Thank You, Des and David
If you haven’t heard, the Minnesota CNCS office closed last month. CNCS is currently moving forward with their Transformation and Sustainability Plan (https://www.nationalservice.gov/about-cncs/transformation-and-sustainability-plan) which includes moving to a regional model and closing down state offices by 2020 (we have an example of the structure below).
The Minnesota CNCS staff have closed their physical office and are working remotely until the new regional office is operational this fall in Kansas City. This will not change CNCS’s mission or the funds that flow into states and communities. As we make the transition to regional offices, there will not be any gaps in service or oversight for programs. We wanted to take the time to thank the awesome CNCS staff for all they have done for our VISTA programs!
We especially wanted to highlight our ICC advisor, David, and the impact he has made on us as a council (and previous years). David is the Program Officer with the Minnesota office for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). What better way to do that than to talk about what our advisors, David and Des, do!
David and Des both serve in the role of Program Officer, but Des does so for the state commission for service, ServeMinnesota (State and National programs) and David does so for the Minnesota CNCS office (VISTA programs). They work with the programs in regards to compliance regulations, and make sure that everything is going smoothly and according to the AmeriCorps guidelines. Also within their roles, they advise the InterCorps Council of Minnesota.
Their Advisor Work
Every year come June when the team for the council “retires,” David and Des help a small group of members review what’s been done and get set for the incoming council group. They also begin recruiting to fill all the positions you see on our website. In the fall, they prepare and present everything the new council needs to know to get off the ground and running for the year. Their role is to guide the ICC and help if we need any assistance.They also help throughout the year if there are any shifts in membership of council members. Then, once the end of the year rolls around, they help plan for the transition into next year again.
Des and David are there for almost all of our events - and they support the work we do as a group. We could not do what we do without them, so a big THANK YOU to David and Des!
CNCS Office Staff, Readings Corps Staff, and ServeMinnesota Staff at the Minneapolis Service Recognition Day (David, top left and Des, bottom second from the right)