Welcome to the Alumni Network!

It's all about the mouse... at least for next month!

The Alumni Network will be in Anaheim at the CMHI System of Care Grantee meeting, July 28 - 31, 2009. Here is a peek at what we will be up to.

Strategy Plan for the Alumni Network
A group of dedicated Alums will be working on Monday and Tuesday (July 27 - 28) to hammer out the beginnings of a plan of action for the Alumni Network for the coming year. And then it is your turn. We will be posting the draft strategy plan on the website, encouraging you to provide feedback about direction and projects we should be involved with. This is your network - here is a real opportunity to help shape what happens in the future.

Alumni interviews!
We will have the camera roaming the halls looking for alums willing to share their story. Stop by the Information Fair table to watch the interviews we have conducted to date. You could be a star!

Listening Sessions
In an effort to improve the website (a continuous process) we will hold two "Listening Sessions" from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm on Wednesday, July 28 and Thursday, July 29. Please plan on attending and giving us feedback on the website. Is it useful for you? What do you wish there was more of? What do you wish there was less of? We need to know from you how we can make the site more responsive to your needs so come and tell us.

Meet and Greet
On Tuesday evening from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm we will be hosting a meet and greet for alums and friends of alums (that basically means everyone...). Before the conference gets going in full swing take some time to catch up with old friends and see what's up with the Alumni Network.

Alums everywhere...
Alums are stepping up to the plate and helping out at this meeting. Look for alums facilitating workshops and planning sessions, offering their perspective on how to sustain the important work being done after federal funding ends.

Sustainability Workshop
Speaking of alums sharing their experience - Don't miss the Alumni workshop on Friday morning. Here is a teaser of what you will get:

• Gwen White, Pittsburgh, PA - will share an easy-to-follow model for sustainability, based on several different successful grant efforts she has been a part of.
• Alfredo Aguirre, San Diego, CA - will back up Gwen's model for sustainability with hard data from sustained system of care development efforts he has been integrally involved with in California.
• Lorrin Gehring, Provo, UT - probably the leading content expert when it comes to the history of youth involvement with CMHI grant programs - Lorrin will offer her thoughts on how to sustain Youth Involvement, what to watch out for and what to capitalize on to succeed.
• Sandra Spencer, Rockville, MD & Scott Bryant-Comstock, Durham, NC - What does it take to make the relationship between an emerging family organization (WECARE) and a fiscal agent/TA Provider (BC Innovations) work? Sandra and Scott will share their experiences about how to establish a business relationship within a state funded grant structure to ensure that the tenets of what it means to be family-driven are followed so that family organizations can achieve independence and succeed.

Special Request for Principle Investigators attending the Grantee meeting in Anaheim. Please let us know if you will be attending so that we can get an accurate count of P.I. Alums who will be in attendance. Click here to let us know!