We’re on the home stretch before winter break … and just before we leave, I’d like to challenge us to dream up cool ideas for grants, whether they be for Innovation Grants (from the Educational Foundation) to professional development grants (from the VCCS), and beyond. Too often we get bogged down in the rules and bureaucracy and every reason why something won’t work, but for now, I just want to start from a place of joy … open our minds … and ask: Wouldn’t it be cool if … I’m like a PEZ dispenser of wacky ideas, so I’ll just share my own list to help get you started: Wouldn’t it be cool if … We started a “Career Bus Tour” of employers (like in manufacturing or healthcare), similar to all the food/brewery tours in the region. The travelers would get to actually see those careers in action … and in between stops, hear about how VWCC’s programs will help them on those career paths. Wouldn’t it be cool if … Whenever VWCC sets up a table at a job fair or community event, we send a mobile headshot booth and take free professional photos for LinkedIn/social media profiles. We… Continue Reading Wouldn’t it be cool if … (a grant idea generator)Read More
“The community college can be the catalyst to end poverty in our community.” I sat through hours of sessions during the VCCS Hire Education conference earlier this month in Hot Springs. But this message got my attention. I’m still thinking about it, so I’ll repeat: “The community college can be the catalyst to end poverty in our community.” That quote came from Ridge Schuyler, who spent his hour talking about the Network2Work program at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in Charlottesville. He was full of energy — animated by his passion for helping folks get decent-paying jobs, which moved me to tears as Schuyler fought back his own. As Schulyer stressed during his presentation, the community college doesn’t have to own every piece of this poverty mission. Instead, we just make sure the work gets done. To play the role of convener, facilitator, connector. In a nutshell, his Network2Work program is a job network that matches jobs that pay a minimum of $25,000 (or $12.50 per hour) with job seekers through volunteer “connectors” in neighborhoods, schools, places of worship, and other parts of the community. Earlier this year, a C-Biz article described Network2Work as “the employment version of ‘it takes… Continue Reading Superheroes, assemble! How we can all help end poverty in the Roanoke ValleyRead More
OK, so when I use the word “joy” in this headline, I don’t necessarily mean obvious, delicious joy, like, surprising everyone with their favorite candies or work snacks or flowers … (but you can do that with a joy survey). I have broadened my definition of joy-bringing to include making our lives easier. Case in point: Time and Effort forms (arrrrgggggh). I can’t magically make these required grant forms go away — which would indeed be joyful — but I can make them more convenient. So I’m working on digitizing the signature process. That’s sort of a microburst of joy, right? Another example of small joy bursts: Sending Outlook meeting invites whenever you plan events or meetings with your teams. This may seem strange or obvious, but it would be a big help, according to members of our Campus Engagement Workgroup. Back in September, as the new facilitator of this group, I took the time to send out meeting invites for each of our five Tuesday meetings through the end of the fall semester. I have to admit I felt like I was spamming everyone. But several times, our team members have expressed gratitude that I sent them. It made… Continue Reading Bring joy to your coworkers … with Outlook?Read More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023
- Time to Innovate October 4, 2023
- How to tackle grant season? August 14, 2023