A former nonprofit leader is taking over the NYC Department for the Aging

Phish is coming to the rescue in upstate New York. The group has donated $100,000 to nonprofit groups in the Syracuse area to help them in recovery efforts from recent flooding. About 85,000 were expect to attend the three-day Curveball festival at Watkins Glen until it was canceled. While they could not perform for the community, Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation opted to still contribute. Read all about it here.

What’s the biggest factor preventing nonprofits from hitting their fundraising goals? A panel of nine experts might have the answers, according to a blog post on the Windmill Hill Consulting website. Read what nonprofit leaders and consultants had to say here.

What’s cooking at the Administration for Children’s Services? The agency is looking for cooks and kitchen helpers at various ACS sites around the city, according to the City Record. Prospective vendors have until 3 p.m. on Friday, May 10 to apply. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 18 on the ninth floor of 150 William Street in Manhattan. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City needs help preparing focus groups on the financial well-being of low-income people. Prospective helpers have until April 19 at 5 p.m. to submit a bid, according to the City Record. Her Justice has received a $300,000, one-year contract to provide “supportive alternatives to violent encounters” on behalf of the city Department of Social Services.

The New York Civil Liberties Union has the details on how the state is changing the way police operate in public schools. A new law approved last week makes clear that school employees are responsible for disciplining students. That has not always been the case, writes Johanna Miller, director of the Education Policy Center at the NYCLU. “We’re hopeful this will cut down on the number of kids being exposed to the criminal justice system for minor misbehavior,” she writes in an April 9 blog post. “This is a victory for advocates trying to shut down the school-to-prison-pipeline that carries students from the classroom into the hands of police.”

There is a new commissioner at the New York City Department for the Aging. Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez is the former executive vice president for the American Association of Retired People and is currently a senior advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio. She has also worked previously as the president of the Hispanic Federation and has a master’s degree from the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She will start her new position on April 15, according to an April 9 press release. Caryn Resnick has led the department in an acting capacity since Donna Corrado announced her resignation as commissioner late last year after serving for five years.