CCMA 2018 – Scholarships, Awards, and Silent Auction

Time to Register for CCMA Portland 2018
By Megan Webster

Have you registered for CCMA 2018?  We have, but we need your help to get ready.  Submit your nominations for the Cooperative Excellence Awards, contribute an item from your food co-op to the Bowers Fund live auction, or make a scholarship application. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2018 CCMA AWARDS NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN 

Nominations are now open for the 2018 CCMA Awards for Cooperative Excellence.  The awards recognize food cooperatives and members of the food cooperative community in the following areas:  
  • Cooperative Excellence
  • Cooperative Service
  • Cooperative Innovation and Achievement
  • Cooperative Board Service
The CCMA awards are an opportunity for the food co-op community to honor colleagues and cooperatives for outstanding achievements or innovations, or even for persistence and creativity in the face of difficulty.  Do you know a cooperator or cooperative who deserves recognition?  Take the time to make a nomination, using this link:  Nominate Here 
Deadline for nominations is March 23, 2017.  Awards will be announced at the CCMA Conference in Portland, Oregon. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CCMA AVAILABLE!
The Howard Bowers Fund is offering 25 registration scholarships to CCMA 2018.   Application for the scholarships can be made using this link: Apply for a Scholarship Here

Applications are due by March 30, 2018.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS NEEDED
Help the Howard Bowers Fund support food co-ops
 
The Howard Bowers Fund Silent Auction at CCMA is our biggest fundraiser of the year.  Funds raised at the auction are used to provide scholarships to professional conferences and for training and education grants for food co-ops.
We invite you to make a donation to the auction.  Contributing to the Bowers auction at CCMA is a great way to advertise your cooperative while supporting cooperative principles five and six! 
 
Donated items range from co-op t-shirts, reusable shopping bags, gift baskets and "swag" items to complimentary registrations to the top co-op conferences.  Consider a donation that showcases your co-op, and we'll be proud to advertise your contribution on the CCMA and CDF websites and our social media. 
Please use the link below to tell us about your planned donation and how you'd like to arrange delivery.  (Be sure to include a picture so we can promote your contribution and your co-op!)
ABOUT THE HOWARD BOWERS FUND
Since it was created in 1994, the Bowers Fund has given almost $500,000 to support food cooperatives with training and education grants and scholarships to food conferences.  The Bowers Fund distributed $40,800 in 2017 alone.  Help us continue to support strong, competitive food cooperatives by making a donation to the Bowers Fund today.  Donate here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COURAGEOUS EVOLUTION: STRATEGIES FOR STRONG CO-OPS AND COMMUNITIES


"Our role as change agent is even more important in this time of upheaval in our communities and our country as a whole. We must invest in our leaders and train new leaders, and have the courage and perseverance for sustainable and equitable change in our communities."  

The grocery industry is changing at a dizzying pace. Between Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, the invasion of the Lidls and the Aldis, and the adoption of e-commerce, it is hard to keep up. Food co-ops are striving for relevance in an increasingly crowded market. It takes courage to evolve and address the imminent change that is upon us. Our co-ops are a vehicle to achieve democratic communities that build capital, good jobs, farmers, and healthy food access.  We must identify the communities that feel excluded from our co-ops and better serve and proactively reach out to embrace new communities and new technologies, while deepening our connection with our members and vendors and preserving our cooperative identity.

Throughout history, cooperatives across sectors have served as pioneers of change, pooling resources, organizing for their collective good. We, as food co-ops, continue that legacy in our communities, by expanding access to healthy food, by supporting fair treatment of our employees and farmers, and by fostering democracy and wealth-building in our communities. Our cooperative difference is an opportunity to reach out and engage new and diverse communities, address issues of injustice and racism, food security and access. Our role as change agent is even more important in this time of upheaval in our communities and our country as a whole. We must invest in our leaders and train new leaders, and have the courage and perseverance for sustainable and equitable change in our communities.

The Cooperative Development Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation headquartered in Washington, DC. CDF promotes and develops cooperatives to improve economic opportunities for all. (www.cdf.coop).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________