August 2008 AACOG Region Newsletter

During the month of June, AACOG and the MPO conducted the 3rd Annual Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge to reward local organizations whose employees log the most "smart miles" between June 1 and June 30 in the categories of biking, walking, car or vanpooling, busing, telecommuting, and eating in on the days that employees are working.

This year’s Walk and Roll Corporate Challenge was a spectacular success with more than 12,000 employees participating from 14 businesses, schools, and agencies. Participating organizations saved more than 1.5 million miles that their employees could otherwise have driven as single occupants in vehicles for work-related activities, thus keeping more than 5,600 pounds of harmful pollutants out of the air!

The winners of the corporate challenge were presented their awards at a news conference on July 28th. They are:

Best Overall Achievement Winner: USAA
Winner in the Large Organization Category: CPS Energy
(larger than 1000 employees)

Runner-up in the Large Organization Category: SAWS

Winner in the Small Organization Category: Metropolitan Planning Organization (smaller than 1000 employees)

Runner-up in the Small Organization Category: Texas Department of Transportation (San Antonio District)

From September 1 through September 30, AACOG and the MPO are having a Walk & Roll Personal Challenge, encouraging individuals to travel smart, and awarding prizes to individuals throughout the San Antonio region who accrue the most smart miles in each of the following four categories: Walking, Cycling, Busing, Carpooling/Vanpooling. Visit www.walkandrollchallenge.com in August for more information or to register the Walk & Roll Personal Challenge.

The 2008 Alamo Area Clean Cities Advancing the Choice event will be held on August 12, 2008, from 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the City of San Antonio Northeast Service Center “Tool Yard”. The City of San Antonio, the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation, the Natural Gas Vehicle Association and the Alamo Area Clean Cities Coalition are co-hosting this year’s event, A Compelling Case for Natural Gas Vehicles. For more information about this event, click here or contact Andrew Hudgins at (210) 362-5228.

AACOG’s Bexar Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Grandparent/Kinship Caregiver Program has been chosen to receive a 2008 Aging Achievement Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

The goal of the Grandparent/Kinship Care Program is to strengthen families by supporting grandparent/kinship caregivers, 55 and older, who are raising children 18 years and under. The program relies on a strong relationship with the counselors in eight (8) school districts across the county, and a multi-agency “kinship collaborative,” that shares resources to support the needs of these families. Since 2003, over 5,000 grandparents have participated in quarterly kinship trainings and support groups. Over two hundred (200) grandparent/kinship caregiver families are assisted annually with supportive services. Twenty-six (26) grandparents overall have been assisted with adoption services.

The Bexar AAA continues to be a key member of the Kinship Collaborative, and is proud to support the kinship caregivers in our community as they take on this pivotal role in the lives of their grandchildren.

Ms. Nellie J. Garay, Bexar AAA Caregiver Support Specialist, and Carol Zernial, Bexar AAA Director, received the award at the annual n4a conference in Nashville this month.

AACOG and the University of North Texas are hosting the annual Public Funds Investment Act Workshop August 25-26, 2008 in the Al J. Notzon III Board Room. The training provides a total of 10 hours of PFIA training and CPE credits. Registration for both days (10 hours) is $270 on or before August 18th or $290 after August 18th, registration for one day (5 hours) is $135 on or before August 18th or $145 after August 18th. You may register online at www.unt.edu/cpm.

AACOG, the Bexar County Small Minority Women Business Enterprise (SMWBE), and the Department of Information Resources (DIR) are presenting a Technology Educational Workshop on August 8, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

This event will provide an opportunity to educate Purchasers/ Buyers on the benefit of using DIR Cooperative Contracts and provide "hands on training" for navigating through DIR's website. Using DIR Cooperative Contracts to acquire your IT products will save you time and money. If you use a DIR Cooperative Contract, you do not have to go through the competitive bidding process. Also provided will be an opportunity to network with local DIR contracted vendors that are in the San Antonio and surrounding area. Click here for more information about this workshop.

AACOG Region Newsletter compiled and distributed monthly
by Tiffany Pickens, AACOG Public Relations