Maine Commission for Community Service

History

The annual plan of work for the Maine Commission for Community Service (MCCS) includes a number of on-going activities:

-- Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism
-- Governor's Volunteer Service Awards
-- AmeriCorps grant-making and program monitoring

The Commission's history also includes special projects for Maine's Governors and initiatives that have served to move forward the work of strengthening Maine's volunteer sector.

Below are highlights of the projects and initiatives from the Commission annual reports.

2009

• In its 22nd year, the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism had a record breaking 310 registrants, a 43% increase over 2008, and focused on current and applicable best practices for Maine’s volunteers and managers of volunteers. Conference participants gave high marks to the value of content.
• With the Hands on Network grant obtained in 2008 the Commission identified and partnered with nine organizations to serve 10 counties with regards to local planning and networking around community heating needs and to increase visibility of sources of heating assistance. 183 faith-based and non-profit organizations, government agencies and businesses participated in regional or county-wide networks.  333 volunteers served 2,320 hours. 153 were first-time volunteers.
• With the remaining INVEST (Increased Nonprofit Volunteer Education & Skill Training) funds the Commission partnered with State Community Colleges and Universities to create courses on volunteer management. Two courses will be offered in the summer of 2010.
• The Commission partnered with Time Warner Cable to encourage an ethic of service in Maine through public service announcements and numerous other outreach initiatives.  Time Warner also underwrote 5 service-learning grant awards to schools and community organizations. 
• Visitors to the VolunteerMaine.org homepage doubled in 2009 to 350,000.
• The VolunteerMaine VISTA project received additional resources through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.  The project grew from eleven to forty-one AmeriCorps*VISTA positions and expanded into three focus areas under the main goal of creating volunteer centers without walls throughout Maine.  VISTA Members provided  22 trainings on essential volunteer management practices, devoted 662 hours support Peer- to-Peer   Networks or COADs and spent 310 hours supporting agencies   use of VolunteerMaine.org.

2008

• Secured a Hands on Network grant to support the formation of new, and build capacity of, existing local response teams that help citizens throughout the cold months. The grant also coordinates planning and networking around community heating needs and increases visibility of sources of heating assistance while recruiting new volunteers.
• The online presentation of the Competencies for Managers of Volunteers went live on VolunteerMaine.org expanding the audience nationwide. The Competencies received 4,368 visitors between September and December.
• The VolunteerMaine.org Blog was launched in 2008 and now has an average of 11,337 visits per month.
• Agency referrals on VolunteerMaine.org (number of interested volunteers referred to agencies) increased by 328%.

2007

• Sponsored a Leadership Institute in Volunteer Management collaboratively with the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The Institute brought together 22 experienced volunteer managers to develop skills in training and advanced volunteer management.
• Secured federal dollars to support development of two model County Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs). Also secured expert technical assistance for this effort through Project TADS (Technical Assistance in Disaster Services), a resource funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• Obtained federal AmeriCorps*VISTA support to develop peer to peer networks of volunteer managers, conduct outreach and education on VolunteerMaine.org, and increase online training resources for staff of volunteer programs.
• MCCS successfully competed for one of four federal grants awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that aim to stem the tide of volunteer attrition by strengthening the management of volunteer programs. Over the course of two years, Project INVEST (Increased Nonprofit Volunteer Education & Skill Training) will address the need for accessible volunteer management training in a variety of formats across Maine.

2006

• For the third year in the row, the Commission was the driving force in creating networks and leaderships teams that made Operation KeepMeWarm possible. The service project was sponsored by Maine State Housing, the Governor's Office on Energy Independence, and Efficiency Maine. In 2006, over 1,257 homes were winterized by more than 1,360 volunteers.

2005

• Exploring the importance of volunteers to a state and its government, MCCS collaborated with federal and provincial Canadian leaders for a one day service symposium. Voluntary Sector policy makers from Canada and Maine met to discuss the sector and its impact on leveraging state and local resources.
• MCCS supported eight King Day of Service projects across the state with mini-grants. Funded service projects allowed participants to impact their communities while celebrating Dr. King and his commitment to service
• The Commission celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Commission spent its anniversary year providing opportunities for people to volunteer or reflect on their volunteer experiences.
• In its second year, Operation KeepMEwarm once again reached out and mobilized 1,600 volunteers who winterized the homes of over 2,600 of Maine’s most vulnerable citizens.
• Relaunched VolunteerMaine.org with the added a statewide searchable feature that let volunteer programs list openings that citizens can search using zip code or key words. The educational resources and other features were enhanced.

2004

• The Commission and Maine Emergency Management Agency partnered to establish local Citizen Corps Councils and
• foster increased hometown prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery related to largescale emergencies.
• Coordinated the Tri-State Conference. This five-year collaboration between the State Service Commissions of ME, NH, VT and the CNCS State Office provides advanced, in-depth training to grantee staff and sponsor agencies in all three states.
• Organized a Disability Advisory Committee that linked representatives of the disability community and AmeriCorps program directors to increase inclusion in volunteer programs of citizens with disabilities.
• The Commission joined core planners of Governor Baldacci’s summit on youth migration. MCCS helped recruit nearly 70 volunteer planners who contributed time, talent, and expertise to designing the summit, participating in the research, and event promotion. The summit was attended by 300 young adults and featured the first “virtual summit” as a companion to discussions.

