01-23-17 NEUAC Board Notes
This is a copy of Katrina’s Board Notes sent via email
Any attachments referenced can be found at the bottom of this page.
In this edition (ctrl+click to jump to any section):
Notes from the Executive Director
LIHEAP Performance Management Tool
Notes from the Executive Director
This past weekend, I participated in the Women’s March in Washington D.C. It was momentous – more than 500,000 citizens exercised their freedom to peacefully assemble.
This event made me think. If millions of people worldwide marched for this cause, it stands to reason we should be able to draw a record-breaking crowd to our own LIHEAP Action Day on February 15. Hundreds of thousands marched for women’s rights, now let’s Stand for LIHEAP in Washington D.C. Join us in this important mission to deliver information to Congress. Be present, be heard, and #StandforLIHEAP on February 15!
Coming soon: NEUAC has filmed a video with support from the American Gas Association, featuring me as the Executive Director of NEUAC and a former LIHEAP recipient. Many moons ago, as a single mother with two small children, I found myself in a situation where I could not afford to fill our propane tank. It was a dark year in my life – don’t we all have those times – and I am grateful for the lifeline provided by LIHEAP when my family needed it most.
Often, I hear people say that social programs like LIHEAP or local assistance through fuel funds “hold people back” or “keep people down.” Respectfully, I beg to disagree.
Suffering through dangerously low outdoor temperatures that creep into an unheated home, and seeing your breath escape in icy puffs in the morning as your family wakes to prepare for work and school – that situation holds people back. Watching your children scratch their names into the frost on the inside of their bedroom window – that brings people down. Choosing between lunch money and medicine or paying the electric bill – that holds people back. Feeling the icy wind blow through the cracks in your windows and using your kitchen oven to heat a small part of your house – these things make it hard for families; these things keep them down.
Programs like LIHEAP and fuel funds lift people up.
That’s what we do. That’s what YOU do. Thank you for your hard work and commitment from the depths of my heart, speaking as a mother who knows what it is like for her family to be cold.
A few additional messages/notes/updates/reminders to start your week:
Two New Member Orientation sessions will be held (with identical content) on January 31 and February 7 to welcome new members. We currently have 15 new members to report. The 2017 membership drive will last until 3/31/17 for membership in the organization for calendar year 2017.
If your organization had not renewed by 12/31/17 – you are considered expired. The W-9 is on our website and we have sent out invoices to all current members. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to renew. To renew your membership, go here: https://neuac.wpengine.com/membership/. You also may complete the fillable PDF on the website and submit your check by mail to 4250 Fairfax Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22203.
Celebrate our success by inviting your friends and coworkers to join NEUAC! Let’s bring people together to fight energy poverty and deliver a message of hope and perseverance.
LIHEAP Performance Management Website
Last week, staff from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were kind enough to invite NEUAC members to a demonstration webinar on their new LIHEAP Performance Management Website. Feedback on the event has been positive. The tool makes it possible to access complex and detailed data on LIHEAP from each state available from an easy-to-navigate website. For those who missed the webinar, the website can be accessed at https://liheappm.acf.hhs.gov/. Try out the tools for your state!
(all times are EST, all calls use NEUAC conference line (515) 739-1020, Code: 971971#)
TODAY: EXTENDED ROOM DEADLINE – Phoenix Park Hotel for LIHEAP Action Day
January 25: 3 p.m. – PP&A LIHEAP Action Day Planning Call
January 31: 11 a.m. – NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
February 7: 3 p.m. – NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
February 8: 11 a.m. – Membership Committee Call
February 8: 3 p.m. – PP&A LIHEAP Action Day Planning Call
February 14: Advocacy Training Event, EEI and AGA, pre-Action Day
February 15: LIHEAP Action Day
February 16: NEUAC Board Meeting, hosted by AGA
March 2: 1 p.m. – All-Chairs Call
June 25-28: Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL
