Nonprofits recognize their best, brightest

Last Monday Nick Zeppos hosted a cocktail celebration to fete the finalists for the Center for Nonprofit Management’s Salute to Excellence 2010 awards.

Lots of Vandy folks were in the house — Beth Fortune, Christine Bradley, David Mills, Lydia Howarth Andre Hatter, Alisa Haushalter and so on. Vandy Chef Tom Allen was in the kitchen and showcased his culinary flair.

The sunroom at Braeburn was filled with a group of — shall we say — “optimistic realists,” many of whom work in non-profits and are underpaid and oftentimes under-appreciated.

The fabulous Jacky Akbari — who has one of the best smiles in town — and Megan Barry are chairing the Salute to Excellence event. That benefit will be held Sept. 21 at the Nashville Renaissance Hotel. Nine awards and more than $160,000 in grants will be presented. These awards recognize nonprofits for a job well done and reinforce the importance of effective leadership in the nonprofit sector. The breadth of the awards extends not only to the work of organizations, but includes individual honors for deserving executives and board members.

Let’s just say it’s a veritable Oscar party for local nonprofits.

Spotted out were Vicky Beaver, Lewis Lavine, Cheryl Read, Jaynee Day, Jennifer and John Steele, Raquel Hatter, Janet Jernigan, Mac Pirkle, Sandra Roberts, Lucius Carroll, Deb Varallo, Tom Tohill, Bob Tuke, Bill Coke, Tim Garrett, Lydia Cox, Mimi Bliss, Emad Khalil, Kathleen Monoghan, Tracy Rhode, Hope and Howard Stringer and Lucinda Smith.

Congrats to the nominees.

Special thanks to Vanderbilt University for making the Chancellor’s residence available for this event. Click here to view pictures. And don’t forget to purchase your tickets for Salute to Excellence 2010!

Monroe Harding has office space available on its main campus in Southwest Nashville. The property is located on Glendale Lane off of Granny White Pike, near Harding Place. The total square footage is approximately 2264 and includes 6 offices, a conference room, kitchen and bathroom. Access to additional conference rooms and dining hall is also available. All utilities are included (except phone). The space is available immediately. Monthly rental rate is $1,200. A nonprofit organization is desired. This space was previously rented by First Steps and Prevent Child Abuse. Please call Evelyn Tidman at 298-5573 or email evelyntidman@monroeharding.org if interested.

This week, Ad 2 Nashville, a division of AAF Nashville, will release its Public Service RFP (request for proposal) and begin accepting applications for its annual public service project for the 2010-2011 club year. Each year, the advertising club selects one organization to help amplify its mission through the implementation of a fully integrated advertising/marketing campaign. All qualified organizations are encouraged to apply for consideration and can download an application by clicking on the link “Download 2010-2011 Application” on http://www.ad2nashville.org/publicservice.html. Organizations must be non-profit and exempt from Federal Income Tax under 501(c)(3) and submit a completed application for review no later than 31 August 2010. The selection will be made by September 14th.

National Ad 2 was founded in 1947 to create a means for up and coming professionals in the industry to gain the contacts, education and leadership opportunities they need to become tomorrowʼs industry leaders. The Nashville Chapter was chartered in 2004. Past public service clients have included the Nashville Chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, The Alcohol and Drug Council of Middle Tennessee and Health Assist Tennessee.

For more information, please contact Brady Purnell at publicservice@ad2nashville.org or visit www.ad2nashville.org.

VAN August General Membership Meeting

Wednesday, August 18th

11:30-1:00pm

Location: Nashville Rescue Mission

SPECIAL GUEST: Hands On Nashville

Lunch will be provided

Please RSVP by August 16th to Cheryl Webster at cwebster@alivehospice.org (615) 963-4728

See attached flyer for more information.

august Meeting

Tennessee Community Services Agency (TNCSA) was recently awarded a $975,000 contract from the Department of Finance and Administration Bureau of TennCare to provide the statewide operation of a call/contact center that supports telephone Advocacy and Outreach services for TennCare members and applicants.

