September 2013

Helping People. Changing Lives.

Community Action

450 Syndicate Street N Saint Paul, MN 55104

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties

STRAIGHT TALK
A quarterly update to close friends of Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties

Dear Friends,

impact Our miss ion of reducing poverty and its al year. fisc new a n begi we on people continues as ter grea and n atio estr Although buffeted by sequ to inue cont we , help numbers of people needing operate with our miss ion at the forefront.

icipants, we To best serve the interest of our part respond to act and ove, continue to review, impr ing the ound surr ents ronm to the ever changing envi llenges, cha e thes ing meet le programs we offer. Whi me beco and s tice prac best we strive to maintain are We s. esse proc s ines more efficient in our bus Action by committed to the future of Community leve raging and s itie rtun seeking new funding oppo people, help to k wor our those dollars to continue and change lives.

ugh Im proud of how our staff has managede thro all ut abo mor w kno to these times. If youd like at me act cont to free feel that were doing, please w.org. 651.603.5951 or via email at chightower@capr With good wishes,

Clarence Hightower Executive Director

STRAIGHT TALK
September 2013

IMPACTFUL DECISIONS
2014 Budget Approved: On Thursday, September 19, our Board of Directors approved our 2014 operating budget of $19.6 million dollars. Our administrative costs continue to be under 10% of our total agency program budget. This is a significant achievement given the sequestration cuts we were forced to absorb.

PARTICIPANT STORY
Sasha could not remember the names of numerals and had no interest in counting objects. A strong-willed child, it was difficult for her Head Start teachers to get her involved. When she discovered she could sing and count at the same time, a door to learning math opened. Sashas teachers encouraged her to sing every time she did math. She made up songs and counted while she sang her beautiful melodies. Teachers were on hand to help her count higher and higher as she sang. Now she goes willingly to the small group to do any math activity prepared for her. She makes up new songs as she counts objects. Sasha also loves to skip. She now counts each skip as she makes her way around the playground. By counting what her body is doing, her math knowledge is becoming embedded in her brain. Math, something Sasha used to avoid, now brings her great joy!

AGENCY NEWS
Tax Assistance Site: Partnering with AccountAbility Minnesota, we are developing a pilot tax preparation site for those in our community. The site will be open from midJanuary to mid-April, 2014. A grant to support the pilot development has been submitted to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. CKC Good Food to Serve Head Start: Starting this school year, we are happy to be working with CKC Good Food as the catering service for our Head Start program. CKC Good Food has deep local ties in the Twin Cities restaurant community, and has been catering food for child care and school sites for over 20 years. In addition to the high quality food and expertise they bring, we also anticipate a savings of $200,000 annually in food service costs. Energy Conservation Gets More ARRA Funding: Our Energy Conservation program has received an additional $312,000 grant for home weatherization. Our agency, the largest provider among Community Action Agencies, was chosen due to our ability to quickly ramp up and effectively use the funds. Forty-eight additional Ramsey and Washington County homes will be weatherized. Agency Headquarters Improvement: This fall we have a unique opportunity to review how we use our main office to best meet the needs of our participants and tenants. Our office is located next to Target on University Avenue in St. Paul. In November, our Energy Conservation staff will relocate to the building, meaning that for the first time, all Community Action staff (except Head Start staff at ten of our centers) will all be under one roof. We have also doubled the size of our Energy Assistance lobby to accommodate walk-in traffic. We are excited about the improvements these changes make possible.

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties 450 Syndicate Street N, Saint Paul, MN 55104 651-645-6445 caprw.org This document can be made available in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille or audio tape, by calling 651-603-5923 (voice) or via TTY through the Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.