CSC Receives High Marks

CSC's evaluation in part from Oregon Housing and Community Services:

To: Martha Lyon, Executive Director of Community Services Consortium

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) recently conducted a review evaluation and desk audit of the first units initiated for the Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers(SERC) program with CSC on June 9th, 2011.

The purpose of the evaluation is to identify an agencys strengths and innovations, formulate practical and constructive recommendations for improvements and to provide on site training and technical assistance.

OHCS reviewed and assessed your agency’s ability to maintain its eligibility to receive federal and state funds, as well as your ability to operate according to terms of applicable laws, regulations, contractual obligations, policies and guidelines.

Priorities of SERC (From EISA Section 411(b))
1) Cost-effectiveness to low- and moderate-income families
2) Potential for replication of successful results
3) Impact on health and safety and energy costs
4) Extent of partnerships, including financial partnerships

Evaluation Results
Findings:1.There are no findings that require a written response.
Concerns1. There are no concerns that require a written response.

Your staff should be commended on their commitment and great attitude in providing a valued service to your community that saves energy, increases comfort and quality of living.

We find that the staff is well organized, informed and knowledgeable.
We found no existing issues that would prohibit the CSC SERC program from being able to effectively meet the program priorities and provide information for the evaluation.

Ben Baggett is to be commended for his efforts in compiling an effective Request For Proposal(RFP.) This RFP boilerplate was used by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and US Department of Energy (USDOE) as the sample boilerplate that other states could use for their Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) PV projects.

The visit was very encouraging and we look forward to seeing the applications and also speaking with contractors at the next monitoring.

Please thank your staff for their professionalism and assistance we received. Their response time was exemplary in meeting our requests for data. If there are any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Dan Elliott, Sustainability Manager
Oregon Housing and Community Services

Career Exploration

Community Services Consortium coordinated a transportation careers day in partnership with Laborer's International Union Apprenticeship Training Center located in Adair Village. More than 50 Linn and Benton county youth attended an Outreach & Career Exploration event made possible by a grant through Oregon's Community Colleges & Workforce Development and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Youth were able to participate in hands-on activities at 6 stations setup to simulate the types of work and equipment in the field of transportation.

Barrel To Keg Relay Race

There is lots of interest in the First Annual Barrel To Keg Relay Race taking place July 23rd . The race takes runners from the Harris Bridge Vineyard in Philomath to the coast through wonderful vistas of forests, rivers and coastal marshes to end at Rogue Ales Brewery in Newport’s south beach.

Check out CSC’s race video made by CSC: www.youtube.com/cscaction.

There is time to get your team together to join in the relay, for information and to register go to the www.communityservices.us and click on Barrel to Keg. You will be in great company, joining teams already signed such as the Beer ded Ladies, Five O’Clock Somewhere, Just Hoping to Finish, Roy G. Biv’s, Running Junkies, Philomath Phans of the Phartlek, and many more.

Gleaners attend workshop

Heidi Henry, Director of CSC’s Community Relations and Development Department leads a workshop on grant writing for Linn Benton Food Share gleaners.

Twenty seven members of Linn and Benton counties gleaning groups attended the workshop. About 4500 gleaners belong to 14 non-profit gleaning groups in Linn and Benton counties. They gather food year-round by harvesting crops, picking up donated food at local stores and repackaging bulk food at the Food Share warehouse. They share half the food they glean with their elderly or disabled members.

Second Mural Donated to CSC Head Start

Mural artists, Rory Lehrman and Evan Peterson donated their time and artistry to paint a second mural at the CSC Head Start site in Newport.

The talented artists from Newport were filmed while painting the mural in Lincoln City by Devin Robinson . You can see the mural unfold at" http://youtu.be/wC_NA8bIte4

Comcast Cares Day

Every year on Comcast Cares Day, Comcast employees, their families and friends make a positive impact in neighborhoods across the country in 39states. On this 10th anniversary of Comcast Cares Day, our local Comcast chose Linn Benton Food Share for a "warehouse makeover."

Linn Benton Food Share, would be our choice every if we could,” said Bobbi Peebler, Comcast Administrative Assistant for Corvallis/Salem. “ We have so much fun at the warehouse and giving to Linn Benton Food Share is a worthy cause,

Comcast volunteers helped sort and pack food, painted walls, washed trucks, and fixed grates. They also cleaned and fixed up parts of the warehouse. KFC donated lunches for all volunteers.

