IN THE NEWS

Cheryl Beversdorf Joins NCHV Staff as Executive Director

Cheryl Beversdorf of Arlington, VA, has joined the staff of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans as Executive Director. She will serve an introductory period under President and CEO Linda Boone until October 14, at which time Boone will leave the organization to pursue other professional opportunities.

A former Army nurse, Beversdorf was stationed at Camp Zama Hospital in Japan and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She has served as chief staff executive for three national not-for-profit health organizations, including the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the Sister to Sister—Everyone Has A Heart Foundation.

She has an extensive background in health policy and government relations and was a staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs where she worked with veterans groups on a wide range of service-related issues including Agent Orange, post-Vietnam traumatic stress syndrome and spinal cord injury. She has also represented the national interests of surgeons, nursing homes and extended care facilities, and New York State health programs.

For the past three years, the Army veteran has been president of HealthonStage in Arlington, VA, a health education company she founded to raise public awareness about timely health topics including heart disease in women, osteoporosis and organ and tissue donation. HealthonStage also produced a play for the March of Dimes national campaign to reduce premature births. Her work has been featured on cable television in Northern Virginia.

Beversdorf has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Maryland, a Master of Health Science degree in health services administration and health planning from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, and a Master of Arts degree in public communication from American University. She is a member of the Master Chorale of Washington, which performs at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and is active in local community theatre.

NCHV Launches New Website; Publications, Brochures Now Available for Download

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans launched its new website on July 8, significantly enhancing the nation’s most comprehensive source of information on homeless veterans and the assistance programs in place to help them. The website address is the same: www.nchv.org; but the new site design should make it easier for visitors to find the information they need, and enables NCHV to make more materials available for consumers on-line.

The new site features a “Support for Service Providers” section loaded with brochures and guides produced by NCHV covering organizational management, governance, federal and corporate grants information, and links to other organizations involved with veterans’ issues and public assistance programs. Reports and studies from other sources – both government and private – are also available for download. This on-line technical assistance library is made possible, in part, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The site features a step-by-step “self-help” guide to direct homeless and at-risk veterans to services in their communities, and special sections provide information for women veterans, incarcerated veterans and media professionals. To visit the new NCHV website, click here.

Eli Lilly Personal Care Kit Supply for 2005 Stand Down Programs is Nearly Exhausted

NCHV has been notified that of the 25,000 personal care kits that Eli Lilly and Company is donating to homeless veterans at Stand Down programs nationwide in 2005, less than 6,000 remain available for distribution. Each kit contains a comb, toothbrush, bar of soap, a small tube of Freshmint fluoride toothpaste, and a small bottle of conditioning shampoo. Stand Down coordinators need to place their events on the National Stand Down Registry through NCHV soon to receive these kits. For instructions on how to order kits for your Stand Down, click here.

RESOURCES

HUD to Hold Second HMIS National Conference in September

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced its second National Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Conference on September 13-14 in St. Louis. This conference will provide an opportunity for communication and information sharing between HUD, Continuums of Care, HMIS administrators, HMIS providers, research partners and State Policy Academy leaders. Attendees will choose from over 30 breakout sessions over two days in four topic areas: HMIS Management, HMIS Participation, Data Analysis & Performance Evaluation, and Final Data & Technical Standards. Registration is only available on-line, and registrations must be submitted by August 12, 2005. To register visit: www.hmisconference.info.


Special Events Toolbox for Creating an Effective Fundraising Event

The Special Events Toolbox, Cause Effective's how-to guide to special events campaigns for nonprofit organizations, provides a clear plan on how to create and implement a successful special events campaign. Whether you are an event novice or a seasoned veteran, The Toolbox is designed to help you think through and maximize the opportunities that special events can provide, while helping you avoid common pitfalls. The Toolbox covers topics from setting objectives and fundraising to execution and evaluation. For details and pricing information, visit www.causeeffective.org.

Cultural Competency for Nonprofits: The Resource Pages

Alliance for Nonprofit Management has launched a new web-based resource for nonprofit leaders: "Cultural Competency for Nonprofits: The Resource Pages." The Resource Pages offer a wealth of research findings and practices, experiences and frameworks, tips and tools on how to understand, assess and support nonprofits in a multicultural society. Included are resources specific to philanthropy, leadership and technical assistance, as well as specific issue areas such as advocacy, racial justice, and youth development. The Resource Pages are available online at www.allianceonline.org/about/cc_resources.page.

Department of Labor Accepting Applications for Stand Down Grants

The Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) has approximately $200,000 available to support Stand Down events. Effective July 1, 2005, the maximum award amount increased to $8,000 per year per event. Applications for Stand Down funds will be accepted from State and local Workforce Investment Boards, local public agencies, for-profit/commercial entities, and nonprofit organizations. To apply for Stand Down funds, contact the Director for Veterans' Employment and Training (DVET) in your state. For the VETS Directory, click here.

NCHV and VA Offer Training Grants to Help Organizations Build Capacity

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are offering Capacity Building Technical Assistance grants up to $3,000 each to nonprofit community-based groups with experience in providing assistance to homeless veterans. The purpose of these grants is to reimburse community- and faith-based organizations for staff or board of directors training costs to better serve homeless veterans. Individual nonprofit organizations are eligible for up to $1,000, but organizations working in partnership with statewide programs are eligible for up to $3,000. For more information, click here. The next quarter’s application deadline is July 29.