The call center will receive approximately 800 calls per week regarding TennCare eligibility and covered services. The center is designed to assist enrollees as well as persons or agencies that call on behalf of TennCare applicants and members. The center will also assist with the redetermination process for targeted TennCare groups.

The center will employ approximately 25 individuals that will provide advocacy and outreach services. Bi-lingual advocates will assist Spanish speaking clients while Arabic, Bosnian, Kurdish, Somali and Vietnamese speaking clients will be assisted through third party interpreters. Specialized advocates will assist TennCare members with mental health and substance abuse covered services calls.

Seedco, a national non-profit organization that helps low-income people and communities move toward economic prosperity, is a partner in the grant. Through their Mid South Regional office in Memphis they will provide training, website development and quality assurance for the program. This is TNCSA’s second endeavor partnering with Seedco.

Laura Seidell, Seedco’s director for the region says, “This partnership is a great opportunity for us to expand our work throughout the state, and help more low-income Tennesseans improve access to the benefits and resources available to them, especially during these challenging times.

John Rust, Development Coordinator for TNCSA, comments, “It was exciting to develop a project of this scope. It is a great privilege to bring employment opportunities to the folks that will provide services through this funding”.

TNCSA is a statewide, quasi-state governmental agency that is linked administratively to the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. Offices are located in Memphis, Jackson, Union City, Nashville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City. TNCSA was legislated in 1989 to respond to the needs of Tennesseans by providing a variety of services. TNCSA has a long history of providing quality social services to Tennesseans throughout the state. Community services…community solutions.

Does your organization have a need for a promotional or recruitment video? This fall students in an upper-level Business Policy & Strategy course will be working on a special project for nonprofits. The students will be placed in teams and charged with developing a promotional video on behalf of a nonprofit partner. These videos can be designed for volunteer or donor recruitment or for use in marketing events, programs or services.

The Lipscomb fall semester begins on Monday, August 23rd, so we would anticipate that this project will begin to move forward in a little over a month.

If you are interested or know someone who might be interested, please contact Christin Shatzer at christin.shatzer@lipscomb.edu for more details.

I hope you will consider being involved in this opportunity!

About SALT:

SALT [Serving and Learning Together] is an academic service-learning program designed to enhance the educational experience of undergraduate students at Lipscomb University. Through the SALT Program, students have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular projects that impact the community, connect academic ideas they are learning in the classroom to real world experiences, help them develop marketable job skills and network with professionals in the community.

UPDATE: This program is currently at capacity. Stay tuned for additional opportunities to work with Lipscomb University students.

NOMINATIONS REQUESTED FOR CHARLIE B. TEMPLE SERVICE AWARD

Honor Recognizing Unsung Community Heroes To Be Presented at 1960 Olympic Celebration

The legacy of Charlie B. Temple, beloved wife of legendary track coach Ed Temple, will be honored through the presentation of the Charlie B. Temple Service Award at the

“Rome 1960 – Celebrating 50 Years” event on Aug. 27.

“Charlie B.,” who passed away in 2008, was known for her tireless behind-the-scenes support of the young women of Coach Temple’s Tennessee State University track program. Coach Temple often credits the success he and the Tigerbelles experienced through his 44 years as coach to his wife.

Nominations for the Charlie B. Temple Service Award will be accepted between now and Aug. 13. Ideal nominees are those who are devoted to helping people in their communities, stand alongside others to help them succeed, give of themselves selflessly and have a positive spirit. Download a nomination form at www.coachtemple.com.

The “Rome 1960 – Celebrating 50 Years” event, hosted by Temple and presented by Fifth Third Bank, benefits a scholarship fund established in Temple’s name at New Hope Academy. Steve Turner and Dr. T.B. Boyd III are serving as co-chairmen of the event.

