For the past 13 years, (Laurel) Creech has worked for Lightening 100. Most recently, she’s been director of the radio station’s outdoors club known as Team Green.

As the mayor’s chief service officer she’s tasked with developing and implementing a citywide strategy to increase volunteerism. A progress report on the plan is to be completed by December. The position –– new to the mayor’s office –– is funded through a grant awarded to Nashville by Cities of Service and the Rockefeller Foundation.

“Nashville was one of only 10 cities awarded this prestigious grant from the Rockefeller Foundation,” Dean said. “It is a huge honor to have this opportunity, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. Laurel has spent the last 10-plus years organizing community events and service projects through Team Green. I know she’s up for the task.”

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, founding members of the Cities of Service coalition, today joined Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Judith Rodin to announce the winners of the first-ever Cities of Service Leadership Grants.

Ten cities were selected to receive $200,000 two-year grants, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, to hire a Chief Service Officer – a senior city official dedicated to developing and implementing a citywide plan to increase volunteerism and target volunteers to address their city’s greatest needs.

Due to the extraordinary response from cities to the first request for proposals – 50 cities applied to receive one of the ten grants – the mayors and Dr. Rodin announced that there will be a second competition in the coming months to award similar grants to an additional ten cities.

The cities selected to receive leadership grants are Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Los Angeles, CA; Nashville-Davidson, TN; Newark, NJ; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA. Each of these cities displayed a strong commitment to service and outlined thoughtful, thorough and creative approaches to expanding local opportunities for volunteers to make an impact.

“I can think of no better way to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and this national day of service than to invest in the capacity of cities to mobilize their citizens in innovative ways to solve our common problems,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “As we work to help our neighbors and communities through the greatest financial crisis we’ve seen in a long time, we believe citizen service is needed now more than ever. These grants, funded generously by the Rockefeller Foundation, will help us develop new strategies to tap volunteers as a serious strategy to solve local challenges.”

Mayor Dean and United Way Announce Education ProgressWHAT/WHY: Press conference to announce critical progress that has been made in getting Nashville’s most at-risk children (those from low-income homes) ready for school this fall through Read to Succeed, a United Way of Metropolitan Nashville initiative.

WHERE: United Way of Metropolitan Nashville
250 Venture Circle (in MetroCenter), Nashville, TN 37228

WHEN: Friday, June 26, 2009, 12:45 p.m.

Press conference is just prior to United Way’s June Day of Action, Stuff the Bus.
At 1 p.m. volunteers will begin loading four metro school buses with school supplies (backpacks, binders, pencils, etc.) and deliver them to 42 United Way partner agencies where they will in turn be distributed to families and children who need them.

SPEAKERS: Nashville Mayor Karl Dean
United Way Board Chair Tony Heard

Click here for more information.

The $625,000 grant will be awarded to the YMCA of Middle Tennessee to operate a YouthBuild program in Nashville. The program assists dropouts in obtaining their degrees while also providing occupational training in the construction industry.

The effort to land YouthBuild locally was led by Mayor Karl Dean and Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors, according to a release from the mayor’s office.

“YouthBuild is exactly the kind of program we wanted to attract through the Alternative High School Initiative – it gives students who have dropped out a second chance,” Dean said. “There are no throwaway people in our society.

“We need to continue to reduce the number of students that dropout of our schools, but we also need to go after those who have already dropped out and get them back on track. It’s the right thing to do from both a moral and economic standpoint.”

Here is the press release from the Mayor’s office:

MAYOR, METRO AGENCIES ANNOUNCE EMERGENCY VOLUNTEER DRIVE
Hands On Nashville To Coordinate Effort

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mayor Karl Dean, the Metropolitan Public Health Department and the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management joined Hands On Nashville today as it announced its largest emergency recruitment drive ever, for more than 4,000 volunteers.

The plan, announced at a joint news conference, calls for Points of Dispensing, or PODs, to be set up across the city if there is an emergency, allowing the Health Department to quickly administer vaccinations or medications to large numbers of citizens. While the Health Department is responsible for opening these PODs in a public health emergency, it has contracted Hands On Nashville to recruit volunteers to help staff these clinics.

“We want Nashville to be the best prepared city in America should a major emergency hit, and being prepared in the case of a medical emergency is certainly part of that preparation,” said Mayor Karl Dean. “I am confident that Hands On Nashville’s experience with these sorts of projects, along with the volunteer spirit of the people in our community, will make this effort a success.”

PODs can be activated for a wide range of medical emergencies, from the outbreak of the pandemic flu and smallpox to health issues caused by bioterrorism. When PODs are activated, volunteers will be contacted and given the option to report to a designated location. Medical personnel will also be present at each POD to oversee volunteers.

“If we ever need to quickly distribute medicine to large numbers of people, we’ll need people to help. To be more prepared, we’ve entered into a partnership with Hands On Nashville to access and mobilize large numbers of volunteers at a moment’s notice,” said Bill Paul, M.D., director of the Metropolitan Public Health Department.

“It’s our job to have a plan in place for emergencies,” said Laura Hokenstad, director of the Mayor’s
Office of Emergency Management. “In the case of PODs, Hands On Nashville will play a big role in ensuring we have the resources to implement this plan.”

By 2010, Hands On Nashville will be responsible for recruiting 4,000 volunteers and training them with the Metro Public Health Department. Volunteers will be required to complete a one-time training session lasting an hour. Sessions are open to participants 16 years and older and will include basic information about POD concepts.

“We’ve been involved in Metro’s disaster response effort for four years, most recently partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to coordinate 1,050 Davidson County volunteers’ response to the tornadoes that swept through Williamson, Sumner, Trousdale and Macon counties last February,” said Brian Williams, executive director of Hands On Nashville. “We understand the importance of having volunteers who can quickly respond to an emergency, and we’re already utilizing our resources to recruit these volunteers.”

If you’re interested in becoming a POD volunteer, please call Josh Corlew at (615) 298-1108, ext. 111. Online training will be available starting March 24 on Hands On Nashville’s Web site, www.hon.org. The first in-person training session will be held later in the month, with additional sessions available.

To learn more about the Metropolitan Public Health Department, visit www.health.nashville.gov. To learn more about the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, visit www.nashville.gov/OEM.

 

Domestic violence nonprofits were allocated a total of $750,000, with six groups receiving funds.

It was also revealed that a board member for one of the groups receiving grant funds was on the panel that conducted the review process. Although she didn’t vote, YWCA board member Susan Huggins served on the CEF panel.

The YWCA had the lowest score of the 11 programs applying for funds in the domestic violence category, but still received $196,000 in Metro funds. Although the YWCA had the lowest overall score, it ranked higher because it provides shelter and advocacy programs, which were given greater priority during the ranking process.

Even those who have questioned the process insist there was no impropriety on the part of the panel and that Dean’s idea behind the new system was sound.

“I don’t concede everything was done the best,” Riebeling said. “We’re going to ask the Center for Nonprofit Management to put together a task force to look at issues, how they come up with their scores, how we can make it better for next year.”