Are you interested in learning how to write a grant? For $1000 I can teach you the secrets to grant writing!!!

Well actually I can’t. But I can point you to a website that will help you get started. Workforce3 One, is a U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored entity that offers tools (FOR FREE) to get you started in writing your own grant proposal.

They have a really cheesy podcast called “Grant Applications 101: What You Need to Know”. While cheesy, it does dispel some of the myths of grant writing and points you to their Toolkit Homepage to get started.

From what I’ve heard, grant writing is not an easy process and it takes time and patience to actually get one. But it is a way to get funding for your project and may be worth it in the long run. For more information about the grant writing process, visit the links above.

Podcast Transcript

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. Mid-March the census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions (they say it take around 10 minutes) and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.

The majority of the country will receive English–only materials. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents may receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) form. Any personal data you provide is protected under federal law.

Please take the time to fill out the Census and mail it back because the information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives. People from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more. It also helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like:

• Hospitals
• Job training centers
• Schools
• Senior centers
• Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
• Emergency services

Don’t take this lightly. For more information regarding the Census and how it affects all Americans, check out the Census blog at http://blogs.census.gov/2010census.

If you are in need of a job, the U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers right in your own community. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. For more information on the job opportunities they offer, visit http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs.

The Black History Hero for this week  is Ursula M. Burns. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a S&P 100 company and the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a S&P 100 company.

Ursula M. Burns is chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation.

Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business. In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox’s global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company’s IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009.

Burns earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. She serves on professional and community boards, including American Express Corp., CASA – (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) at Columbia University, FIRST – (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the University of Rochester. Burns was also named by President Barack Obama to help lead the White House national program on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in November 2009.

source

It’s amazing how a disaster can bring people together and due to major  advancements in technology, it’s easier than every to lend a hand. I’ve received information via email, text and Facebook about Wyclef Jean’s efforts to help those in Haiti. It’s pretty easy to donate and you know the funds are going to be used wisely. To donate via your cell phone text “Yele” to 501501 and $5.00 will be charged to your cell phone bill. To donate online, click here.

The Red Cross also has a text message option and so far has raised over $4 million in mobile donations. To donate to the Red Cross via your mobile phone, text the word “Haiti” to the number 90999. A donation of $10.oo will be charged to your mobile phone bill.

Local Dallas radio host Tom Joyner said in this morning’s show that he and his team have plans to fly to Port-au-Prince to set up an internet cafe for Haitian citizens to contact family in America. In a post at blackamericaweb.com, they list some other things we can do to help out.

I shouldn’t be surprised at the global response to help a country in need, but I would like to end this post with a message from the Villager titled “Haiti Earthquake: Will America Care Next Week?”. Haiti has always been a country in need and I hope America will not forget them or others who need a helping hand.

I received this in an email, so I’m not sure how good it will be. But it does sound pretty interesting.

The IRS is changing the rules and raising the fees… so we just want to give you one last chance to register for Kill the Myths & Make Money Pursuing Your Passion:  How & Why to Build a Thriving Nonprofit Organization.  This is the last opportunity for this webinar before the IRS makes its move!  Don’t miss it!

- Do you want to start a nonprofit organization but think it means you can’t make money?

- Do you have a passion to serve the community but don’t know how to turn your ideas into profits?

- Do you want to know where the money is and how to get it?

- Want to know how to build a thriving 501(c)(3) organization?

Nonprofit DOES NOT MEAN no money!

Learn the nuts, bolts and much, much more, including:

- What is the difference between a not-for-profit corporation, a tax-exempt organization, and a limited liability company (LLC)?

- What are the funding source?

- How to build wealth in a tax-exempt organization?

- How to turn your community service passion into profits?

- Where is the money to fund your ideas?

Despite our current economic environment, there is still money out there to fund your organization… you just have to know how and where to find it!

