Meeting People @ NCVS

One of the features of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service is meeting people from all over the USA. Here are some of my meetings:



Delores Morton is the Vice President, HandsOn University and provides the strategic direction and vision for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service and for management of the organization's training programs. Well done on the 2011 Conference! And look she is still smiling at the end of it all!!

 The National Parks Volunteers in Parks Network were present at the Conference led by the amazing Joy Pietschmann.


There are between 390 and 400 National Parks in the USA (how many have you visited? Volunteers serve by answering visitor questions, presenting living history demonstrations in period costume, Building painting  and making cabinets and giving guided nature walks and evening campfire programs.

Hostelling International USA had five representatives from across the country. I showed them my Youth Hostel membership card and they invited me to hang out with them for lunch. Three of the group came to my workshops: Sabotage and Tools (and said affirming things). We had lunch at Mothers in New Orleans. In a single year, Mother's is a NOLA institution. Closed for a very short time because of Katrina, Mothers has served the city since 1938 and serves up every year:
175,000 pounds (75 000 kg) of ham and roast beef,
quarter of a million "biscuits" (Aussies think savoury scones), 150,000 loaves of French bread and a tonne of hot pepper sauce.


The first U.S. youth hostel opened in Northfield, Massachusetts in 1934. Today 60 hostels provide accommodation to locals and visitors. 

Was great to see Lisa Crittenden Hardwick again. Lisa is Marketing and Sales at Industries for the Blind. Prior to that she was the Director of this National Conference for the Corporation for National and Community Service. 

Mike Sheridan with one of his team from Eastern University...I think its Charlene,...sorry, do please correct me! This is where one of my heroes Tony Campolo teaches. Mike is married to an Australian! He is with the School of Leadership and Development and he was telling me they feature a series of non profit focussed courses including a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management

These guys are with the National Center for Appropriate Technology. The Center provides  access to appropriate technologies including house Weatherizing, training farmers, monitoring energy use and demonstrating renewable energy technology.


Todd Hunkler is based on Montana and Jordan Goldsmith on the right is with  Pennsylvania Energy Corps.  Todd got his passion after studying in Australia. While there he learnt to enjoy watching Australian football!

Tracey Leigh Seabolt is with Learn and Serve America. Their work got over one million students involved in service-learning. Learning which built knowledge  confidence, self esteem and allowed people to stay at school. 


Learning which is threatened by 100% cuts to the Learn and Serve America budget. Their budget? 40 million US dollars. I noted this is about the cost of two missiles. 


Tracey wants to visit Australia one day.

Brendon L. A. Barclay is the Executive Director at Sustaining Urban Villages in Atlanta, Georgia. Pictured here with his wife and youngest son, he is due to receive an award at the Conference for his work. Here is a video of the agency building an outdoor classroom in Georgia. 

 

Fred Lugo is President of the National Senior Corps Association (NSCA) Board of Directors and Executive Director of Coming of Age Austin Metro! 


































Katie Reeves also works with  Coming of Age Austin Metro! Pictured here with Martin (Marty) Molloy)  at my workshop this morning.  Marty is from Greater Philadelphia Cares

 Sarah Christian and Jennifer Bennett from Volunteer Match. This agency (one of my favourites) provides online services to match volunteers and agencies committed to civic engagement.  78,000 nonprofit organisations are connected to millions of volunteers:-  5,436,839 Referrals Since 1998 (see this live map for current activity).

Joan and I had an interesting conversation at Kinkos when I went back to collect my lost card and jumpdrive (see this post for that story!). Joan works with Mayflower RSVP in Plymouth, MA. We have met a few times over the years (this is my tenth NCVS!)

Davida Gatlin from Generation On  who exist "To inspire, equip, and mobilize youth to take action that changes the world and themselves through service" We talked about engaging different generations in service before my workshop on that topic.


Davida is organizing a service project here in New Orleans for local 13 yo 16 year olds Tuesday

Matt Lyttle, Emergency Response Program Manager from Volunteer Fairfax. Like myself, Matt volunteered in Central America: he in Nicaragua and myself in El Salvador.

Natalie Smith, Manager of Business Training Services, Points of Light Institute and Wayne Svoboda from Volunteer Partners in Lincoln, Nebraska. Volunteer Partners have an amazing mentoring/support for non profits program involving triplets.

Daphne Ferris Mayer Keys (left) from Campus Crusade for Christ International and Cindy Battles (right) from Operation Mobilization

Tony Goodrow and Anne Wiseman from Volunteer Squared.















The faculty and team of the Symposium for Advanced Volunteer Engagement.. what a great group (left to right):

• Lori Jean Mantooth, Points of Light Institute
• Sue Carter Kahl, Commissioner at California Volunteers 
• Erin Barnhart, Effective Altruism
• Martin J Cowling (me!)
• Jill Friedman Fixler,  JFFixler Group 
• Sarah Jane Rehnborg,  The RGK Center 
• Betty Stallings, Building Better Skills
• Katie Campbell, The Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration