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Grants
for Travel and Education AmeriCorps! |
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AmeriCorps
is a network of local, state, and national service programs that
connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive
service to meet our country’s critical needs in education,
public safety, health, and the environment.
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AmeriCorps
impacts both its volunteers and the communities they serve.
Performance reviews, research, and policy analysis help develop
and cultivate knowledge that enhance the overall effectiveness
of AmeriCorps and of national and community service programs.
Numerous reports demonstrate the positive impact AmeriCorps
programs have on the volunteers and the communities where they
serve.
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Becoming an AmeriCorps member
enables you to do great things for your community while you grow
as an individual and attain tangible benefits.
Get an Education, Experience, and Skills
Put your idealism to work through AmeriCorps. Make a community
safer. Help a child receive a meaningful education. Protect the
environment. Whatever your interest, there is an AmeriCorps
program that needs your courage, your skills, and your
dedication.
You will learn teamwork, communication, responsibility, and other
essential skills that will help you for the rest of your life. And
you'll gain the deep personal satisfaction of taking on a challenge
and seeing results.
Are you up to the challenge?
You Decide Where and How to Serve
Each year, more than 70,000 AmeriCorps members serve with
programs in every state. You can serve in your own community or
far away from home. There are hundreds of ways to serve,
including
Tutoring and mentoring youth
Building new homes for families
Responding to natural disasters
Restoring parks and coastlines
Helping families of domestic violence
You might do the work yourself, be a part of a team, or help
others serve by organizing projects and recruiting volunteers.
Whatever you do, there's an AmeriCorps challenge just waiting
for you.
I'm Ready to Serve
AmeriCorps Programs
Eligibility Requirements
Find an Opportunity to Serve
Preparing for Service: What to Expect
Benefits of AmeriCorps Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Whom to Contact
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As an AmeriCorps Member,
You'll Receive a
Wealth of Benefits
Perhaps the biggest benefit you will experience when you join
AmeriCorps is the satisfaction of incorporating service into
your life and making a difference in your community and your
country. But there are other benefits as well.
Whether you are tutoring kids, building homes, clearing trails
and streams, mobilizing resources to create a local health
clinic, or participating in any of the hundreds of other
goal-oriented AmeriCorps projects, you will be able to really
see the results of your work and know you made a difference.
But there is more. As an AmeriCorps member, you'll be eligible
for a variety of benefits that make the dedication of a year of
your life worthwhile.
You Will Be Able to Pay Your Bills
Many AmeriCorps members receive a modest living allowance. You
will not get rich from it, but most AmeriCorps members have
found that it covers their basic expenses.
Help with College Costs and Student Loans
Congress established the National Service Trust to provide an
AmeriCorps Education Award for members who successfully complete
service in AmeriCorps. You can use your AmeriCorps Education
Award to pay educational expenses at qualified institutions of
higher education, for educational training, or to repay
qualified student loans. The award is $4,725 for a year of
full-time service, and is prorated for part-time. You have up to
seven years after your term of service has ended to claim the
award.
At the time you use the AmeriCorps Education Award, you must
have received a high school diploma, or the equivalent of such a
diploma.
If you successfully completed a term of service with AmeriCorps*VISTA
in an approved national service position, you are eligible to
receive either an AmeriCorps Education Award or an
end-of-service stipend of $1,200. The AmeriCorps Education Award
option is subject to available National Service Trust
allocations to AmeriCorps*VISTA and must have been selected
prior to the start of service
Learn more about the AmeriCorps Education Award
Work and Life Skills
As an AmeriCorps member, you will gain valuable experience in an
area that interests you that can translate directly into job
experience in your chosen field. You will learn teamwork,
communication, responsibility, and other essential skills that
will help you for the rest of your life while gaining the
personal satisfaction of taking on a challenge and seeing
results. Many find their AmeriCorps year to provide them with
more experience and skills than they would have gotten in a
traditional, paying job.
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Frequently
Asked Questions
I'm confused. There are different programs, with different
names, but they're allAmeriCorps?
Yes, basically. AmeriCorps is a national network of hundreds
of programs throughout the US. There are two programs that are
managed nationally: AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*NCCC. The
other group of programs come under the general heading of
AmeriCorps, and they are found in local and national
organizations throughout the US. Depending upon your interests
and availability, we can help you determine which program might
be best for you.
Is AmeriCorps like Peace Corps?
Yes. AmeriCorps is often referred to as "the domestic Peace
Corps." Both agencies are committed to service, and both offer
challenging and rewarding full-time opportunities. Peace Corps
assignments are all overseas, and AmeriCorps members serve only
in the US. While Peace Corps Volunteers serve for two years, a
stint in AmeriCorps usually lasts 10 months to one year. (Some
AmeriCorps projects also offer part-time opportunities, and some
AmeriCorps members serve more than one term of service.)
Is there an age requirement?
You must be at least 17 years old, although some service
opportunities require you to be at least 18. For one of our
programs, the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), members
must be between 18 and 24 years old, but for most there are no
upper age limits.
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Why Get Involved?
"I
long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief
duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and
noble."
—Helen Keller
Put your idealism to work through
AmeriCorps. Make a community safer. Help a child receive a
meaningful education. Protect the environment. Whatever your
interest, there is an AmeriCorps program that needs your
courage, your skills, and your dedication. |
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Are you...
Between 18 and 24 years old?
Seeking hands-on work in one of the following areas:
Clearing trails,
Providing disaster relief,
Renovating housing,
Tutoring kids,
Or other active assignments?
Interested in doing a variety of projects?
Looking to relocate and travel during your service term?
Willing to live in a dorm?
Excited about living and working with a close-knit team?
If you answered yes to most of
these questions, you might consider joining AmeriCorps*NCCC.
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Over a span
of six weeks, two different teams of Americorps* red carded
firefighters have been working with the Conservancy at their
Strait Creek Preserve and Edge of Appalachia Preserve to do
prescribed burns. |
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There are
thousands of opportunities to serve in
AmeriCorps.
Each one provides an incredible opportunity to make a difference
in your life and in the lives of those around you. Whether your
service makes a community safer, gives a child a second chance,
or helps protect the environment, you have the ability to find
solutions and make a difference |
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In the wake of
Hurricane Katrina,
more than 1,650 AmeriCorps members have
joined with local, state, and Federal relief and recovery
efforts to provide emergency assistance and long-term relief to
those in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other states whose
lives were affected by the storm. Over the coming months and
years, thousands more AmeriCorps members will contribute
to the rebuilding efforts on the Gulf Coast.
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Lori Wells recently completed
her term of service as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member with Florida
Campus Compact. She worked to promote service-learning as a
method to enhance student academic experiences and to build
campus and community partnerships. |
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AmeriCorps
volunteers from New Orleans, work with Habitat for Humanity to
build homes for hurricane Katrina victims. |
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AmeriCorps - Helping to Rebuild
Communities in the Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast’s recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is far from
complete. As many as one-third of the homes affected by the storms are
still uninhabitable. Hazardous debris continues to litter the streets.
Schools remained closed. And, traditional support services are
stretched.
Many hurricane victims faced difficult living conditions even before the
storms arrived. Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama are, respectively,
the first, second, and eighth poorest states in the nation. And of the
5.8 million individuals in these states who lived in the areas struck
hardest by the hurricanes, more than one million lived in poverty prior
to the hurricanes’ onset. As a result, many of the storms’ victims have
little or no resources on which to rely in these difficult times.
With the 2006 hurricane season quickly approaching, the need for
support, assistance, and new preparation has never been greater.
The Opportunity
AmeriCorps is looking for men and women over the age of 18 with the
skills, desire, and commitment to make a difference in the Gulf Coast
and in the lives of the people who live there. In return you will
receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, a modest living allowance,
health coverage, student loan deferment, valuable hands-on training and
experience, and the satisfaction of knowing you have helped those in
need. Apply now, and take the first step in rebuilding communities and
restoring hope in Gulf Coast.
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AmeriCorps in Alabama
Currently Alabama has five AmeriCorps*State programs which are
located in various locations across the state. The programs are
monitored by the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives. AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, focuses on
mentoring & tutoring students of all ages, working with clients
with disabilities and their families, and bridging the digital
divide in rural areas.
There is also an advantage for the AmeriCorps members as well as
the communities. Members of AmeriCorps receive real-life
education and service experience wrapped up into one. They learn
teamwork, effective communication, leadership, responsibility
and more. Members experience the satisfaction of taking on
challenges and seeing positive results. AmeriCorps members have
the experience of a lifetime. |
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AmeriCorps! |
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Americorps provides service to Highroad
Thanks to a grant from the Americorps Corporation for National &
Community Service, NCCC, Capital Area, Camp Highroad was the benefactor
of hours of hard work and joyful service from some of the most wonderful
young people in this world. On Thursday, December 2, 2004, a team of 12
Corps members arrived at camp and set up a base of operations in Pine
Lodge.
From there they went forth each day to install water bars to prevent
erosion, remove overgrowth vegetation and hazardous fuels to prevent
wildfires, and to help in any way they could to improve conditions at
the camp.
All camp staff members commented on their hard work, quick smiles and
joyful service and the work accomplished was nothing short of a miracle.
We will be forever thankful for the work done by Americorps service
members.
How AmeriCorps and Faith-based
and Community Organizations Work Together
FCBI helps connect faith-based and community organizations to AmeriCorps
and other Corporation programs, ensuring that these groups have the
capacity, tools, and volunteer power they need to help America’s
communities flourish.
Perhaps one of the most important roles AmeriCorps can play for your
organization is the generation of volunteers. Each AmeriCorps member
typically recruits and manages twelve community volunteers, expanding
the capacity of faith-based and community organizations to achieve their
mission and building community involvement and support.
The Corporation and AmeriCorps are committed to supporting President
Bush’s call to strengthen the work of the thousands of faith-based and
community organizations that provide compassionate assistance to
millions of Americans.
We hope our new publication, National Service: A Resource for
Faith-Based and Community Groups, gives you a better understanding of
how the Corporation works with faith-based and other community
organizations and how we can help you accomplish your goals.
The Resource Center
The Resource Center is your online stop for tools and training resources
to strengthen your volunteer or service program. Through The Resource
Center you can search and acess online training tools, event calendars,
and effective practices, as well as a catalogue of printed publications
and videos available on loan. In addition, The Resource Center serves as
a learning exchange where individual programs can share their
innovations and effective practices with others. The Resource Center's
content is generated by a network of more than 20 training and technical
assistance providers. Visit The Resource Center!
Americorps Programs
AmeriCorps offers several ways to get
involved, from part-time local service programs to full-time residential
programs. Members receive guidance and training so they can make a
contribution that suits their talents, interests, and availability.
AmeriCorps*State and AmeriCorps*National: AmeriCorps*State and
AmeriCorps*National support a broad range of local service programs that
engage thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical
community needs.
Learn more about AmeriCorps*State
Learn more about AmeriCorps*National
AmeriCorps*VISTA: AmeriCorps*VISTA provides full-time members to
community organizations and public agencies to create and expand
programs that build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals
and communities out of poverty.
Learn more about AmeriCorps*VISTA.
AmeriCorps*NCCC: The AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps is a
full-time residential program for men and women, ages 18-24, that
strengthens communities while developing leaders through direct,
team-based national and community service.
Learn more about AmeriCorps*NCCC.
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Media Kit Materials
Every year, thousands of stories about AmeriCorps appear in the
media – almost all generated by local project staff and
volunteers. Publicizing your program in not a goal in itself.
It’s a means of building support for your program and increasing
your likelihood of success. Taking the time to communicate with
the public helps attract resources from your community,
including volunteers, sponsors, and funding, and helps educate
people about your program. You don’t have to be a media pro to
get good coverage, but having some tips and resources can help.
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What You Need to Know About Funding and
Sponsoring Projects
AmeriCorps provides resources, both human and financial, to
organizations that engage Americans in intensive service to meet
our country’s critical needs.
Please note that AmeriCorps provides grants only to
organizations, not to individuals. Grantees use the funding to
support AmeriCorps members for intensive service in their
community. AmeriCorps grants partially cover the expense of
operating an AmeriCorps program and do not cover general
organizational expenses. A cash and in-kind match is required.
There are a variety of ways to access AmeriCorps resources. Use
the Corporation's Interactive Program Selector or visit the How
to Apply section of the site to help determine which program
best fit your organization's needs
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AmeriCorps*State
AmeriCorps*State works with Governor-appointed State Service
Commissions to provide grants to local organizations throughout
the country. These organizations use the funds to support
AmeriCorps members to serve in their projects.
How to Apply
AmeriCorps*National
AmeriCorps*National grants are made directly by the Corporation
to public or private nonprofit organizations, institutions of
higher education, government entities within states or
territories, Indian Tribes, and consortia of the aforementioned.
Organizations operating solely within the state of South Dakota
are also eligible for an AmeriCorps*National grant.
AmeriCorps*National includes six different grant opportunities.
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How to Apply
AmeriCorps*VISTA
AmeriCorps*VISTA enables organizations to bring AmeriCorps*VISTA
members to their communities to help address critical
anti-poverty needs. AmeriCorps*VISTA members spend one year in
full-time service to address the needs of low-income
communities. All projects focus on building permanent
organizational infrastructure to help them more effectively
bring individuals and communities out of poverty.
How to Apply
AmeriCorps*NCCC
AmeriCorps*NCCC provides a team of NCCC members to sponsoring
organizations to engage in short-term service projects.
Sponsoring organizations may submit a project application to the
regional campus that represents the organization’s state. The
campuses provide assistance in completing the application,
developing a work plan, and preparing the project sponsor for
the arrival of the AmeriCorps*NCCC team. AmeriCorps*NCCC does
not provide financial support.
How to become an AmeriCorps*NCCC project sponsor
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What are you looking for?
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Your Responsibilities
as a Grantee or Sponsoring Organization
Once you receive AmeriCorps resources, you have specific
responsibilities. Your program provisions mandate how you must
use your funds, report on program activities, and comply with
additional requirements.
Federal Financial Management and Grant Administration
Requirements
As with all federal grant programs, it is the responsibility of
all grantees funded by the Corporation for National and
Community Service to ensure appropriate stewardship of federal
funds entrusted to them. Under our regulations, each grantee
must maintain financial management systems that provide
accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial
results of its program. To meet this requirement, you must have
adequate accounting practices and procedures, internal controls,
audit trails, and cost allocation procedures. OMB Circular
A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit
Organizations, requires all organizations to have financial
audits if they annually expend $500,000 or more under federal
awards. This requirement applies to the organization’s total
expenditures each fiscal year under all of its federal awards,
not just an AmeriCorps grant.
Civil Rights/Equal Opportunity Requirements
As with all federal grant programs, you must ensure that your
programs or activities, including those of any sub-grantees,
will be conducted, and facilities operated, in compliance with
the applicable civil rights statutes and their implementing
regulations. You must obtain assurances of such compliance prior
to extending federal financial assistance to sub-grantees. For
civil rights purposes, all programs and projects funded or
receiving service members under the National and Community
Service Act, as amended, are programs or activities receiving
federal financial assistance. |
Segal AmeriCorps Education
Award
The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, unlike most other forms of
scholarships and fellowships, is subject to federal tax in the
year the Trust pays the voucher. Living allowances you received
during your term of service and any interest the Trust paid on
qualified student loans are also subject to income taxes in the
years they were paid. When and how much of the education award
you redeem may have an impact on your overall income tax
responsibility.
If the Trust makes a payment on qualified student loans to your
school or lender for the entire amount of a full-time education
award in one calendar year, you will be responsible for any
income taxes owed in that calendar year on that $4,725. If you
redeem only a portion of your education award in one calendar
year, you will be responsible for any taxes owed on that
portion.
The interest payments we make on postponed qualified student
loans are subject to income taxes in the calendar year in which
the Trust makes the payments to the lender.
The Trust DOES NOT deduct taxes from your education award or
interest payments. After the calendar year in which we paid your
education award or interest payments, we send you a Form 1099 to
be used in preparing your income tax return. The total sum of
interest payments and the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award are
listed together on the 1099 form. For more information on the
1099, go to AmeriCorps website page on tax information.
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Living Allowance
You are responsible for any income taxes owed on any AmeriCorps
living allowances you receive. The living allowance amount
received in a calendar year is subject to income taxes for that
calendar year. For example, if you receive half of your $10,000
living allowance in 2002 and half in year 2003, the $5,000
received in 2002 is subject to 2002 income taxes, and the $5,000
received in 2003 is subject to 2003 income taxes.
After the calendar year in which you earned any living
allowance, your AmeriCorps project will send you a W-2 form
indicating the amount of the allowance you earned in that year.
Most AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*NCCC members receive their
W-2 forms from the Corporation.
Tax relief
While you are responsible for taxes on your education award and
other AmeriCorps benefits, you may be eligible for other tax
relief through the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Issues about
income taxes are very complicated. The important point to
remember is that you should consider the tax consequences of any
decisions you make about when and how to use your education
award. Contact a tax professional or the Internal Revenue
Service for details.
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| STORIES OF
SERVICE...
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AmeriCorps - Elena Velkov
AmeriCorps*NCCC - St. Bernard Parish, LA
When my team leader announced that we would be spending two
months in St. Bernard Parish house gutting, I didn’t see a
single smiling face in the room. My teammates looked stunned,
disturbed, apprehensive, and some on the verge of tears. Even
those who had wanted a disaster project had an air of anxiety
about them. We were understandably nervous about our mental
health due to disaster conditions in the New Orleans area. We
would be surrounded by destruction, living in uncomfortable
conditions, and have virtually no privacy. Then, we got the blow
that our time in disaster would be extended from two months to
two phases.
Our first night at Camp Premier, a FEMA base camp, did not ease
our minds. At first sight, Camp Premier is, in a word,
depressing. It’s next door to what’s rumored to be the nation’s
largest smokestack, belonging to an oil refinery. The stack is
painfully visible from every part of camp. And, our grounds used
to be a toxic dump, so we shower in trailers and only have
access to Porto Potties. We live in M*A*S*H-like army tents that
the wind rattles and rain pounds so loudly that we have to
scream to be able to hear each other during the seasonal storms.
