Community Action Month
Shine the Light Campaign
Shine the Light is NYSCAA’s Community Action Month campaign celebrating the staff whose dedication, skill, and compassion strengthen communities across New York State.
Submit a Story View 2026 Honorees
2026 Campaign Progress
2 of 5 honorees announced: Michael Dougherty and Joanna Seaman. More stories will be shared throughout Community Action Month.
Newest 2026 Honoree
Now in the Spotlight
Joanna Seaman
Greeter, Tioga Opportunities, Inc.
Joanna came to Tioga Opportunities after spending years as a stay-at-home mom. When the pandemic changed everything, she was ready to find work with purpose. She found exactly that at the front desk of her local Community Action Agency.
“It’s important to feel seen. It’s important to know you matter.”
2026 Honorees
Meet the 2026 Shine the Light Winners
Throughout Community Action Month, NYSCAA is recognizing five staff members from across New York State whose stories reflect the heart, skill, and dedication of Community Action.
Michael Dougherty Winner
UCCAC — Weatherization Program Director
Joanna Seaman Newest
Tioga Opportunities, Inc. — Greeter
Honoree 3 Coming Soon
More stories will be shared throughout Community Action Month.
Honoree 4 Coming Soon
More stories will be shared throughout Community Action Month.
Honoree 5 Coming Soon
More stories will be shared throughout Community Action Month.
Why Shine the Light Matters
A spotlight on the people who make Community Action possible
Shine the Light gives NYSCAA a way to pause during Community Action Month and recognize the people whose work often happens quietly, consistently, and with deep impact in communities across New York State.
Elevates voices | Honors commitment | Builds connection
How to Participate
Share a story. Recognize a colleague.
The campaign is designed to make it easy for Community Action staff to share stories that show the people and purpose behind the work.
1. Submit a Story → CAA staff submit a short personal story about their work, journey, or impact.
2. NYSCAA Reviews → Selected stories are prepared for campaign promotion.
3. Share the Spotlight → Honorees are featured through NYSCAA’s website, social media, and communications.
Past Honorees
2025 Shine the Light Honorees
NYSCAA was proud to recognize the following Community Action staff as 2025 Shine the Light honorees.
 Laurel Polttila, JCEO
 Bridget Dolbear, OCO
 Bre Jackowski, OCO
 Theresa Radley, CAPCO
 Karima Wines, MVCAA
2025 Archive
Read All 2025 Submissions
Thank you to all 2025 submitters. Your stories help show the heart, strength, and impact of Community Action across New York State.
Read Submissions
Now Accepting Submissions
Help NYSCAA shine the light on Community Action staff across New York State
Share your story or recognize a colleague whose work deserves to be celebrated during Community Action Month.
Submit Your 2026 Story
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Deadline Extended: Workshop proposals will now be accepted through Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Call for Workshop Proposals Extended
2026 NYSCAA Annual Conference
Resilient by Nature: The Power of Community Action
NYSCAA is seeking interactive, practical, and skill-building sessions that offer clear takeaways, useful tools, and strategies attendees can bring back to their agencies.
Submit a Proposal Ask a Question
Key Details
Location
Niagara Falls, NY
Conference Dates
September 15-18, 2026
Extended Deadline
June 30, 2026
Quick Path
Submit a stronger proposal in three steps
1
Choose your topic
Select a topic that addresses real needs across Community Action programs, leadership, operations, data, or service delivery.
2
Define the takeaway
Explain what attendees will learn, use, or bring back to their agency after your session.
3
Submit by June 30
Complete the online CFP form before the extended deadline. Applicants will be notified in July 2026.
What We Are Seeking
Practical sessions with real value for the network
NYSCAA invites proposals for interactive, skill-building sessions that strengthen knowledge, expertise, and capacity across New York’s Community Action network.
Preference is given to sessions that include clear learning objectives, practical tools, real examples, and strategies participants can realistically bring back to their agencies.
Session Fit
A strong session helps attendees do something better
Real Examples
Sessions should be grounded in actual work, implementation experience, lessons learned, or practical examples.
Useful Tools
Strong sessions include tools, templates, checklists, policies, examples, worksheets, or next steps participants can use.
Audience Value
Sessions should help attendees improve programs, operations, compliance, data, leadership, service delivery, or agency capacity.
Proposal Quality
Strong proposals include
A clear problem or challenge
The session should help attendees address something specific.
Practical tools or examples
Templates, policies, checklists, forms, workflows, case studies, or resources.
Clear learning objectives
Explain what attendees will learn, understand, or be able to do.
Engagement beyond lecture
Use discussion, activities, Q&A, peer learning, or interactive examples.
Session Length and Format
Length: Sessions may be 60 or 90 minutes.
Format: Workshop, panel, presentation, or interactive demonstration.
Best fit: High engagement, practical takeaways, and tools participants can use.
Important Dates
Extended Submission Deadline
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Notification Timeline
July 2026
Priority Topic Areas
Choose one or more topic areas in the submission form
Agency Operations
Human Resources
Finance
Labor Law
Nonprofit Management
Programs and Service Delivery
Head Start / Early Head Start / Early Childhood
Weatherization / Housing
Program Innovation
Data, Technology, and Results
Artificial Intelligence in Service Delivery
Data / ROMA
Reporting, evaluation, and outcomes
Before You Start
Have this information ready
Preparing these items before opening the form will make submission faster.
- Presenter name, title, organization, email, and phone
- Session title and description
- Preferred session length and format
- Topic area and intended audience
- 2-4 learning objectives
- Tools, templates, or handouts you plan to provide
- Co-presenter information, if applicable
What Happens After Submission?
After proposals are submitted, NYSCAA will review submissions for alignment with conference goals, practical value, audience relevance, and presenter experience.
Applicants will be notified by email in July 2026. Selected presenters will receive follow-up details about session logistics, registration, materials, room assignments, and A/V needs.
Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities
Sponsor or exhibit at the 2026 NYSCAA Annual Conference
Organizations interested in connecting with New York’s Community Action network can register as a sponsor or exhibitor for the 2026 NYSCAA Annual Conference.
The sponsor and exhibitor registration form is used to reserve your package, provide organization and billing details, upload logos or program ads, and share representative information for conference follow-up.
2026 Package Levels
| Platinum Sponsor |
$5,000 |
| Gold Sponsor |
$3,000 |
| Silver Sponsor |
$2,000 |
| Exhibitor |
$700 |
Packages include visibility, conference access, and exhibitor benefits based on the selected level.
Deadline Extended
Ready to submit your proposal?
Proposals are accepted online through the 2026 NYSCAA Call for Proposals form until Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Submit Your Proposal Contact NYSCAA Sponsor or Exhibit
Last updated: May 2026. CFP deadline extended to June 30, 2026.
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NYSCAA Resource
Community Action Plan Templates
In partnership with the New York State Department of State and NYSCAA, a workgroup of Community Action Agency staff developed Community Action Plan Templates for the network to use as a reference when preparing Community Action Plans.
Download the Template
About the Templates
Community Action Plan Templates, also known as workplans or Attachment C, are intended to help agencies organize program information, identify benchmarks, and report outcomes in a clear and consistent way.
These templates are designed as a reference guide for agencies developing Community Action Plans and can support planning, reporting, and internal review processes.
Supporting ROMA-Based Planning
The templates highlight the use of Results Oriented Management and Accountability, commonly known as ROMA, along with related concepts, principles, and best practice approaches for documenting program benchmarks and outcomes.
Planning Support
Helps agencies structure Community Action Plan content in a consistent and practical format.
Benchmarks & Outcomes
Provides a framework for reporting benchmarks, outcomes, and program-level results.
ROMA Alignment
Encourages the use of ROMA concepts and results-oriented practice throughout the planning process.
Download the Community Action Plan Template
Access the template file and use it as a reference when developing or updating Community Action Plans.
Download Template
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