Outreach Grantee: West Virginia
July 19, 2002
West Virginia Commission for National and Community ServiceLocation
Statewide
Program Summary
This initiative convenes national service programs, disability organizations and consumer groups to form community service inclusion teams in three regions of the state. The proposal supports the participation of persons with disabilities in service projects by placing recruiter/coaches with each team to arrange support and troubleshoot and by developing a transportation coordinating council. The commission provides mini-grants to the inclusion teams for joint service projects within each region. Persons with disabilities are matched with "buddies" who are participating in national service programs so potential volunteers can learn what it is really like to be a participant. Other activities promote opportunities for community service by developing marketing materials, disseminating materials to consumer groups and disability organizations, developing PSA's, and providing presentations.
Goals
- Educate
national service programs and disability organizations about each
other's programs, resources, and missions.
- Coordinate
support systems for the participation of people with disabilities
in service projects.
- Provide
opportunities for persons with disabilities to serve alongside
national service program volunteers.
- Provide
volunteer and service opportunities in national service programs
for people with disabilities and inform people with disabilities
about those opportunities.
- Match persons with disabilities with volunteer opportunities in national service programs or other community service opportunities.
Activities
- Form
community service inclusion teams in three regions to share information
about each other's programs, resources and missions. The teams
will consist of national service programs, disability organizations,
and consumer groups, and will meet every four months.
- Implement
a mini-grant program for joint service projects between national
service organizations, disability organizations, and consumer
groups. Each inclusion team will receive $5,000 to grant in each
of the two years. To qualify for a mini-grant, interested organizations
must assemble a planning team to consist of a national service
program, a disability organization, and a consumer group, and
submit a written proposal to the inclusion team.
- Place
one recruiter in each of the three regions to arrange support
and to troubleshoot.
- Develop a Transportation Coordinating Council made up of state representatives of each of the following organizations: Department of Transportation, Head Start, Agency on Aging, WV Council of Churches, WV Department of Education, and WV Community Action Association. The Council will work to reduce or eliminate barriers to the use of their vehicles to transport persons with disabilities to recruitment meetings and service projects.
Contact Information
Linda Quinn
West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service
601 Delaware Avenue
Charleston, WV 25302
305/558-0111
[email protected]