CSC YouthBuild In Lebanon’s Strawberry Festival

CSC’s YouthBuild joined Lebanon’s Strawberry Festival parade June, 2nd to celebrate the community, sponsors and the coming summer. This year we raffled the child’s playhouse on parade. This structure was built by YouthBuild staff and students. The winner of the playhouse was drawn at the Strawberry Festival.

We had several community sponsors whose donations helped make this fundraising opportunity a success. Parr Lumber, Habitat for Humanity Restore in Albany, Wilco, and Central Bark all contributed to the playhouse and/or the float for the parade.

National Letter Carriers Food Drive a Success

Volunteers sort food on the dock of the Albany Post Office under the supervision of Ryan McCambridge, Linn Benton Food Share Coordinator, on the day of the carriers food drive.

In another successful nationwide food drive, the National Association of Letter Carriers collected 70.2 million pounds of food on May 14, at a time when hunger is a growing problem.

In Linn and Benton counties, the Letter Carriers Food food drive was under last years results by -19.83 percent.

These are the local community results.

Corvallis: 28,053 pounds of food
Albany: 25,418
Lebanon: 9,635
Total: 63,106

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the food drive. The food from the food drive stays in Linn and Benton counties.

Free Dental Clinic in Albany

Announcing a Free Dental Clinic for Children ages 5-18 at the Boys & Girls Club of Albany. The Boys & Girls Club is located at 1215 Hill St SE, Albany OR 97322. 541-926-6666, Contact Danielle Monday through Friday 9:30-5.

Danielle Smith, Health Service Coordinator, Boys & Girls Club of Albany
541-223-3925 or Email:Danielle@bgc-albany.org

HEART to Heart Resource Fair Serves 154

A Young boy admires his free haircut given by SuperCuts at the Resource Fair.

Community Services Consortium participated in the The May 12th HEART to Heart Resource Fair for the homeless and others living in poverty in Linn and Benton counties. The fair was held at the Boys and Girls Club in Albany and was the largest Resource Fair to date with 154 people checked in.

CSC's Emergency Services gave out 132 pairs of reading and sunglasses glasses, assisted 20 people with Identification applications, and talked to people who are homeless about housing. Other CSC staff gave out information about Healthy Kids medical insurance for children without insurance, participating in employment programs, birth certificate applictions and telling their stories.

Larry Larios and Connie Barkdull from Community Services Consortium help people apply for birth certificates. They speak with a young mother at the Resource Fair

The event was sponsored by the Albany Homeless Enrichment and RehabilitationTeam (HEART. Besides CSC, among other agencies represented were Super Cuts, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security, Veterans Administration, Linn County Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Albany Helping Hands, the Corvallis Bicycle Collective and many other agencies.

Community Housing Services Foreclosure Program

Jon Polansky and Sandi Brantner, HUD Foreclosure Counselors at CSC.

A Foreclosure counseling client recently said “It was a miracle. We were just one day away from losing our home to foreclosure when a friend gave us a number they had seen on a CSC brochure. We called CSC in sheer desperation and by the next morning foreclosure counselors had contacted our bank. Not only were they able to get the foreclosure stopped but they advocated for us and we were able to modify the loan terms to half the interest rate we had been paying. We couldn't even get the same person at the bank to talk to us. We are in our home today because of Jon Polansky and the Foreclosure program."

Although most of the problems are not as dramatic and not all foreclosure issues will be resolved in this way, Jon Polansky and Sandi Brantner, from CSC’s Community Housing Services Foreclosure Program, know banking, loan, and foreclosure issues. Because they have HUD training in foreclosure and have backgrounds in lending, they know the language. They can help you see all your options and advocate on your behalf. If you would like to talk to a foreclosure counselor, call (541) 758-2630.

CSC 'Building Bridges' now accepting applications for VISTA Members

A former Americorps*VISTA team at CSC.

The CSC ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTA Program is now accepting applications for VISTA Members. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, give back to your community, and to fight homelessness in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. VISTA Members serve full time for one year and receive a living allowance of $858/month, preventative health coverage, student loan forbearance, $5,350 for school loans or future education, and much more! It is a life changing experience! Contact Tifani Erpelding at 541-758-2641 or terpelding@communityservices.us.