We will dispel the myths, misconceptions and mindsets that hinder you from succeeding and building a thriving organization (“We can’t do that as a nonprofit…”).  Whether you lead a nonprofit, are thinking about starting one, or work for one… this webinar is for you.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM EST

Sign Up Here

Last month I wrote a post about a virtual town hall meeting for Bill Cosby’s new CD, ‘Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency’. The record has been released and Mr. Cosby is turning his attention to creating a serious discussion around the issues that fuel the Cosnarati record.

The next phase of the “State of Emergency” campaign will be a weekend of LISTENing parties on December 12th and 13th.  The Cosby team will be working vigilantly on the organization of thousands of mini-town halls at homes, community centers, churches, and other locations around the country. A full overview on the LISTENing parties here:

http://act.billcosby.com/events

This will be done in conjunction with another Ustream town hall featuring Mr. Cosby, who will also be calling in to welcome listeners at many of the town halls. If you would like to set up a LISTENing party, a manual for what’s needed to get started can be found at http://act.billcosby.com/page/-/docs/party-manual.pdf. I’ve been asked to sponsor a meeting, so I’ll let you know what comes of that.

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Time: 10:30am PST

Space is limited
Reserve your webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/528874154

“82% of Fortune 500 CEO’s feel their organization did an effective job of strategic planning. Only 14% of the same CEO’s indicated that their organization did an effective job of implementing the strategy.“

- Fortune Magazine

The latest Conference Board CEO Challenge Survey identifies the top 3 CEO concers are:

1) Excellence in Execution
2) Consistent Execution of Strategy by Top Management
3) Speed, Flexibility, Adaptability to Change

So ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Are you executing your strategy?
2. Does your workforce understand the corporate strategy and their role in executing it?
3. Can your organization respond timely to the rapidly changing business environment, seize opportunities and mitigate threats?

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements:
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Early Friday morning around 7:31 a.m. ET, NASA is planning to crash a rocket into the moon. The collision is expected to kick up tons of moon dirt and debris that will then be scanned for signs of water ice suspected to be buried beneath the floor of a permanently shadowed crater at the lunar south pole.

If you are interested in watching the blast, you can watch it live on NASA TV at 7:30 a.m. ET. Out of curiousity, I’ll probably be up to see how it goes because I’ve always had an interest in astronomy as a kid. If it all goes according to plan, it should be pretty cool to watch. If it doesn’t then I guess that’s $79 million down the drain.

NASA Set to Dive Bomb the Moon

I don’t know why politicians don’t understand that, NOTHING IS EVER OFF THE RECORD!!! Here is video from CNN’s Rick Sanchez reporting about an off the record comment from President Obama about Kanye West’s treatment of Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards. While Obama may have been correct in my opinion, he should have known the comment would get out. Shortly after it was made an ABC employee twittered the comment out to everyone.

Poor, poor Kanye. People can only take so much of his big Ego. I wonder if the President will invite him over for a beer.

Here we go. This is funny!

Here’s an opportunity for to get some scholarship money. I remember working on teams to get projects done and it can be a daunting task if you don’t have the right people. While I didn’t realize it at the time. the group projects I had to do prepared me for the corporate environment. Learning how to recognize people’s strengths and utilizing them for the benefit of the team can be the difference between a good application and one that was a waste of time creating.

Here’s more information on the Big Mobile:

What: The Big Mobile on Campus Challenge is a contest to create mobile applications. The contest encourages participants to develop innovative and creative mobile applications that enhance the student experience and improve the educational process. One grand-prize winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship presented at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado from November 3-6, 2009. Additionally, two runner-up winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Who: Full time students and full or part time faculty and staff of accredited universities are eligible to participate. Participants can work on an application independently or with a team of up to four individuals.

How: There are three categories for the contest—mobile learning, mobile identity, and student system integration. All of these categories are meant to help participants create an application that enhances academic performance, builds campus community, and improves campus operations. The official contest registration form can be found at: http://higheredcontest.wireless.att.com

When and Where: The Big Mobile on Campus Challenge application deadline is October 15, 2009. The finalist applications are then reviewed by a panel of judges, who consider the overall concept of the application, the design implementation and quality, and the impact the application will have on the higher education community.