The AmeriCorps website. Great resource for overall information and stories.
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps.
NCCC member blog with photos.
Do you have any fun AmeriCorps links to share?
Guest Post by Kala
There is a moment in life when most individuals realize that they ache for something bigger than themselves. This is a realization that poverty and hardship takes place in the very country that we reside in.
We struggle to rebel against opposing beliefs; we battle against personal and political oppressors, but little is resolved. Though we battle, like many before us, against that which we disagree with, we know that we love our land. We are proud. We cannot give up or give in.
The lucky find that resolution can come with service, not out of resentment. The fortunate find that productivity and strength, in comparison to hatred and hostility, lends a healing hand. The timely understand that there is a solution; a task that one person can take on now.
One plus one soon becomes many and we begin to create a country that has just a little less hate and a little less sorrow. We are the lucky; the fortunate; the timely. We are AmeriCorps.
“…A vision softly creeping left its seed while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains…” ~Paul Simon
Kala is an AmeriCorps VISTA member who began serving in Maine in January 2008. Her work has had measurable positive impact on hundreds of agencies and organizations in Maine since that time.
Guest Post by Dorothy Grannell
As a supervisor of AmeriCorps VISTA projects in 3 different states over 20 years, working with 14 different individuals in 4 separate programs, I have had a unique opportunity to see what AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA projects do in building communities. VISTA is different from the general AmeriCorps program in that its members are building infrastructure rather than doing direct service- although sometimes they have to do some direct service in order to build the infrastructure. What does building infrastructure mean? How can it be beautiful?
If you have ever built a house or seen a building being built you know that long before walls and roofs go up, there is a lot of messy, time consuming work that takes place. Think of a seven story building. First there has to be the idea that it is a good thing to build this building, that there is a need for it and that it will be used and useful. Then there has to be funding to support the project. Then there is the planning. What else? Well, soil testing, wet lands discovery, core drilling to see if there is bed rock to support the weight, and finally the actual design has to be developed with all of its considerations. Is this going to be a “green building”? who will the contractors be? This is the kind of work that is done when the community organization writes its AmeriCorps VISTA Grant. Once the grant is accepted, the rest of the hard, unseen and often unglamorous work starts. This is the point in time where the AmeriCorps VISTA members come in. In a sense they are the ones who - if they were building the building - would be digging the foundation, pouring the footings, laying the septic and water lines, putting in the underground wiring and geo-thermal heat pumps and finally building the foundation.
The part of the building that gets noticed is its design , its outward appearance, inner functionality and decoration. It may take years to build the building. But the evaluation of the building comes many years after it has been put into service and after it has weathered storms. An AmeriCorps VISTA project works that way too. The beauty is that the programs last and serve the public and make the community stronger.
The project that I am currently coordinating, the VolunteerMaine VISTA project, is a three to five year grant that is designed to promote the use of the VolunteerMaine web site (in all of its facets and this blog page is one of those facets), develop “Volunteer Centers without Walls,” promote best practices in volunteer management and provide training to achieve those best practices, and to manage volunteer response in times of emergency and disaster. Many of the things that these AmeriCorps VISTA members will do will never be seen by the general public and we won’t know if we have built a sustainable product for at least five years. The members move ahead however, without any assurances that their work will make a difference, and do their very best.
If my experience with AmeriCorps VISTA tells me anything, it is that the work will make a difference and that volunteers and non-profit organizations in Maine will have a better experience because of the work of these members. In ten years they will be able to look back and see how Maine is better prepared to respond in emergencies, has well prepared managers of volunteers and a growing base of actively engaged community volunteers. They will also bring strong organizational and partnership development skills to the communities where they land and be actively engaged in their communities.
In Maine, the infrastructure that AmeriCorps VISTA members are building across the state is making Maine a better place to live. This AmeriCorps Week gives us all a chance to say thank you to those who have done this hard work for us. If you see someone with an AmeriCorps Logo on a shirt or you see it on an application for a job or a volunteer position take the time to say “thank you” for serving Maine and our nation. The 14 individuals I have had the opportunity to work with over the years are some of the finest people I know and I am blessed and privileged to have been in their company. We may also want to write to our legislators and urge continuing support of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs. Let them know that these programs are among the best of federally funded programs that there are. They may not be sexy but they have lasting beauty.
Dorothy Grannell coordinates the Volunteer Maine VISTA project.
Volunteer Maine’s AmeriCorps week page spotlights the great work that AmeriCorps members are doing here in Maine. Check out some stories from AmeriCorps members, send an e-card to that special AmeriCorps member in your life, and find out more about service opportunities in Maine and beyond.