Temple will be joined at the event, which will be held at the Hutton Hotel, by gold medalists including decathalete Rafer Johnson, high jumper Ralph Boston, swimmer Lance Larson, and Tigerbelles Barbara Jones-Slater, Lucinda Williams, Martha Hudson and other Olympians. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss, who wrote a best-selling book on the 1960 Olympics, will moderate a discussion with the Olympians in attendance.

Visit www.coachtemple.com to learn more about the event.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee announces its fourth round of disaster grants from its Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund and Tennessee Emergency Response Fund totaling $726,000 to nine local organizations providing flood relief and restoration services. To date, *$2.1 million in flood relief grants have been awarded to more than 60 organizations from The Community Foundation’s two disaster funds.

On July 12, The Community Foundation awarded the following flood relief grants from its disaster funds:

* Centerville Church of Christ has received a $20,000 Tennessee Emergency Response Fund grant to continue providing aid to residents of Hickman County affected by the flood. Approximately 25-30 victims per week are receiving services including clothing, building supplies, and appliances.

* Hands On Nashville has received two grants, one from each fund, totaling $250,000 to assist in the rebuilding of approximately 75 flood damaged homes with volunteer labor by November 2010. In coordination with Rebuilding Together, Hands On Nashville will work with homeowners through the We Are Home program, and then assess homes, determining the scope of work, requisite supplies and volunteer duties, providing volunteer leaders, general volunteers, and building supplies. Rebuilding Together will provide skilled project management and coordinate skilled labor and building supplies needed.

* The Housing Fund has received two grants, one from each fund, totaling $300,000 to provide up to three months of rental assistance to 250 households who do not have sufficient resources to carry the burden of mortgage and rent payments after insurance and FEMA.

* Hull-York Lakeland Resource Conservation and Development has received grants totaling $15,000 from the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund to support the local cost sharing required by the federal government to assist in clean-up of debris and repair work for damaged roads and infrastructure, in coordination with the USDA, for 85 different sites in Clay, Jackson and Macon counties.

* Legal Aid Society has received two grants, one from each fund, totaling $75,000 to provide direct legal assistance and counseling to Middle Tennessee victims dealing with civil legal issues in the aftermath of the flood through walk-in legal clinics and direct representation to low-income and elderly victims.

* Mission Discovery has received a $36,000 Tennessee Emergency Response Fund grant to provide materials for home repair assistance for approximately 40 families in Davidson and Sumner counties. Home repair assistance will be provided to the elderly and families who have do not have flood insurance and have not received FEMA aid.

* North Nashville Flood Relief Group received a $10,000 Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund grant to continue its work to help flood victims in North Nashville.

* Southeast Nashville Flood Relief Team received a $10,000 Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund grant to continue its work to help flood victims in Southeast Nashville.

* West Nashville Flood Recovery Network received a $10,000 Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund grant to continue its work to help flood victims in West Nashville.

Click here to get more information on flood relief grants  distributed from The Community Foundation’s two disaster funds.

Middle Tennessee organizations can apply for Community Foundation flood relief grants on a rolling basis at http://www.cfmt.org/floodrelief/nonprofit/.

The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) has 1-2 offices in a ranch-style brick home available for sublet to a non-profit organization. The house is located at the intersection of Harding Place & Danby drive, between I-65 and Nolensville Road (4732 W. Longdale Drive, Nashville, TN 37211). The primary office space is approximately 14” x 16” and the second room is just a bit smaller. The $330 per room rental cost includes access to a full kitchen, large front room (for meetings), bathroom and free parking (small lot next to house for staff and larger church lot next door for guests). All utilities and monthly cleaning fee is included (except phone/DSL). The space is available starting September 1. NCRC is seeking organizations who share our vision for peace and non-violence and preferably engaging in similar work. Please call Tamara Ambar Losel or Michele Flynn at 333-8400 if interested.