There is little grass and virtually no plants; instead, there is
gravel. Perhaps, I can best explain our reaction to Camp Premier
by saying that four of my teammates cried within their first 20
minutes of arrival.
And, in no way can I do justice delineating the spellbinding
destruction that we encounter daily. It looks like the storm hit
yesterday. Driving to camp, we pass a sight where the storms
threw three homes into the middle of a street, each one smashed
against the next. Mold is everywhere, and water line marks come
to my head. The homes are branded in spray paint to indicate how
many people authorities found dead. And it’s not just what we
see; the area has a poignant feel. It’s like a ghost town.
However, somewhere along the line—and I can’t quite figure out
when—everything changed. For Mary, it was when a firefighter
gave a tour of his grandfather’s destroyed neighborhood, and he
teared up recounting his childhood memories. For Lauren, it was
when she slaved away gutting a kitchen, and the homeowner
expressed endless thanks, saying he had not received real help
until she came. For Alex, it was when our directors wanted to
cut the project short, which would have forced us to leave the
parish. I really can’t pinpoint an exact moment for myself, but
somewhere in between the horrible heat and uncomfortable cots
and bad lunches, I knew that I wanted to be here.
Moreover, I knew we needed to be here. I stopped caring that I
didn’t have a bedroom door or my laptop, and I started thinking
about the parish. And not the way we had thought about it
before. (After all, we always rationally knew that the work was
important, and we always kept in mind that we were fortunate.)
Thinking about the parish, we began to put our hearts into our
work. One night, LaWanda worked in the reception tent until
midnight, securing a huge wave of volunteers. I asked her if she
was a workaholic, and she said, “Only when it comes to helping
people.” After a long day of gutting, Katie told me that she
wanted to help in the ops, or operations, tent. When I asked her
why she wanted the extra hours, she explained that she simply
believed in the project and wanted to do anything she could to
help. Perhaps most telling, though, was when my team voted
unanimously to extend our stay in St. Bernard Parish, forgoing
another project that we might receive. Even the four girls who
cried when we got to Camp Premier voted, hands down, to stay
another month and a half.
To me, our work here is what life is all about. It’s about
turning out the light at the end of the day and knowing that my
time wasn’t wasted. It’s about agreeing when people say that I
should be proud of myself. It’s about knowing the actual
enjoyment that comes from making sacrifices for things that I
believe in. And most importantly, it’s about surrounding myself
with people who feel the same way. We have come full circle
since first receiving the news that we were coming to St.
Bernard Parish, and my only hope is that others will have the
opportunity to gain the same insight. After all, St. Bernard
Parish certainly needs it. |
AmeriCorps - Doris Conger
Marshfield Clinic
What’s In A Name?
What is this AmeriCorps? Why is my friend so proud of finishing
a year in it? Is it something I might want to do, too? I had
many questions running through my mind when a couple of people I
know began talking about their year in AmeriCorps. So I began to
ask questions. I learned this is a volunteer organization,
affiliated with Marshfield Clinic. That it is a way to get
excellent training for working with young people. That there was
an education award on completion of a one-year term.
Never, never show your friends you’re interested! The next thing
I knew, my friends were walking me through an on-line
registration, and I not only knew a little about AmeriCorps, I
was in it! Next I found myself reporting to a military base!
What had I done? I’m over fifty, what was I doing in early
morning classes, playing games to learn more about the U.S.
Constitution, then thinking I had drawn K.P. duty, but instead
finding myself on a crew cutting brush in overpowering heat? My
poor body was telling me things that were not nice! Making it
through this was well worth it, though. All of us new AmeriCorps
members were pretty pleased with ourselves when the great day
came and we could be sent back out into our communities. We had
forged a strong bond by holding ourselves up and making it
through tough times together.
Now I must try to work out a plan of action for my worksite. All
sorts of new experiences awaited me here! Getting started was
the hardest, followed by finding out who controlled what parts
of the community machinery I needed. Through my years of life, I
have always worked with young people of all ages. Here came an
opportunity to really do what I always wanted to do: open doors
for our young people to get what they needed. This is to get
help with problems relating to the biggest issues facing our
young people: Alcohol, Drugs, and Gangs. I could combine my
hard-earned life experience (Thank you, my seven children and
all your friends!) with training provided by Marshfield Clinic,
and try to implement some positive decision-making programming
that would make a difference.
Working in a school setting provided a natural starting place.
Teaching in a native language program allowed me to adapt the
school’s stated values to interface with the values in Ojibwe
culture’s seven teachings: respect, bravery, honesty, wisdom,
love, truth, and humility. Including and welcoming non-native
children into our language classes has dispelled a great deal of
fear and anger which has been a constant problem in this whole
area. Easing in a little anti-bullying activity, providing a
time to discuss alcohol and drugs safely, and making home visits
all help students make better choices. Making available accurate
information on the effects of substance abuse on the student,
home, and community has also helped with getting young people to
feel comfortable in saying “no” to things they are pressured to
try by their peers.
Making the school’s faculty more aware of the ways the
reservation’s size and structure affects the students was a real
challenge. I’ve always felt that “seeing is believing” so
several of us worked together to lobby for a way to sensitize
the faculty to the long distances students travel, economic
conditions, and the sheer beauty of the reservation. This year
the administration ok’ed a bus trip so the Middle school faculty
could take a tour of the ‘Rez” during an in-service which led to
so many favorable comments that we are now making plans for a
wild-ricing trip next fall for both the Middle and High school
faculty.
So, what’s in a name? Now I believe some people will remember
that I was named as an AmeriCorps member, as well as being
Doris, as well as being an elder, as well as being me, and as
well as being a person that has made a difference.
|
AmeriCorps - Gina
Hansen
VISTA - Springhill, La.
If it weren’t for my VISTA service, I wouldn’t have had the
experience I needed to help nearly 500 people as they fled the
Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina.
On August 28, 2005, I was working as a VISTA for the Webster
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) in Springhill, Louisiana. I helped
with fundraising and coordinated the Collegiate Challenge, a
program that brought in college students to build houses during
their spring break. My responsibilities required me to find
places for the college students to stay, find groups that would
feed them one or two meals a day, and generate funding from
various organizations.
Everything changed August 29.