Also check out Carolanne Dube’s recent editorial on the impact of AmeriCorps.
by Christy Monroe
Since we’re celebrating AmeriCorps Week on the Volunteer Maine Blog today let’s have a better look into what this program is all about.
First, since our focus has turned towards outcomes based measurements, let’s run some numbers:
• 542,000: Number of people who have served as AmeriCorps members since 1994.
• 705 Million: Total number of hours served by AmeriCorps members.
• $1.43 Billion: Total amount of Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards earned by AmeriCorps members.
• 1.7 Million: Number of community volunteers managed or mobilized by AmeriCorps members in 2007.
• 4,100: Number of nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations that AmeriCorps members served with last year.
• $5 Billion: Amount of AmeriCorps funds invested in nonprofit, community, educational and faith-based community groups since 1994.
WOW! So, you might ask, “What exactly do AmeriCorps members do?”
Well, funny you should ask…they do a wide range of things. They recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers, tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, help communities respond to disasters, and build the capacity of nonprofit groups to become self-sustaining, among many other activities.
In a nutshell, AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service which provides opportunities for 75,000 Americans to give back each year. It’s often coined as “the domestic Peace Corps” and consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).
If you know an AmeriCorps member, give them a high-five for a job well done. If you are serving as an AmeriCorps member, pat yourself on the back. And if you’re interested in becoming an AmeriCorps member visit the AmeriCorps website. (Then give yourself thumbs up for your interest in national service.)
Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.
To celebrate AmeriCorps Week, we’d love to hear from AmeriCorps members and alums. If you have a story to tell about what AmeriCorps means to you, go to our submission guidelines page and follow the instructions for submitting a guest post. Please include a brief one or two sentence bio.
by Christy Monroe
National AmeriCorps Week is celebrated from May 11-18, 2008. As you may already know, chances are there is an AmeriCorps member working in your community helping to strengthen organizations by building capacity and directly serving in projects across the United States. As the slogan goes, they are “getting things done!”
Get involved in a service project hosted by AmeriCorps Members! Community Members invited to attend! Experience being an AmeriCorps Member for a Day!
Join AmeriCorps Members in Service Projects Across Maine:
• Day of Caring, Greater Portland
Volunteers will work alongside AmeriCorps members to sort through approximately 50,000 lbs of food collected throughout the annual National Association of Letter Carrier’s Food Drive. Lunch provided.
Sign Up, contact Kala Stenehjem, kstenehjem@unitedwaygp.org
• Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, Jefferson, Monday, May 12th, 7 - 11am
Join Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association for this public bird walk with local ornithologist Tom Arter.
Sign up, contact Alice Phillips at dlwastaff@roadrunner.com
• Blueberry Cove, 22 Blueberry Cove Rd, Tenants Harbor, Monday, May 12th, 10am
Sustainable agriculture activities with an educational twist such as compost bin building and cold frame building. A great time to enjoy the fellowship of AmeriCorps.
Sign Up, contact Hanna Wheeler, hwheeler@umext.maine.edu
• Rippling Waters Farm, 55 River Rd, Steep Falls, Wednesday, May 14th, 1pm-5pm
Help out on the farm planting in the fields, repotting, working in the greenhouse. Get dirty and have a great time getting to know fellow volunteers!
Sign Up, contact Christy Mckinnon, volunteer.ripplingwaters@gmail.com
• Southern Maine Children’s Water Festival, Portland, Friday, May 16th
The goal of the festival is to emphasize the importance of water to human and ecosystem health, as animal habitat, and its role in weather and other earth processes.
Sign Up, contact Ann Speers, ann.speers@maine.gov
• Blueberry Cove, 22 Bluberry Cove Rd, Tenants Harbor, Saturday, May 17th, 9am
Saturday is our monthly community work party and we have painting projects planned.
Sign up, contact Hanna Wheeler, hwheeler@umext.maine.edu
• Otter Paddle, Saturday, May 17th at 9 a.m.
Damariscotta Lake State Park (bring your own canoe or kayak)
Questions, contact Alice Phillips at dlwastaff@roadrunner.com
For more information about AmeriCorps, click here!
Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.
Guest Post by Carla Ganiel
It’s been about four months since we launched this blog. Many readers have shared with me that this is the first blog they’ve ever read, and since we’re no longer “new,” I guess this means that those of you who were new to the blogosphere aren’t so new anymore either. In the spirit of expanding our horizons even further, I thought this might be a good time to review a few ways you can participate even more actively in the conversation we are creating here.
Comment. Posting a comment is a quick and easy way to add your voice to the conversation. Simply click on the comment link that appears at the bottom of each post. Ask a question, agree or disagree, or share a new perspective. Don’t be shy. Comments are one of the ways blogs create community. We want to hear from you!
Subscribe. You can have new blog posts delivered right to your email inbox. See the “subscribe” heading in the right-hand column of this blog? Type your email address in the box just below that heading and click “sign up,” and you’ll never have to worry about checking the site for new content again. You’ll get an email as soon as we’ve published a new post. If you read multiple blogs, consider subscribing to them all through an RSS Reader.
Become a Guest Blogger. Write a post of your own and submit it to our editorial board. To find out more about what we’re looking for, read our submission guidelines.
Carla Ganiel is a nonprofit management consultant from Tremont, Maine.
Guest Post by Andrew Matlins
When most people think about what volunteers do they conjure up images of people providing straightforward, one-on-one activities such as mentors, drivers and fundraising event staff. Volunteers can do far more than this. For example volunteers can also assist with:
• Event coordination
• Information & referral programs
Hold on, before you start writing new position descriptions you need to stop and consider how you are going to get buy-in from the rest of your agency. While everyone is comfortable with volunteers in some roles they are not so comfortable with them in others. When you propose adding new volunteer positions organizational leaders may want to know about the risk management issues; others will probably be concerned about being tasked with additional responsibilities for supervision; and front line staff may see this as the first step to firing them to save money. Once you have determined there are other positions volunteers can fill, you need to start explaining what you have in mind to the people at the top of your organization. If leadership doesn’t support your idea there is no need to explain your goals to staff.
Once you have leadership’s support you need to be prepared to communicate the change(s) across all levels of your organization. No one gives the importance of marketing to potential service users and funders a second thought, but it is equally important and frequently overlooked to conduct internal marketing. There is no one way to successfully accomplish this. You may work for a small agency and be able to discuss it as a group at a staff meeting, or your organization may employ hundreds and be spread out across the state requiring a combination of email, newsletter articles and meetings. Determine what works best for your organization and be prepared to repeat the message or try other methods. Your message should be clear, simple and targeted to the intended audience. Front line staff probably won’t be overly concerned about cost benefits but they will want to know how this change might lighten their work load.
In my current position, as the Family Program Coordinator for the Maine Air National Guard, I was tasked on my first day to develop a volunteer program to support our airmen and their families. This objective came from a working group consisting mainly of senior leadership. Developing the program wasn’t as hard as figuring out how to get the message out and how to get support from all subordinate commands. I started by identifying the people who would have the greatest contact with the volunteers. I sent emails, spoke at meetings, provided presentations, and wrote newsletter articles. Then I did it all over again. I was initially met with some skepticism, but as time progressed I received support from first line supervisors. They in turn helped get the attention and then the support of unit leaders. In the end everyone who needed to has bought in and supports the program.
Don’t be afraid to try using volunteers in new roles as long as you are prepared to take the time to get the message out to your co-workers.
Andrew Matlins is the Family Program Coordinator for the Maine Air National Guard.
by Bessie Wright
Next week is Americorps Week and anyone interested in volunteering in an Americorps event should check out the possibilities listed on this website!
Last Thursday, Rochelle Runge from the Maine Commission for Community Service called me up because she was writing an article about Americorps Week for the Bangor Daily News. She wanted to know some of the volunteer projects going on in the area, any special activities for Americorps Week and about me.
I cannot count the number of times I’ve been asked what being an Americorps member means to me. I’m getting close to the end of my final term with Americorps so I’ve been really thinking about that question. I’ve decided that the better question is, “What does it mean to be an Americorps member?”
The Americorps community is a vast confluence people and organizations;all with different purposes and capacities. There are so many factors that influence how any single term of service will pan out. The member may have an academic and professional background that supports his/her efforts or have no experience whatsoever. The host organization may have a very specific plan or may give minimal guidance to the member. There may be time for the member to develop his/her own program within the program but then maybe not. Many Americorps members form fast friendships with fellow members even though their service terms were in entirely different places while other members form lasting relationships at their host sites; sometimes both. And yes, sometimes things just don’t work out. There is no cookie-cutter resumé for what an Americorps member will experience or for how long.
If I had to give one sentence about what it is like to be an Americorps member it would be this:
Your term is what you make of it.
Situations are never the same, but that’s just the way life is. There’s going to be ups and downs and moments when you simply can’t control what’s going on. Anyone who joins Americorps has decided to use part of their lives for some kind of community service - not relinquish all control. Take charge of your term; if you have a passion for what you’re volunteering about then make it happen! Your host site will support you;they want motivated and happy volunteers.
What have my terms meant to me?
Productivity, Success, Complexity, Stretching My Limits, Learning New Skills and New Ideas, Conservation and Education
I strove for my highest. Good luck!
Bessie Wright is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps.
