AmeriCorps Alums:
Organization Relaunched

With 25 chapters up and running and another 10 set to start, the newly revitalized AmeriCorps Alums are off to a good start. Program manager P.J. D’Amico, whose involvement with AmeriCorps dates from the Summer of Service in 1993, is based at the Hands On Network in Atlanta. The relationship with the Hands On Network, with its 45 affiliates across the country, provides the Alums with a strong platform for its launch, according to D’Amico. He reports that there is “a lot of energy” among state commissions and Corporation staff, as well as among alums. During the recent national conference, about 300 people signed up to get involved. The Alums website, http://www.lifetimeofservice.org, will soon include a feature allowing alums to update their own profiles. If you’re an alum, be sure to sign up – and to spread the word. 

Inaugural Event:
National Arab-American Service Day

The first-ever National Arab-American Service Day will take place on Saturday, September 24 in 13 cities around the country. On that day, Arab American organizations that are part of the National Network of Arab-American Communities will sponsor service projects in partnership with other local organizations. The goal is demonstrate how Arab Americans are joining with others to strengthen their communities, build bridges with one another, and make an impact in their neighborhoods and cities. Spearheaded by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), an AmeriCorps grantee based in Flint, Mich., the day will feature service projects in Anaheim, Calif., Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, N.Y., Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Flint, Houston, San Francisco, Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. For additional information, go to http://www.accesscommunity.org/ or contact Jamie Kim at 313-842-4756.

Rewarding Service:
Hobart to Match AmeriCorps Ed Award

Rosie Mauk, Director of AmeriCorps, joined students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., on August 31 to help kick off the new school year – and to announce a new partnership with the colleges. At a convocation ceremony, Mauk received the Hobart and William Smith President’s Medal in “honor of her outstanding service to the community, the country, and her profession.” She also announced that Hobart and William Smith has agreed to join the growing list of institutions of higher education who provide a match to the AmeriCorps Education Award by offering up to $1,000 per year for every eligible Hobart student who has completed a term of service. Said Hobart and William Smith President Mark Gearan, who is also a Corporation Board member: “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with AmeriCorps by becoming a matching partner of the AmeriCorps Education Award. This relationship will provide us with the opportunity to reward students for their commitment to community service, which we greatly value as a part of our mission.”

Service Heroes:
Heather Harris and Samantha Phelps

Heather Harris and Samantha Phelps spent their senior year at Mooresville High School leading the Indiana school’s In a Flash, a safe-driving project that garnered national honors from State Farm Insurance and the National Youth Leadership Council at the top student safe-driving campaign. Phelps braved the dunk tank for a “Don’t Drive Drunk” campaign and dressed up as an M&M to hand out free candy to students who could answer safe driving questions. Harris helped organize a “Don’t Punch the Numbers” effort to warn students about using cell phones while driving. The two, both honors students, staked out the high school parking lot in the afternoons, encouraging their fellow students to buckle up as they headed home. Harris will be attending Ivy Technical Institute and hopes to become a social worker. Phelps is headed to the University of Indianapolis.

Promising Programs:
Vermont's VCSP AmeriCorps

The Program: AmeriCorps members serving with the Vermont Community Stewardship Program have to make a choice. Do they want to focus on housing issues, providing services to homeless people and helping low-income families become homeowners? Or would they rather spend their term of service involved in activities such as developing and maintaining trails or teaching schoolchildren about Vermont’s natural wonders? With VCSP, which is sponsored by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, they can do either. The board has been addressing these two areas for nearly 20 years, with participation by AmeriCorps members for the last seven. The original intent of the board’s founders was to create more affordable housing opportunities while preserving the state’s rural character. Members serve with groups such as the Vermont Center for Independent Living. On the housing front, they help make homes more accessible for people with disabilities. In the environmental area, they make trails and walkways easier for people with disabilities to enjoy.

The Results: Since the program was established, AmeriCorps members have racked up impressive statistics. They have provided services to thousands of homeless people, including developing Vermont’s first homeless mentoring program. AmeriCorps members also have helped homeownership become a reality for thousands more Vermont residents, serving at Home Ownership Centers across the state from the time the centers opened their doors to provide assistance to would-be homeowners. And, they have helped maintain and protect thousands of acres of land from habitat destruction. Numerous members continue in their fields of service after completing AmeriCorps, including one former member who started his own nonprofit, linking students at Dartmouth University with children from disadvantaged families for mentoring, tutoring, and recreational activities.

Why It Works: The VCSP addresses crucial needs in the Green Mountain State. The state’s housing stock is older and more fragile than in most other states, and the vacancy rate is extremely low. The AmeriCorps program builds partnerships with organizations across the state that otherwise would not be able to meet the needs of their clients. In addition, the program builds on the culture of community and appreciation for the land that is prevalent in Vermont.

Lessons Learned: Although housing and conservation issues may not seem to be an obvious fit, addressing them together is working well in Vermont. For more information, contact Joan Wells, AmeriCorps Director, (802) 828-3249 or email joan@vhcb.org.