Springhill is a rural community as far north in Louisiana as you
can get without tripping over the Arkansas border. While we were
spared the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, we were not spared
her aftermath. Like everyone else in the country, we watched it
unfold on television. Unlike many, we were close enough to take
in evacuees who had been displaced by the storm.
I saw these people and my heart went out to them. Just about
everyone has seen the images, but it doesn’t compare to standing
face to face with them. They were tired, hungry, haggard, and
scared. They had lost everything. They had only what they could
carry and that wasn’t much.
The days following the storm were a whirlwind. All I recall is
doing what needed to be done. We set up temporary shelters, got
these folks fed, and coordinated distribution of food and
clothing donations, which, thankfully, were plentiful.
Eventually we had to create a permanent solution. My friends,
John Downs and Tommy Brown, both members of the Ministerial
Alliance, opened the Trinity Worship Center gymnasium to the
evacuees.
As soon as Trinity’s gym opened, Springhill needed someone to
manage it. When the town leaders called a meeting at the Civic
Center, I wasn’t even going to go. I had responsibilities to my
family and to Webster Habitat for Humanity. I thought, “I’m only
one person. What can I do?” But a friend convinced me to go and
what I saw was an opportunity to serve my community and use the
skills that Habitat for Humanity and VISTA had helped me
develop. Someone had to manage the shelter and make sure
everyone got what they needed to survive. Someone had to step up
and assume responsibility for the evacuees. I felt a nudge and I
took the step. That nudge, I’m convinced now, was God urging me
to help these people.
My VISTA experience kicked in right then and there. Webster HFH
released me from my commitment so I could assume the duties of
running the shelter. The way I saw it, these people needed
shelter, food, and basic facilities first. They got that at the
shelter. Next they needed to get in touch with FEMA so they
could register for whatever assistance they could get. We set
that up at the local Habitat affiliate.
But these people needed to move beyond basics. Because of my
work with VISTA, I had the connections around the community to
set things in motion. Tommy Brown and I went to the Chamber of
Commerce and addressed its members. We asked them for whatever
assistance they could provide—but not money. We asked them to
help us locate vacant houses and apartments.
We asked landlords to waive first month’s rent to help people
who wanted to settle here once they got funding from the
government. One woman donated a house; another furnished it.
Others opened vacant homes and apartments. I also pursued local
employers for the evacuees. A local restaurant needed a
waitress, so I recommended one of the girls we were sheltering.
My husband, Timmy, owns a landscaping company and hired a couple
of the older boys to help on a couple jobs. I arranged for
others to join cleaning crews to clean offices after hours.
A group of more than 20 Vietnamese evacuees posed a particular
challenge because they spoke little English. The only other
person around who spoke Vietnamese was Tam, an orphan from
Vietnam who was raised here and now owns a nail salon in
Springhill. He volunteered his time to help communicate between
us, FEMA, and the Vietnamese evacuees. He even hired one of the
Vietnamese girls to learn how to do nails in his shop.
I did my part to help the evacuees, but so did my husband. Not
only did he continue his regular job, but he was also at the
shelter when I needed someone to take out the trash or help the
evacuees move into homes. My daughters got involved, too, by
befriending or looking after some of the younger girls at the
shelter.
By rough count, 500 evacuees came through Springhill looking for
assistance. Some stayed, some moved on. Regardless, our work at
the shelter was like witnessing a thousand wonders. I look back
at it and think there is no way things should have worked.
Things came together that never should have and everything that
had to happen, happened.
Katrina’s legacy, like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 before it, will be
one of horrors, despair, and destruction. These events earned
those legacies. But our work, here in Springhill and that of
volunteers all over the region, deserves its own legacy, a
legacy of perseverance, a legacy of sheltering those who have
nowhere else to go, a legacy of reaching out, a legacy of
service.
|
AmeriCorps - Mehdi Sina
VISTA - Long Beach, Calif.
The year I was born was a turbulent time in Iran, my native
country. A few months after my birth, the face of my country
changed dramatically. The Shah was overthrown and the Islamic
Republic of Iran was established.
A year later, Saddam Hussein launched an unprovoked war on Iran
that lasted nearly a decade and cost more than a million lives.
My family was fortunate enough to escape to a refugee camp in
Sweden. We fled Iran with nothing, and without the help of
others at the refugee camp, we would have been devastated.
Living in a camp was not easy, but it was there that I learned
what altruism and community are. The lessons I learned in Sweden
never left me.
I knew that one day I would be in a position to give back to a
community in a way similar to how the camp gave to my family and
me. After three years in Sweden, we received permission to enter
the United States. Despite some trying and tumultuous times
abroad and in the United States, my family made it. My older
brother has a master’s in Business Administration, my twin
brother is in law school, my younger sister is at a university,
and I am pursuing a career in medicine. With a name like Mehdi
Sina, pronounced identically as the Spanish word for medicine,
it might have been predestined.
However, before I committed myself to the rigors of medical
education, I wanted to make a lasting contribution to a
community in need. I heard about AmeriCorps*VISTA from a
premedical student and I searched the Internet site for
volunteer opportunities. It did not take more than a few minutes
for me to find the Children’s Clinic. I immediately called the
clinic and spoke to the program supervisor. After hearing about
the work they intended on doing in Long Beach, Calif., I was
excited to join the team. Today, I am in my sixth month of
service, and I could not be any happier with my choice to join
the AmeriCorps*VISTA team.
Joining AmeriCorps as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member has enabled me
to fulfill the promise that I made years ago as a child in
Sweden. Back then, it was my family that was in need of support
and direction. Today, I help deliver information, support, and
direction to thousands of highly underserved people in Long
Beach and surrounding communities. The Health Education
Department of the Children’s Clinic also helps families complete
applications for low cost health insurance, coordinates healthy
living seminars with diet and exercise advice, and connects the
community to valuable city and state resources. My work includes
training community leaders to help patients fill out health
insurance applications, recruiting and training volunteers to
coordinate the Reach Out and Read early literacy program, and
educating families on the importance of diet and exercise. The
results of our office’s work are seen when patients come into
the clinic with active insurance policies and their physical
exams reveal them to be more fit.
As any AmeriCorps*VISTA will attest, there are many sacrifices
one makes when joining AmeriCorps*VISTA. Money is tight and we
are sometimes overworked, but the personal growth I have
experienced and the gratitude and satisfaction I see in the
faces of our patients make the sacrifices miniscule.
Another added benefit of becoming an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer
has been the opportunity to learn. I mentioned that I have
learned a lot about myself, but I have also learned a great deal
about the day-to-day operation of a nonprofit clinic and of
state sponsored health insurance plans. I have become active
outside of work through community organizations determined to
increase the resources that are allocated by the city and state
to communities that are in desperate need of money. Also, thanks
to my area supervisor, I had an opportunity to attend the
Governors Conference on Women and Families. In addition to
networking and disseminating information about AmeriCorps and
VISTA, I met the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver.
Obviously, being an AmeriCorps* VISTA is not always fun and
games. In addition to living at near poverty, there are many
other challenges that one faces. Of these challenges, the most
difficult and continuing one for me is the language barrier
between the clients I intend to serve and myself. The clinic
serves a predominantly Latino/Latina community and many of our
patients speak no English. Although I studied Spanish in high
school, I feel ill-prepared for long conversations with clients.
As I practice speaking with patients and co-workers I have
become more comfortable, but I have a long way to go before I
will be totally comfortable speaking just Spanish. My temporary
discomfort does not compare to the value of the conversations I
have with patients, and that keeps me energized and motivated.
My service thus far has given me much more than it has taken
away from me. I feel infinitely more connected to the community
that I serve, and I will take with me what I have learned as an
AmeriCorps*VISTA to my career as a physician.
|
|
AmeriCorps - Jatis Edmond
VISTA - Charlotte, N.C.
As a divorced parent working in the area of special education,
my major focus always had been on helping children with
handicaps and learning disabilities. I had also volunteered to
help deprived children from the inner city. After retiring and
moving to Charlotte, N.C., however, I felt a void in my life.
I yearned to continue living a “life with purpose” and to reach
out to other children to share my love and support. This longing
to do more for children led me to become an AmeriCorps*VISTA
member with the Amachi program.
Almost a year and a half has passed since I started as an
AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer with the Amachi Program at Big
Brothers and Big Sisters of Charlotte. Amachi is a unique
program in which people of faith mentor children of promise.
Amachi is a Nigerian Ibo word that means “who knows but what God
has brought us through this child.” The Amachi premise is that
each child has the potential to become a productive person if
given proper nurturing and opportunity. As an AmeriCorps*VISTA
member, it is my job with Amachi to identify the children of
incarcerated parents so that they may be matched with a mentor.
The Amachi staff at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Charlotte
has been working fervently to ensure that the children of
incarcerated parents in Charlotte receive the kind of mentoring
that will help them become productive members of society.
According to statistics, an estimated 7.3 million children
nationwide have one or both parents in prison. Without effective
intervention, 70 percent of these children will likely follow
their parents’ path. Through Amachi, dedicated volunteers from
the faith community are mentoring more than 200 children in
Charlotte. It is through the mentoring that the cycle of
incarceration might be broken.
Many of these children are being reared by grandparents or
great-grandparents because, in many instances, both parents are
incarcerated. Trying to put the caregivers at ease when
explaining the Amachi Program takes enormous effort.
An inordinate amount of my time is spent responding to comments,
questions, and suspicions, such as: Who are you? Where did you
get my name? What makes you think my child needs help from
anyone other than myself? and Why do you think you can do a
better job than I can? Many of the guardians are concerned about
who will mentor their child and if the child will be safe.
On the other hand, there are those who are not interested at all
and do not want to hear anything about the program and,
furthermore, do not trust our intent. I have been told, “Don’t
call back again.” Recruiting children for the program is very
difficult when there are such suspicions and distrust about
almost everyone. Nevertheless, I know that I can never loose
faith if I want to ensure a successful program, so I don’t give
up. Instead, I call another family that might be interested.
Many people are genuinely concerned for children of incarcerated
parents. The grandparents and greatgrandparents seem to have the
most interest, but they are usually so overwhelmed because, in
many instances, they are taking care of two or more of their
grandchildren and/or great-grandchildren.
In some cases, both the parents and grandparents are
incarcerated. I try to identify with the greatgrandparents who
are often afraid and have no idea how to relate to young
children in their care. They limit the children’s activities to
attending school and church for fear that something may happen
to them anywhere else. They often tell me, “The children are
embarrassed because they think I am too old and they don’t want
anyone to know that they live with me.” In spite of all their
difficulties, grandparents and great-grandparents care for them
to the best of their ability while the parents are away.
What a shock it was to learn that it is not unusual for a
teenage father who is in prison to meet his incarcerated father
for the first time, and neither the teenage father nor his
father had knowledge that either existed before this first
encounter. Often times there are three generations of
incarcerated fathers in the same prison and usually none of the
fathers will have had any contact with his children before they
met in prison. Prison is where they form father and son
relationships. On the other hand, women who are incarcerated
tend to take an interest in their children and stay in contact
with the person caring for them. The women also have a great
deal of input in raising their children.
One of my greatest satisfactions since working with Amachi came
when I informed my minister about Amachi and how he embraced the
program. My church has become one of the Amachi churches that
provide mentors. In addition to providing volunteers from the
congregation, he also became a mentor.
Being the supportive grandmother that I am, I can empathize with
the complete sacrifice that has to be made in caring for young
children. With each generation comes new challenges, attitudes,
and reshaped values. My personal philosophy about children is
that if given love, support, and proper nurturing, they can
accomplish anything in life, regardless of their beginnings.
Friends and family often comment on my motivation and commitment
to these children, and I hope that from their observations they,
too, will become interested in some aspect of AmeriCorps*VISTA.
|
Lee Grant
VISTA - Houston, TX
The Vietnam War and flower power raged. Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’
on) The Dock of the Bay” and The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You”
played on the radio.
After training at the University of Oklahoma—I was recruited
while a grad student at the University of Oregon—I was assigned
to the Latin-American Community (LAC) Project with VISTA
volunteers from around the country living and working in
Houston’s barrios and huge black communities.
The LAC Project was established by the Office of Economic
Opportunity as an agency to supervise VISTA volunteers who were
building community organizations in poor, underserved Houston
neighborhoods. Located in an old, rundown building, VISTAs in
Houston gathered there to set strategy, exchange information,
and form a support system for each other.
The assignment was opened-ended: Find community leaders, call
meetings, identify concerns, chart action. The goal was to leave
behind an ongoing, vital community force.
Soon after I arrived, I was dropped off in the black
neighborhood of Harrisburg and told, “Go find a place to live.”
I began strolling the streets, a white kid from Los Angeles with
a beard and a mound of curly hair. I thought, “What would my
Jewish mother be thinking right now?”
Harrisburg was a small, isolated, sidewalk-less nook of a
community not far from Houston’s Hobby Airport. It was pocked
with old, often dilapidated single-family homes, an adjacent
housing project, an elementary school, a Baptist church, and a
corner grocery store that charged way more than the supermarket
a couple of miles away in the white neighborhood.
I found a roach-infested, partly furnished house, $97.50 a
month, and moved in. Now, more than 30 years later, I can recall
every room, including the small, showerless bathroom, the tub
being the one place for respite from the brutally humid Houston
weather. Still, in my mind, I can see the neighbors (one who
knocked on my door Christmas day, holding a plate of food and
worrying that I was alone), and the kids who hung at my place
making sure I was part of their world and they were part of
mine.
Here was a poor community (at least in material things) that
took me in, often fed me, watched out for me, befriended me ...
and I was there working for them!
During my time in Harrisburg, we formed a community organization
that took on the local welfare office, with members acting as
monitors when folks with little experience approaching
government bureaucracy went there asking questions about
eligibility and other concerns. We dealt with youngsters not
going to school because they didn’t have shoes by visiting
organizations like the YMCA or large religious institutions in
town, letting them know there were kids without the basics.
Response was spotty. We also met with the local school staff,
which pretty much shrugged off our concerns as facts of life.
We began a tutoring program that focused mostly on reading.
Eventually we corralled a group of white students from a local
high school who took it on as an extracurricular club to help
Harrisburg youngsters after school.
What I remember are the families who often had barely enough to
eat but always put a plate for me at their table, and the kids.
Three in particular would knock on my door late at night, a
shelter when the black Cadillac pulled up to their gate. When
their mother was entertaining a client, she sent them outdoors,
away from the indignity of the work she did to support them.
Though I was there to impact their lives, those folks and that
community had an enormous impact on my life. We stood in line
for welfare cheese and beans, at county hospitals for treatment
that was patronizing and insensitive, at schools where black
kids were never told by counselors they could achieve and be
somebody.
Those years, VISTA volunteers in Houston were not supported by
the white community or the local politicians. We were stopped
and harassed by cops, insulted viciously for living in minority
neighborhoods. As a diverse group of Anglos, blacks, and
Latinos, we’d be ridiculed and insulted for picnicking together
in public parks or having dinner in restaurants. In this big
city, we felt safest in our neighborhoods.
The folks there were not always sure why we were there, but glad
we were.
During my tenure, a community organization was established and
led mostly by young adults, almost all of them women. It worked
to not only better the lives of residents but helped this
neglected neighborhood emerge from the shadows of city life.
Progress was slow. Success meant a Harrisburg person becoming
the first black saleswoman at the downtown Neiman Marcus. It
meant folks identifying everyday needs ... a used refrigerator
for a family without one, visiting the local junior high to
discuss why it was always the black kid singled out and sent
home after playground scuffles.
VISTA volunteers participated in a “sensitivity session” with
the rough Houston Police Department. We met in a room at police
headquarters, suspiciously facing each other. They accused us of
being "troublemakers” from the north. We, in turn, came loaded
with a backlog of intimidating incidents against folks in our
neighborhoods.
The day I left Houston and VISTA, a contingent from Harrisburg
followed me to the highway to see me off. I recall looking over
my shoulder and noticing that each person had a white
handkerchief. They were waving them high so I could see.
They told us during training that if we touched one life, we
were successful. I hope I touched at least one. For sure, the
people in the community of Harrisburg, Houston, Texas, touched
this life.
Since serving in VISTA, I’ve spent a career in journalism as a
reporter and editor (I am the arts editor of the San Diego
Union-Tribune). I influence the kinds of stories that get into
the paper. I pick and choose what I want to write about. I hire
people. I spend time with high school kids in the inner city who
come to the paper to shadow me. I go to their schools to monitor
their work. And, all these years later, that neighborhood, those
people, that time, stays in my heart.
My sensibilities, my view of the world,
the person I am has been shaped by that Houston, Texas,
neighborhood, by the people there, by my time as a Volunteer in
Service to America.
|
|
 |
In April of
last year, when the Mississippi's flood waters threatened the
town of Camanche, Iowa, an AmeriCorps NCCC team was brought in
to coordinate volunteers and help plug leaks in the town's
levee. |
|
National
Service
AmeriCorps works. In the wake of
Sept. 11,
it is time to make the national service program bigger
By Sen. John McCain
America is witnessing a
welcome blooming of popular culture chronicling the
contributions of the generation that lived through the
Depression and vanquished fascism. From Saving Private Ryan to
Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation to Stephen Ambrose's Band
of Brothers, Americans are hungry to learn about the heroic
service of our parents and grandparents. Some of the commentary
surrounding this positive trend, however, has been wistful, even
pessimistic. While rightly celebrating the feats of the World
War II generation, many pundits bemoan the lack of great causes
in our day and doubt whether today's young people would be
willing to make the sacrifices necessary to meet such
challenges, even if they existed.
I believe these commentators have it wrong. During the last
presidential race, I had the privilege of traveling the country
and meeting vast numbers of young people. I cannot express how
impressed I was. With energy and passion as contagious as it was
inspiring, these young Americans confided their dreams and
shared their aspirations, not for themselves alone, but for
their country. Their attitude should come as no surprise. Though
today's young people, according to polls, have little faith in
politics, they are great believers in service. Indeed, they are
doing volunteer work in their communities in record
numbers---proof that the urge to serve runs especially deep in
them. Indeed, most Americans share this impulse, as witnessed
after last month's terrorist attacks, when thousands of
Americans lined up to give blood and assist in rescue efforts.
It is time we tapped that urge for great national ends.
And it is not true, as the cynics suggest, that our era lacks
great causes. Such causes are all around us. Thousands of
schools in our poorest neighborhoods are failing their students
and cry out for talented teachers. Millions of elderly Americans
desperately want to stay in their homes and out of nursing
facilities, but cannot do so without help with the small tasks
of daily life. More and more of our communities are being
devastated by natural disasters. And our men and women in
uniform are stretched thin meeting the vital task of keeping the
peace in places like Bosnia and Kosovo.
Beyond such concrete needs lies a deeper spiritual crisis within
our national culture. Since Watergate, we have witnessed an
increased cynicism about our governmental institutions. We see
its impact in declining voter participation and apathy about our
public life---symptoms of a system that demands reform. But it's
a mistake, I think, to believe that this apathy means Americans
do not love their country and aren't motivated to fix what is
wrong. The growth of local volunteerism and the outpouring of
sentiment for "the greatest generation" suggest a different
explanation: that Americans hunger for patriotic service to the
nation, but do not see ways to personally make a difference.
What is lacking today is not a need for patriotic service, nor a
willingness to serve, but the opportunity. Indeed, one of the
curious truths of our era is that while opportunities to serve
ourselves have exploded---with ever-expanding choices of what to
buy, where to eat, what to read, watch, or listen
to---opportunities to spend some time serving our country have
narrowed. The high cost of campaigning keeps many idealistic
people from running for public office. Teacher-certification
requirements keep talented people out of the classroom. The
all-volunteer military is looking for lifers, not those who
might want to serve for shorter tours of duty.
The one big exception to this trend is AmeriCorps, the program
of national service begun by President Bill Clinton. Since 1994,
more than 200,000 Americans have served one-to-two-year stints
in AmeriCorps, tutoring school children, building low-income
housing, or helping flood-ravaged communities. AmeriCorps
members receive a small stipend and $4,725 in college aid for
their service. But the real draw is the chance to have an
adventure and accomplish something important. And AmeriCorps'
achievements are indeed impressive: thousands of homes
constructed; hundreds of thousands of senior citizens assisted
to live independently in their own homes; millions of children
taught, tutored, or mentored.
Beyond the good deeds accomplished, Americorps has transformed
the lives of young people who have participated in its ranks.
They have begun to glimpse the glory of serving the cause of
freedom. They have come to know the obligations and rewards of
active citizenship.
But for all its concrete achievements, AmeriCorps has a
fundamental flaw: In its seven years of existence, it has barely
stirred the nation's imagination. In 1961, President John F.
Kennedy launched the Peace Corps to make good on his famous
challenge to "[a]sk not what your country can do for you, but
rather what you can do for your country." Since then, more than
162,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps, and the vast
majority of Americans today have heard of the organization. By
contrast, more than 200,000 Americans have served in AmeriCorps,
yet two out of three Americans say they have never heard of the
program.
If we are to have a resurgence of patriotic service in this
country, then programs like AmeriCorps must be expanded and
changed in ways that inspire the nation. There should be more
focus on meeting national goals and on making short-term
service, both civilian and military, a rite of passage for young
Americans.
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Service
Economy
National service is an
issue that has been largely identified with the Democratic Party
and the left of the political spectrum. That is unfortunate,
because duty, honor, and country are values that transcend
ideology. National service, both civilian and military, can
embody the virtues of patriotism that conservatives cherish.
More than a decade ago, the patron saint of modern conservatism,
William F. Buckley, Jr., offered an eloquent and persuasive
conservative case for national service. In the book Gratitude,
Buckley wrote, "Materialistic democracy beckons every man to
make himself a king; republican citizenship incites every man to
be a knight. National service, like gravity, is something we
could accustom ourselves to, and grow to love."
Buckley was right, but it's fair to say that it took a while
before we conservatives accustomed ourselves to the idea.
Indeed, when Clinton initiated AmeriCorps in 1994, most
Republicans in Congress, myself included, opposed it. We feared
it would be another "big government program" that would
undermine true volunteerism, waste money in "make-work"
projects, or be diverted into political activism.
We were wrong. Though AmeriCorps' record is not untarnished, the
overall evidence for its effectiveness is hard to deny. For
instance, AmeriCorps members tutored over 100,000
first-through-third graders during the 1999-2000 school year. On
average, those children scored significantly higher on reading
performance tests than would otherwise have been expected,
according to Abt Associates, an independent evaluation firm.
Having seen results like these-and having often seen AmeriCorps
members work on the ground---more and more of my GOP colleagues
have changed their minds about the program. Forty-nine of 50
governors, 29 of them Republicans, signed a letter last year
urging Congress to support AmeriCorps. One of the signers was
then-Texas Governor George W. Bush. As president, Bush put forth
a budget that keeps AmeriCorps at its current level of
members---the ultimate sign that national service today has
truly bipartisan support.
Part of what conservatives admire about AmeriCorps is that it
strengthens "civil society"---the rich web of neighborhood,
nonprofit, and faith-based groups outside of government that
provide services to those in need. This is built into the
decentralized design of the program. Most AmeriCorps funding is
in the hands of state governors, who give it to their National
and Community Service Commissions, who in turn make grants to
local nonprofits, who then recruit and hire AmeriCorps members.
The vast majority of AmeriCorps members are thus "detailed" to
work for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross,
or Big Brothers/Big Sisters. They become, in effect, full-time,
paid staff members of these often-understaffed organizations.
Rather than elbowing out other volunteers, as many of us feared,
AmeriCorps members are typically put to work recruiting,
training, and supervising other volunteers. For instance, most
of the more than 500 AmeriCorps members who work for Habitat for
Humanity spend less time swinging hammers themselves than making
sure that hammers, nails, and drywall are at the worksite when
the volunteers arrive. They then teach the volunteers the basic
skills of how to hang drywall. As a result, studies show that
each AmeriCorps member generates, on average, nine additional
volunteers.
The ability to provide skilled and motivated manpower to other
organizations is what makes AmeriCorps so effective. But it also
creates a problem. AmeriCorps members often take on the identity
of the organizations they're assigned to. In the process, they
often lose any sense of being part of a larger national service
enterprise, if they ever had it at all. