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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Request - Heart of Oregon Corps10/20 Economic Development Fund Discretionary Grant Program Organization: Heart of Oregon Corps Organization Description: This organization, founded in 2000, hires and trains low- income, high-risk youth ages 16 to 27 by partnering with local schools, the Department of Human Services and juvenile justice agencies. This program is intended to provide an opportunity to gain career skills, attain educational goals and reach financial independence allowing them to redevelop and maintain a connection to the community. The program now serves more than 150 youths per year. Project Name: Software Customization Project Description: Work with an ETO (Efforts to Outcomes) software consultant to build site-specific, performance-based outcomes. ETO is performance management software used to track member performance. Development of these specific outcomes will benefit the program in the following ways: • Allow for stronger, more accurate data reports making the organization more competitive and successful in pursuing grants • More efficient real time monitoring and program services improvements resulting in higher member success rates • Ability to track large amounts of quantifiable data to provide outcome -based results in response to grant requirements. Project Period: October 15, 2008 — May 31, 2009 Amount of Request: $3,220 Previous Grants: • April 2005: $300 Pole Pedal Paddle entry fee (Daly $300) • May 2006: $4,000 (Daly $3,000; Clarno $1,000) • November 2006: $3,000 ETO Software (Daly $2,000; Clarno $1,000) • May 2007: $2,000 Fire Fuel Reduction (Daly $1,000; Baney $1,000) (541) 410-2187 Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org DESCHUTES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION Direct Application to: Commissioner Tammy Baney Commissioner Dennis R. Luke Date: 10/1/08 Project Name: Project Beginning Date: Amount of Request: Commissioner Michael M. Daly All Three Commissioners X Software Customization 10/15/08 $3,220 Applicant/Organization: Address: Project End Date: Date Funds Needed: Tax ID #: City & Zip: Telephone: Email: Heart of Oregon Corps PO Box 279 Contact Name(s): Fax: Monique McCleary (541) 306-3703 Alternate Phone: 5/31/09 11/15/08 93-1303879 Bend 97702 (541) 633-7834 info@heartoforegon.orgf On a separate sheet, please briefly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Attach: Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status. * Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget. Amount Approved: By: Date: Declined: By: Date: Organizational Information History The Heart of Oregon Corps (HOC) is a 501(c) (3) designated non-profit agency located in Bend, Oregon, which was founded in 2000 by Dave Holmes, Dennis Maloney, and Dan Saraceno. Since its inception, HOC has focused on the hiring and training of low-income, at -risk youth and young adults (ages 16-27). HOC believes that providing our members with a "work, learn, and earn" opportunity to gain career skills, attain educational goals, and reach financial independence, is a powerful experience that allows individuals to redevelop and maintain their connection to their community. To achieve our mission, HOC partners with local schools, the Department of Human Services and juvenile justice agencies in Deschutes County, as well as many other partners throughout Central Oregon. HOC operates Year -Round and Summer programs that allow its members to work full-time, earning minimum wage. In 2007, HOC also became part of the groundbreaking Civic Justice Corps (CJC) Pilot Program. One of 14 CJC sites across the country, HOC operates a six-month AmeriCorps program that seeks to re -integrate youth and young adults with previous court involvement back into their communities. Mission The mission of the Heart of Oregon Corps is to operate a youth and young adult training and employment program that provides an avenue to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth and maintain the natural environment. Leadership Structure The Heart of Oregon Corps operates under the advisement of its Executive Director and its Board of Directors (board list attached). HOC utilizes a Business Manager to oversee all financial matters and accounting. HOC employs four full-time Crew Leaders to supervise, train and mentor corps members. Our AmeriCorps CJC Program is overseen by a full-time Program Manager. HOC's career training is headed by an AmeriCorps volunteer from the Oregon State Service Corps and is guided by an Employer Advisory Boaid consisting of community agencies and employer partners that include WorkSource, Washington Mutual Bank, Les Schwab, Mt. Bachelor and BendBroadband. HOC is now hosting its second of three AmeriCorps VISTA positions. This year's VISTA serves as a full-time development coordinator - with a focus on building organizational capacity. Activities The main objective of the Heart of Oregon Corps is to provide an opportunity for at -risk youth and young adults to become productive members of the community and workforce of Central Oregon. To reach this objective, HOC has developed a diverse range of methods and programs that attend to the equally diverse needs of the at -risk population. The three main program areas of HOC are the Year -Round Program, the Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (COYCC) Summer Program, and the AmeriCorps CJC Program. The focus of the HOC Year -Round Program is to provide career and educational opportunities to youth and young adults ages 16-21 who are currently enrolled in a public or alternative high-school. Through this program, members are paid minimum wage and have the opportunity to earn high school "skills -based" credit. The COYCC Summer Program is an eight week program that occurs yearly from June to August. This program, which enrolls 16-18 year olds, is run in collaboration with the US Forest Service and the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps. Youth members in the COYCC program are paid minimum wage, have the ability to earn high-school credit, and are also given the opportunity to gain a wealth of environmental education while working alongside Wildlife and Fisheries Biologists from the US Forest Service. The AmeriCorps CJC program, which is currently in its second year of operation, is a six-month opportunity for young adults ages 17-27 to develop career skills and work toward the completion of a diploma or GED whi e serving their community. Members of the AmeriCorps program also receive a $2,300 Segal Education Award upon the completion of their service. In accordance with our mission of maintaining the natural environment, the majority of the work that HOC crews participate in is environmental stewardship. Our current projects include fuels reduction to decrease the risk of wildfire, trail repair and restoration, noxious weed eradication, riparian habitat protection, and waste cleanup on public lands. Aside from our dedicatio to the environment, it is HOC's goal to provide our members with as many opportunities for civic engagem;nt as possible. Accordingly, HOC members participate in community projects with local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Neighbor Impact, and Project Homeless Connect. It is our firm belief that member participation in the array of opportunities that HOC provides, not only serves to advance career skills and education, but fosters a sense of ownership in young people that helps to develop them as both stewards of their environment and their community. Proposed Project Software Customization As the Heart of Oregon Corps has grown over the last eight years from an organization with one crew serving six youth per year to 20 plus crews serving over 150 youth per year, so has our need to effectively and efficiently track our members' progress both in our programs and those that have graduated. Recognizing this need and adhering to the mandatory tracking requirements of the AmeriCorps CJC Program, HOC has implemented performance management software called Efforts to Outcomes (ETO). ETO software gauges what efforts HOC staff and corps members make that have the greatest impact on our members progress towards their academic and career -related goals. HOC can now track service learning and career pathway attendance, education and career benchmarks, corps member retention, education attainment rates, job placement, employment retention, demographics and recitivism. ETO software takes these listed efforts and compiles them into measurable outcomes, thus enabling HOC to tailor individual learning plans while reporting to key stakeholders and funders with quantifiable data. Although this software has been used daily since it's implementation coinciding with the start of the AmeriCorps CJC Program, it's full potential is not being realized. It is only through use of ETO at it's most minimal capacity, that HOC has been able to identify oppurtunities for growth and improvement. With funds from the Deschutes County Economic Development Fund, HOC will be able to work one-on-one with an ETO consultant to build, site-specific, performance based outcomes benefitting all corps members and programs. This customized software will benefit HOC in three main ways; First, it will allow for stronger, more accurate data reports, allowing HOC to become more competitive and successful in pursuing local, state and federal grants. Secondly, HOC will be able to more efficiently monitor and improve it's program services in real time, resulting in higher corps member success rates. Lastly, the ability to track large amounts of quantifiable data will enable HOC to give more detailed, outcome based results to funders based on grant requirements. It is with these oppurtunities in mind that HOC requests $3,220 dollars for its software cutomization project. Timeline October/November 2008 • Finish detailed in-house needs assessment • Contact Social Soultions (developers of ETO) and schedule configuration consultation December 2008 • Work with consultant on building site-specific outcomes as to better align with HOC's mission • Develop, Implement and test system changes January - March 2009 • Enter Year -Round and summer program corps members into system • Train Year -Round crew leaders in data input • Begin generating Year -Round program reports • Use 2008 Summer Program data reports to help fund 2009 program • Plan shedule for Summer Program data input • Refine outcomes as neeeded Impact on Communities Economic Health The Heart of Oregon Corps "work, earn and learn" approach to youth and young adult development helps build the base of motivated and skilled workers here in Central Oregon. Corps members gain the skills needed to become desirable employees in the workforce and the ablility to then contribute to the tax base and reinvest their money in Central Oregon through commerce. On a larger scale, the crews work extensively on fuels reduction in the tri -county area, helping to build a safety net against wild fires that can devastate vulnerable economic regions. Our summer crews have maintained hundreds of miles of biking and hiking trails in Central Oregon, adding to the overall recreational tourist appeal of our area. Specific Groups that will Benefit Corps Members — The most immediate benefit will go to members of the CJC AmeriCorps Program and the Year Round corps members. With customized queries and reports, HOC can adjust even more effectively to the individual needs of corps members by easily identifying areas of strength and areas that need improvement. This ability to adjust and personalize the HOC member experience will only aid in the overall effectiveness of the programs and create more positive and long lasting outcomes for corps members. Staff — The quality and amount of data available after new software customization will allow staff to adjust to program variables faster and perform their job duties more effectively by tailoring the programs more closely to individual member needs. Streamlined software will also free up staff to concentrate even more specifially on program delivery, adding to the overall financial efficiency of HOC. Funders — With new non -profits joining the ranks everyday coupled with a sluggish economy, funders carefully scrutinize all fund allocation and compliance. With customized ETO software, HOC will be able to supply these funders; those being foundations, corporations and individuals, with immediate quantifiable data, including numbers, specific rates, graphs and charts. Anticipated Expenditures Software Customization Consultation $3,220 system configuration and consultation INTERNAL REVENUE yS RVICE P. 0. BOX 2508 CINCINNATI, OH 45201 Date:MAR - 4 ?flfl HEART OF OREGON CORPS INC 63360 NW BRITTA ST STE 1 BEND, OR 97701 -9475 - Dear Applicant: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Employer Identification Number: 93-1303879 DLN: 17053001734005 Contact Person: ERIC J BERTELSEN ID# 31323 Contact Telephone Number: (877) 829-5500 Public Charity Status: 170(b) (1) (A) (vi) Our letter dated APRIL 2001, stated you would be exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and you would be treated as a public charity, rather than as a private foundation, during an advance ruling period. Based on the information you submitted, you are classified as a public charity under the Code section listed in the heading of this letter. Since your exempt status was not under consideration, you continue to be classified as an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Code. Publication 557, Tax -Exempt Status for Your Organization, provides detailed information about your rights and responsibilities as an exempt organization. You may request a copy by calling the toll-free number for forms, (800) 829-3676. Information is also available on our Internet Web Site at www.irs.gov. If you have general questions about exempt organizations, please call our toll-free number shown in the heading between 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Please keep this letter in your permanent records. Sincerely yours, 49 Lois G. Lerner Director, Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Letter 1050 (DO/CG)