ADVISER NEWS 
September 2020
Volume 2, Issue 2
In This Issue:

  • Upcoming Dates
  • State Adviser--Chapter Support Grant Checks are in the Mail!
  • State Program & Events Manager--Virtual Adviser Retreat, OAT Days, LDI, and more
  • State Executive Officer Team Update
  • Cy-Pres Financial Literacy Grant Program Continues
  • Social Media Project with Cal-HOSA
  • AmazonSmile for CA FBLA
Upcoming Dates
CDE News From Your State Adviser
Welcome Back to School. . . .Or should I say Welcome Back to ZOOM?
Either way, you have gotten your feet wet by now and are likely looking forward to the much anticipated 3-day weekend. Happy Labor Day!
In contrast to the gloom and doom in the news lately, I have some GOOD NEWS for you:

The check is in the mail!

The second round of 2019-2020 Chapter Support Grant checks will be in the mail shortly! As you know, the California Department of Education provides chapter support grants to qualifying chapters each year. These dollars come directly from the CTE Initiative Funds (thank you to our CA legislature!) to the first 100 qualifying FBLA chapters. Per the terms of the 2019-2020 grant program, if 100 chapters do not apply and qualify, the remaining funds are divided equally among the previously qualified chapters. Last year, there were 73 chapters that applied for and received grants, which left a remaining balance of approximately $21,000. Your CA FBLA Board of Directors decided not to put checks in the mail at the end of last school year because there was too much uncertainty, District Office staff working from home, unattended school mailboxes, etc. So, TODAY, September 4, 2020, the 73 schools that previously received Round 1 chapter support grants were mailed a Round 2 check for an additional $298.65 each. Please be on the lookout for those checks in your school mailboxes when you return from the Labor Day Holiday.

More good news – as a result of the cancellation of FBLA's SLC that would have been held last April, we have additional unspent funds! With some creative moves, we were able to redirect those funds back into more chapter support grants. Again, those same, previously qualified 73 chapters will receive an additional $623.05 each. Those Round 3 checks will be mailed in mid-October. I was able to get these dollars to your chapters by justifying that more activities would be occurring at the local level and travel would be limited.

As a reminder – You submitted a chapter support grant spending plan when you applied for a grant. Please remember that these funds can be spent in any of the following categories:

Allowable Expenses: Chapter support grants can be used to support any of the following four broad categories/goals in support of FBLA:

  1. FBLA supplies,
  2. FBLA conferences, in- and out-of-state,
  3. FBLA student activities, and
  4. Promotion and development of industry partnerships, leadership, or civic awareness.

And that’s all from 2019-20 funds – However, there will be more dollars for the 2020-21 school year! If you didn’t apply for a Chapter Support Grant last year, you may want to rethink that this year when you see the application come around! Here are the guidelines from last year's Chapter Support Grant Process for your planning purposes.

Your CA Management Team has planned a great year for you! Please read this newsletter in its entirety and make note of all upcoming events and deadlines. You will see repeated posts and e-mails about CA FBLA affiliation. This important step should be first on your to-do list at the beginning of each year. Here’s the link to the 2020-2021 CA FBLA Affiliation Form. Be sure to wait for notification of approval for affiliation before paying for student memberships. Please reach out if you have questions.

Thanks for all you do,

Molly Anderson
Education Programs Consultant
California Department of Education
DECA and FBLA State Adviser
MoAnderson@cde.ca.gov
Adviser's Conference, LDI ...
It’s almost Fall, and, in the FBLA world, that means it's conference time! OAT Day, Adviser’s Retreat (new), and LDI, oh my! 

Obviously in these unforeseen circumstances, all conferences will be hosted virtually, but we are just as excited as always to offer impactful conferences. 

Section Officers/Advisers Training (OAT) Days – Attending your section OAT day is a great opportunity for your chapter officers, prospective officers, and active members to gain knowledge of officer responsibilities, Business Achievement Awards (BAA), State Projects, virtual membership recruitment, community service and much more. Section Directors will be sending event specific information soon. 

Virtual Adviser Retreat – Saturday, October 10 - CA FBLA is excited to partner with Tri Leadership to offer our first every Advisers-only conference! Do not miss this opportunity to join your adviser colleagues to learn together how to advance as an educator and leader to enhance your students’ FBLA experiences and meet their goals. Save the date and register now! This conference is FREE!

  • Optional Pre-Event for New Advisers on Friday, October 9 from 4 – 6 PM
  • Main Event on Saturday, October 10 from 9 AM – 3:30 PM

REGISTER NOW!! For more conference details and registration link, click here.
A New Resource
Tri Leadership’s successful TEACH FBLA resource will be introduced during the conference. All affiliated Advisers will have full access throughout the school year to TEACH FBLA, an online support tool that provides hundreds of hours of leadership videos, series, pathways and resources.   
All attending advisers must have an approved chapter affiliation. Complete your affiliation ASAP to insure your attendance at all conferences.

