Mission Statement

The Community Engagement Cluster (CEC) works to build stronger, more informed, and inclusive communities. The Cluster is responsible for strengthening Montgomery County's commitment to civic engagement and community service by engaging residents, organizations, businesses and other community groups. The Cluster maximizes communities' assets - time, talents, and other resources - working collaboratively to address and resolve community issues.

The cluster is a combination of the five Regional Services Centers, the Commission for Women, and the Office of Community Partnerships, including the Gilchrist Center and the Volunteer Center, that has been operating as one unit since July 1, 2011. As a cluster, these offices/functions have combined facilities, resources, and support staff while retaining staff expertise and experience, as well as most of the objectives of the separate entities involved.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY19 Operating Budget for the Community Engagement Cluster is $3,849,082, an increase of $9,712 or 0.25 percent from the FY18 Approved Budget of $3,839,370. Personnel Costs comprise 81.92 percent of the budget for 19 full-time position(s) and nine part-time position(s), and a total of 23.50 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 18.08 percent of the FY19 budget.

Linkage to County Result Areas

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• Healthy and Sustainable Neighborhoods
• A Responsive, Accountable County Government
• Vital Living for All of Our Residents

Department Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY18 estimates reflect funding based on the FY18 approved budget. The FY19 and FY20 figures are performance targets based on the FY19 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY20.

Accomplishments

• Launched the inaugural Girl Power Writing Contest, in honor of Women's History Month, coordinated by the Commission for Women (CFW). Winners, including elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults from around the County, had the opportunity to meet County Executive Isiah Leggett at the April 2017 Commission meeting.
  
• Continued to strengthen the culture of giving and serving in Montgomery County by connecting volunteers with critical community needs through the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (MCVC). For the Community Service Week 2017 and Martin Luther King Day 2018, 7,063 volunteers engaged in 217 different projects. Migrated to a new website with mobile-friendly search options and updated volunteer management components. Continued and built on partnership with MCPS to manage Student Service Learning volunteer opportunities for all students in middle and high school. Provided monthly capacity building trainings for agencies attended by 352 nonprofit professionals. Launched the 50+ Volunteer Network to focus on the growing senior population and effectively match skilled volunteers with nonprofit and government agencies, which builds on and enhances the existing Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). In FY17, volunteers with the Tax Aide Program of RSVP completed 4,935 tax returns for low to moderate income residents resulting in total tax refunds of over $4 million.
  
• Served 9,739 residents through volunteer-taught classes such as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Spanish, computer skills, or job search skills; 8,889 residents through information and referral services; and 3,234 residents through partner organization programs such as ESOL and citizenship preparation classes via the Gilchrist Center in FY17.
  
• Distributed neighborhood matching funds through the Regional Services Centers (RSCs) to grassroots-based neighborhood groups to undertake hyper-local events to build communities, including block parties, special neighborhood gatherings, and community conversations.
  
• Organized the 38^th Annual Women's Legislative Briefing in January 2018, held by CFW.
  
• Coordinated, through CFW, the transition of the Human Trafficking Task Force from a task force to a committee, and worked with the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault on the passing of State legislation (House Bill 429/Senate Bill 217) nicknamed, "No Means No!"
  
• Facilitated the East County Job Fair, which connected employers with job seekers, and provided a series of workshops for job seekers and small business start-up skill development.
  
• Continued work with the White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee and organized the second annual Pike District Fall Fest, a street festival in the White Flint Sector Plan Area, through the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center.
  

Initiatives

• Establish a Worksource Montgomery HIRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) Employment Assistance Resource Center at the East County Regional Services Center, as part of the East County Opportunity Zone Initiative. The Center serves as a community-based hub for the provision of employment education and training services to East County residents.
  

Collaboration and Partnerships

Program Descriptions

  Community Partnership

The Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) is a bridge among our diverse community residents and organizations and the County government. The staff provides outreach and liaison services to ethnic, multilingual, and multicultural communities; works closely with the County's nonprofit and faith community organizations; and coordinates a number of community-building events...

  Gilchrist Center

The Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity is the County's Welcome Center for newcomers and helps to build the network of immigrant service providers in the County. The Center offers various immigrant integration services at various locations throughout the County that prepare residents to contribute to our economy...

  Commission for Women

The Commission for Women's mission is to identify gender-based inequities in laws, policies, practices and procedures, and to advocate remedies by advising the public and local, state, and federal agencies on issues of concern to women, including organizing events relating to these issues....

  Regional Services Centers

The County has five Regional Services Centers: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Eastern Montgomery, Mid-County, Silver Spring, and Upcounty. The Regional Directors in each of the County's five regions work with their respective regional citizens advisory boards, residents, community groups, businesses, and other public agencies to proactively seek and gather information and assess...

  Administration

Administrative Management for the Community Engagement Cluster (CEC) handles all aspects of budget, procurement, financial, contracts/grants, personnel, and administrative matters of the CEC units (Regional Services Centers, Commission for Women, Office of Community Partnerships, including the Gilchrist Center and the Volunteer Center). In addition, the responsibilities of this unit include...