How is your agency celebrating 60 years of community action?

The 60^th anniversary of community action will be front and center this month as we celebrate National Community Action Month. Take this opportunity to, not only educate the public about community action, but also amplify the incredible work your agency is doing in your region. As we kick off the month, join your fellow community action agencies and partners:



• Today, May 1, join your colleagues by reciting the Promise of Community Action on social media.
• Join the 60^th anniversary campaign by sharing the 60th anniversary logo on your website, social media sites, and on your email footer. More social media graphics and images
• Advocate for community action by sharing agency success stories on social media, inviting elected officials to visit your agency, submit an op-ed to your local newspaper. More.
• Make a short video telling the world "What Community Action Means to Your Agency," post on your own social media platforms, and share to csbg@dss.virginia.gov so that we can share widely.
• Utilize the Community Action Month Toolkit and the 60^th Anniversary Toolkit for ideas and resources. Take note of the 2024 Community Action Calendar below as you plan your messaging throughout the month.

The CSBG 3rd quarter report is due May 15th. The 3rd quarter report consists of the agency progress report and the 3rd quarter ROMA progress report. If you have questions regarding the reports please reach out to Abby at Abigail.hanks@dss.virginia.gov.

The ROMA Superheroes Peer Group will be holding its second meeting on Thursday, May 23 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm. The topic, Applied ROMA Tools, Techniques, and Practices. To join, registration is required. Click here to register. Once registered, a meeting access link will be shared with you.



This group is open to anyone interested in delving deeper into the ROMA framework and understanding its relevance to the CAA mission, programs, outcomes, and overall community impact. If you missed the last meeting, click here for access to the recording. 

We look forward to seeing you in building a stronger community through the ROMA Superheroes Peer Group. If you have any questions, please contact Landis Faulcon at Landis.Faulcon@hrcapinc.org. 

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, together with Community Science, offers a tool kit for change agents who are looking to get concrete about how to advance racial equity through evaluation. Building from the Practice Guide Series on Doing Evaluation in Service of Racial Equity, this tool kit includes insightful blogs, tip sheets, presentations, and more, that will help evaluators get real about evaluation for racial equity. The toolkit covers three key areas, (1) thinking and practicing evaluation for racial equity, (2) engaging the community in evaluations for racial equity, and (3) conducting evaluation for racial equity.

To access the full toolkit please click here. 

Webinars continue this month for community action agencies in VA, PA, MD, WV, DC, and DE (Region III). Upcoming webinars include Managing Your Organization's Social Media (May 9) and How to Handle Emotionally Challenging Situations at Work (May 23). Make sure to register for each training individually using the links for each session. Once you are registered, you will receive a Zoom link to add to your calendar. Recordings are available for previously held webinars for 30 days. See the full list of webinars and registration links and view recordings of past sessions on LearnWorlds.

WORKSHOP TITLE: Finding Your WHY through ROMA

Presenters: Jo Nelson and Troy Gusler, ROMA Implementers at Total Action for Progress (TAP)

The Office of Economic Opportunity is excited to announce another informative three-part series this spring: "Bridging ROMA Through the Eyes of Housing, Head Start, and Re-entry." Session I, titled "Finding Your WHY through ROMA," will kick off the series on May 7th at 10 am. Click here to register. See the session description below for more details.



This hour-long workshop will focus on why ROMA principles are important, not only for your agency but for your own understanding and success. Troy and Jo will clarify how Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, along with their accompanying regulations, form the foundation of your community action agency and influence all its activities, even if your program does not directly utilize these funds. The presenters will guide you through exercises that demonstrates how ROMA processes assist in the development of robust programs that benefit not only the agency but also the community and the participants it serves.



Jo is the Director of This Valley Works at TAP. She has been with the agency 16 years. Troy is the Whole Family Intake and Follow-up Manager and handles “all things database” for the agency. He has been with TAP for 12 years. Together they manage the ROMA standards for the agency and provide CSBG/TANF and Whole Family onboarding training for all new employees as well as ongoing training related to ROMA and data standards.

The Office of Economic Opportunity wants to hear from you! If your agency has training needs throughout the year please let us know. We have created a simple form for you to submit any ideas you may have to support your staff, clients, and board make an even greater impact on your community. You can submit a need at any time and our staff will reach out to you to get more information. This form is also available on the LearnWorlds homepage.

Hear how home visiting workers for New River Community Action (Radford, VA) and People Incorporated (Abingdon, VA) are helping provide parenting skills and other supportive services to families. During this segment, WVTF & RADIO IQ speak with Samantha and Ashely about the positive impact Community Action home visiting programs are having on their families.