Leadership Development Institute (LDI) – Saturday, November 14 – This year we are combining both LDI’s into one for a more impactful event. We are focusing on business professional lead workshops, inspiring keynote speakers, virtual social and engaging activities. Keep your eyes out for more information soon. Registration will open September 15.

Looking forward to connecting with you virtually this fall! 

Melanie Dias
CA FBLA Program & Events Manager
Student News From Our State President
Hello Advisers! 
 
My name is Kelsea Whiting and it is an absolute honor to serve as your 2020-2021 CA FBLA State President! The State Executive Board and I have been working tirelessly to provide our members with the most beneficial events and opportunities in a virtual format. The Executive Board has developed three committees that will work to strengthen communication, chapter resources, and member opportunities.  

With the goal of providing members with insight into various career paths, the Executive Board will be hosting monthly webinars with business professionals from across the nation! On September 25 at 4 p.m., we are excited to feature TV personality and detective, Derrick Levasseur. Derrick will be sharing his experiences as lead detective on Investigation Discovery’s Breaking Homicide as well as his time on CBS’s Big Brother. Stay tuned for more information about this webinar as well as the Zoom credentials to attend. We look forward to seeing many of our members and advisers in attendance! 

In the coming weeks, the Executive Board will release a “social media roadmap” that will outline California FBLA’s official social media accounts and the content available on each, as well as an FBLA terminology sheet for new members. A competitive events discovery quiz will be publicized which will allow members to discover the competition that best suits their interests. As an Executive Board, we hope that these resources will make this difficult transition to a virtual format a bit easier.  

While this year may look different than years previous, I believe that by working together we can create opportunities that will be just as, if not more beneficial for our members. I am looking forward to a fantastic year ahead! 
 
Optimistically yours,  
Kelsea Whiting 
Financial Literacy Grant Program
Grant Submissions Extended to November 30!
Bite of Reality and NGPF Now Offering Virtual Options!!!
The Cy-Pres Financial Literacy Grant program was originally set to wind up on March 31, 2020, and all awards and recognitions were set to occur at the SLC. In order to make adjustments in light of the current health crisis, any grant sub-programs with March 31, 2020, deadlines have had their deadlines extended until November 30, 2020.

Basically, all parts of the program remain available for both new applications and for submission of final documentation for reimbursements and awards EXCEPT for two programs that are already completed: the Section Directors grant sub-program and the student video contest (already awarded--congrats to the team from Los Osos HS).

Advisers with previously approved grant applications received their reimbursements and cash stipends (in lieu of gift cards) during May/June provided their documentation was received by March 31. All other reimbursements and stipends will be provided within six weeks of documentation submissions. If you need to review the guidelines in order to make a new application, here is a link to the Cy-Pres Financial Literacy Grant page on our web site. Links to the applications forms and/or other instructions necessary appear under each sub-program description: https://www.cafbla.org/Page/2348

If you have any questions about the Cy-Pres Financial Literacy Grant Program, please contact Sue Christensen, Business Manager, at businessmanager@cafbla.org.

Virtual Possibilities & Suggestions:
  • Check out the CalCRN Resource option! Get a $25 gift card for simply perusing and finding ways to use the resources in your lessons for teaching virtually!
  • Sign up for a NGPF Virtual FinCamp to learn ways to virtually teach about financial literacy: https://www.ngpf.org/virtual-fincamp/
  • Get connected to a local credit union partner who will assist you in holding a Virtual Bite of Reality event and send restaurant e-gift cards to participating students to use to join together for a meal after the activity.
  • Sign up your students to participate in the Knowledge Matters Virtual Business Challenge - Finance Fall Event: https://www.fbla-pbl.org/competitive-event/virtual-business-finance-challenge/

Whatever you choose to do, be sure to also complete the simple forms on our Cy-Pres Financial Literacy Grant web page so that you can reap the CA FBLA rewards as well!
Join Cal-HOSA to Support
Suicide Prevention Week Social Media Project

As teenage suicide is on the rise, let's join our sister organization, Cal-HOSA in a social media challenge in recognition of Suicide Prevention Week. Cal-HOSA is asking our members to create and share their "Heart of Hope" as a way to bring awareness to suicide prevention. Students may interpret this in a video post or even an image post that shares the student's "Heart of Hope" for Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide Prevention Week is September 7-11. Students are encouraged to challenge 5-10 of their friends and/or celebrities to also share their "Heart of Hope."

Please use the following hashtags in all posts: #SuicidePreventionWeek2020, #EachMindMatters, #CalHOSAPEI, #SuicidePreventionChallenge2020. 
 
Let's help make this social media challenge go viral!
Support CA FBLA via AmazonSmile
Give to CA FBLA when you buy all your regular stuff from Amazon at AmazonSmile:

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