Several dozen Law School students are working together to offer support to organizations in the greater New Haven community as they confront the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last few weeks, the Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development (CED) and the student-run COVID Student Small Business Support Project have collaborated to develop educational materials and access to legal services for New Haven’s small business community.

https://law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/clinic-students-provide-resources-greater-new-haven-businesses-and-nonprofits

I hope this post finds you and your families doing well and are healthy and safe during this incredibly challenging time.

I would like to let you know that we have launched the Executive Director search for the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs.  

Who is the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs?

The Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs (CRCJ) builds alliances among diverse constituencies to combat climate change, create jobs and promote racial, economic and environmental justice. CRCJ embraces diversity as a source of power and engages in collective action to ensure that Connecticut provides leadership in creating a clean energy future.

Launched in 2012, CRCJ seeks to build a worker-oriented environmental movement committed to securing a fair and just transition that protects not only the environment but also the livelihoods of workers and their communities. Climate change is a global crisis that is affecting people’s lives and livelihoods and threatens the health and economic stability of Connecticut’s communities. CRCJ believes the climate crisis presents an opportunity to build thriving local economies that are not only more sustainable but also more just and equitable.

Who is the Ideal Candidate?

CRCJ seeks a dynamic and passionate Executive Director and Lead Organizer who will take this innovative nonprofit to its next level. The new leader will replace the founding Executive Director who has guided the organization since 2012. High priorities for the Executive Director include:

• Campaigns, Advocacy, Outreach and Education
• Organizational leadership
• CRCJ%20Position%20Desc%2004152020.pdfAdministration and Operations
• Fundraising
• Staff Supervision and Professional Development

The complete position description and required qualifications, as well as guidelines for interested candidates to submit applications, may be found at:

https://ctclimateandjobs.org/exec-search/

For your convenience, a complete description is also attached.

Best regards to all,

Michelle Eckman

CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs

ACES is living its mission: to enhance and transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though classes and services are being offered through online services, ACES staff has collectively been reaching out to provide support during the Covid-19 crisis through food drives to support those with food insecurities and donating PPE, and using their skills and technology to make masks and other protective equipment for hospital workers at Yale New Haven Hospital and Hartford Hospital. ACES efforts began in March and have continued through April with no sign of slowing down.

ACES nurses have been making and contributing masks since the beginning of March. To engage and coordinate their efforts, they created a Facebook group that currently has over 45 members, many of them are ACES employees. Many of these masks have been and continue to be donated to Yale New Haven Hospital. Additionally, our nursing staff, donated additional PPE to Yale New Haven Hospital including masks, glove, booties, gloves, gowns and goggles.

ACES Mill Academy and Thomas Edison Middle Schoolhave been using their technology, namely Replicators and 3D printers to create face shields and head straps. To date, Mill Academy has donated 26 head shields and head straps.  These face shields are being donated to Hartford Hospital to help protect medical professionals from the virus as they treat patients in the field. Donations are being made on an ongoing basis to Hartford Hospital.

ACES ACCESSconducted a food drive to help support shelters in the area as well as any ACES ACCESS program participants experiencing food insecurities.  Additional food drives are planned for the coming months.

To help New Haven nonprofits efficiently recruit the volunteers they need during these difficult times, a team of New Haven residents recently launched a partnership platform, NewHavenHelpWithCovid.com. Since our launch three weeks ago, more than 450 volunteers with various skills from computer programming and translation to driving and sewing have signed up, and 15 organizations have successfully recruited for multiple positions from our platform, including Agency on Aging, New Haven Reads, Junta for Progressive Action, Interfaith Volunteer Care Givers, and others.

But we are so much more than just a platform for matching volunteer supply and demand.

First, our platform is intended for speeding up recruitment. When a volunteer expresses interest for a position posted on the platform, the nonprofit automatically receives an email with their volunteer profile, which includes key information such as contact information, skills set, link to resume, etc. This is a useful feature for nonprofits that don’t have their own application portal. But even for those that do, by posting a position on the platform, we can help expedite recruitment for that position through our weekly newsletters and social media that our volunteers subscribe to.

Second, when our volunteers sign up, they are expected to download a learning app from our training partner, Blank Slate Technologies, that is preloaded with flash cards on the latest City of New Haven volunteer safety guidelines. They use the app once a week to ensure that the guidelines stay in the front of their minds. And if a nonprofit has organization-specific guidelines or training, we are happy to break those down into flash cards and push them into the app that our volunteers are already using.  

Third, we are a team that stands ready to support New Haven nonprofits in whatever way is most helpful—we’ve helped organizations do targeted recruiting, post positions when they’ve been too overwhelmed, collect applications, etc.  

If you are interested in learning more about NewHavenHelpWithCovid.com, contact team lead, Tiffany Chan at tiffany.chan@yale.edu.

Kira Johnson tragically lost her life after a routine c-section at Cedars Sinai. Kira was allowed to bleed internally for more than 10 hours before the medical staff at Cedars Sinai took action.

Watch here: https://bit.ly/2UYAL4V

If you know of any resources available for pregnant women during CoVid19, feel free to share with us here: https://bit.ly/2JUtk8H. We will send share this with our community.

Watch this video on the stunning investigation that confirms black mothers and babies in the U.S. are in a life or death crisis

Watch here: https://binged.it/3aXRHOB

If you know of any resources available for pregnant women during CoVid19, feel free to share with us here: https://bit.ly/2JUtk8H. We will send share this with our community.

Fellowship Place is excited to announce new online programming available to help our clients maintain recovery and connection during the COVID-19 crisis, including video demonstrations, art directives, health and wellness tips, and other activities.

Click here for Fellowship Place's new online programming and new program calendar.

The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal mortality in the developed world. But having a doula makes a drastic difference. A group of women in NYC is fighting to make doulas accessible to everyone.

Watch here: https://binged.it/2xYALJ7

Deadly Deliveries, View in graphics how hospitals are failing new moms and read from women as they share their near-death pregnancy experiences in this article by USA Today.

Read here: https://bit.ly/3b2fDAk

If you know of any resources available for pregnant women during CoVid19, feel free to share with us here: https://bit.ly/2JUtk8H. We will send share this with our community.

Black Mamas Matter Alliance had a National webinar on February 7, 2020 on Advancing Black Maternal Health, Rights and Justice.

View the webinar: https://bit.ly/34qNY9V

If you know of any resources available for pregnant women during CoVid19, feel free to share with us here: https://bit.ly/2JUtk8H. We will send share this with our community.

@BlackMamaMattersAlliance will be hosting a few webinars during #BMHW20.

Register for any of the webinars here: https://blackmamasmatter.org/events/

New Haven Healthy Start and Womxn of Color for Maternal & Child Health are pleased to host the first annual Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). Founded and led by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, this annual campaign takes place every year from April 11-17 to deepen national conversations about black maternal health. 

If you know of any resources available for pregnant women during CoVid19, feel free to share with us here: https://bit.ly/2JUtk8H. We will send share this with our community.

There is a huge untapped resource for combating COVID-19, and it is growing just as fast as the pandemic. I encourage nonprofits to create opportunities for people to help the work you do without having to leave their home. To help promote the idea I have created a Website at www.covid19vip.com, which is free for anybody to use or emulate. The "VIP" stands for "Volunteer in Place." Why just shelter in place when you could also volunteer in place (VIP)? Be a COVID-19 VIP!