2003

• Participated on the Maine Homeland Security Task Force’s Objective IV Team and its subcommittee on roles and responsibilities. MCCS provided insight to including National Service and local volunteers in the state’s disaster preparedness plan.
• The Maine Citizens Corps Council was formed under the auspices of the Maine Commission for Community Service. The 17 member council and two support staff worked towards ensuring Maine communities are safe, healthy, and secure. Citizen Corps was able to receive a three year grant of $500,000 from CNCS to develop Citizen Corps Councils in Maine and address homeland security and emergency preparedness needs through the use of a 21 member AmeriCorps*VISTA team.

2002

• Managed the Governors’ Points of Light Award, a program that recognizes exemplary youth service each month. The award not only to highlighted the significant contributions of youth volunteers to their communities but, also, to provided inspiration to other youth.
• Recognizing that volunteer service is often a means of exploring career options and gaining experience that can be transferred to employment settings, MCCS began serving on the Maine Jobs Council, School-to-Work Committee.
• MCCS successfully competed for an $5,000 grant from CNCS to support King Day of Service community projects. A statewide bank provided a generous cash donation and WGME 13 developed a PSA campaign tying volunteer service to the celebration of Dr. King’s life. Seventeen community-based organizations and schools were funded.

2001

• MCCS focused its planning and convening activities on youth volunteer service. The question posed to 87 youth and 22 adults during two public sessions was “What needs to happen in order for your community to become a place where every 5-24 year old person can serve/volunteer?” Their answers were:

1. -- Communities must create places or programs that connect youth with opportunities to serve.
2. -- Community service and volunteer work must connect youth to people and places outside school.
3. -- Service by youth must be an expectation of the community and allow youth to have an equal voice and role in planning as well as implementing volunteer projects or services.

• Commissioned two evaluations of AmeriCorps programs in Maine. The first, “Achieving Mission,” examined selected aspects of the dispersed site model for AmeriCorps. The second, "AmeriCorps, A Successful Social Investment Strategy," looked at two factors: whether Maine programs had demonstrated an ability to leverage additional resources; and, whether they demonstrated an ability to develop of local community capacity to sustain activities.

1999 and 2000

• From 1997 - 1999, MCCS staffed the Maine Promise Network, Maine's link between America's Promise and the state Communities for Children. Early in 2000, the Network was absorbed into Maine's Promise, a public/private partnership charged with fulfilling Maine's responsibilities as a Model State for America's Promise.
• MCCS became a member of Maine's Promise and accepted responsibility for ensuring Maine youth have opportunities to give back through service.
• MCCS launched the Maine Service Exchange. This is a network of volunteer trainers and consultants who helped local volunteer and nonprofit groups with their work. It operated through a web platform that overcame geographic issues and accessibility.
• At the request of the Governor's Office, MCCS has served as fiscal agent for the Mentoring Partnership and helped locate a consultant who could guide the project through the steps of becoming a Maine nonprofit. The founders of the Partnership first met during the Governor's Institute on Mentoring, a conference sponsored by MCCS.

1998

• Sixty-nine Maine High School Seniors received $1,000 Scholarships for outstanding community service through the National Service Scholars Program. The opportunity to recognize this aspect of student life was possible due to a partnership between the Corporation for National Service (CNS), the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), and MCCS.
• MCCS received a challenge grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant’s purpose was to build capacity of local organizations in volunteer management and fundraising.
• Through its participation on the Implementation Team for Communities for Children, MCCS identified several sources of National Service help for Local Leadership Councils. MCCS targeted some of its AmeriCorps grant funds towards development of resources local councils had sought.
• MCCS responded to Governor King's request to conduct seven Service Institutes as part of Maine's followup to the America's Promise Summit. Over the course of six months and with the help of 104 volunteers, the Institutes provided training and information to 1,100 people.
• Over 120 Maine AmeriCorps Members provided immediate and sustained response to the 1998 Ice Storm disaster relief efforts.

1997

• The Maine Commission obtained the state's first community-based Learn & Serve K-12 award ($148,000). Known as Project Bond, it involves youth who have left school or are at-risk of leaving, in service-learning activities that are integrated into academic achievement.
• Completed two assessments of volunteer involvement in government services. One examined municipal government volunteer programs. The second assessed the types and prevalence of volunteer programs under state agencies' sponsorship.
• Sponsored a workshop on engaging disabled citizens in community service.
• Accepted an invitation from the Children's Cabinet to help develop and support implementation of key Cabinet projects. Commission staff helped secure a VISTA to assist the Cabinet.
• Successfully competed at the federal level for a special Governors' Innovative Grant. Known as the Blaine House Service Corps, the project addresses issues of restorative justice options for first-time juvenile offenders and supportive housing for people with disabilities.