workshop, and working with clients on a one-on-one basis.

The training session will cover:

• Planning and designing a pre-purchase workshop
  • Determining the curriculum to include
  • Designing a workshop – creating an effective agenda
• Delivering a pre-purchase workshop
  • Presentation skills
  • Incorporating games and activities
• Recruiting partners
  • Selecting effective partners/volunteers
  • Tips for working with partners/volunteers
• Marketing the program
  • Social media
  • Community outreach
• Measuring Impact
  • Tracking and evaluation
  • Surveys
• National Industry Standards
  • The importance of adopting the standards
  • SC Department of Consumer Affairs licensure

Trainers

Debbie Kidd
Director of Homeownership for Origin SC

Kristin Bastian
Financial Education Director for Origin SC

Origin SC (previously known as Family Services) is a 128 year-old nonprofit organization well-ingrained in the areas of finance and housing. The organization is approved by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, a NeighborWorks Charter Member, and a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Debbie Kidd, Homeownership Director, Realtor, and Facilitator, has 25 years of experience in facilitating pre-purchase homebuyer education workshops. She is a licensed credit counselor with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, a Certified Consumer Credit Counselor with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and she also holds NeighborWorks Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC) Certifications in Pre-Purchase Homeownership Education and Post-Purchase Homeownership Education. Ms. Kidd and the Origin SC staff will be responsible for designing this proposed “train the trainer” workshop, provide curriculum materials, and can assist in marketing and outreach.

Origin SC is an approved provider of continuing education for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs for licensed credit counselors. Participants who attend this workshop and are also licensed credit counselors through the State of South Carolina will receive continuing education hours for that licensure as well.

Solar in Your Community Challenge

The SunShot Initiative has announced the Solar in Your Community Challenge, a new prize competition that aims to improve solar electricity access to underserved communities across the country. 

Offering $5 million in cash prizes and technical assistance (TA) over 18 months, the Challenge encourages communities to work together to create replicable, innovative business and financial models that expand solar to low- and moderate-income households. Because not all Americans own their rooftop, the Challenge aims to spur the development of inclusive solutions—like community solar—to help even more Americans go solar. 

There are a few ways you can participate:

• Create a team: Work with local businesses, nonprofits, schools, and community leaders to either develop a portfolio of solar projects or create new programs that extend solar access to LMI households and nonprofits.
• Become an expert: Provide coaching or serve as a subject matter expert to teams as they develop their projects throughout the Challenge. 

Early applications for teams and experts are due January 6th. Team applications include a three-page written application, a short video, and a short public-facing description, that describes your project or program’s impact.  Learn more about how the competition works and apply today. 

Bernie Mazyck's Appearance on Carolina Business Review

SCACED's President and CEO, Bernie Mazyck, recently had the opportunity to be a panelist on the Carolina Business Review (CBR), which has become the most widely watched source for business and public policy issues across the region. Among other topics, host Chris William guides a discussion of the Carolina's Medicaid funding gap in this episode of CBR. Mazyck is joined on the panel by Frank Hill, the Director of The Institute for the Public Trust. Rick Brajer, Secretary of NC Department of Health and Human Services, is a special guest on the show. 

The episode will air in SC at the following times:

• ETV SCC – Thursday, December 1 @ 9:30pm
• ETV- Sunday, December 4 @ 12:00PM 
• ETV World - Wed., December 7 @ 5:00 pm and Friday, December 9 @ 6:00 pm

Watch the Episode Now

Carolina Business Review began In Charlotte in 1990 as a way to initiate a public dialogue around community challenges. After 20 years, CBR has 1,000 weekly broadcasts and is on 22 PBS stations in North and South Carolina.

New Membership Coordinator

Please join us in welcoming Kenley Sturdivant-Wilson who has been hired as SCACED's Membership Coordinator. He will officially join our team on December 1st and plans to reach out to SCACED members to familiarize himself with their work and their needs. 

Kenley has almost 15 years of expertise in fundraising, major gifts and database management. He most recently applied his knowledge as the Director, Annual Fund and Database Manager for the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha. His resume also includes experience in the arts, sciences, philosophy and education in Nebraska, New York and Tennessee. 

Kenley has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas as well as Fundraising certification from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In addition, he has served in the U.S. Military both in the Army National Guard and the Air Force National Guard.

Kenley's role is to ensure that SCACED members are getting the most out of their membership and to attract new members to our organization. We welcome your ideas and ask that you send them to kenley@scaced.org.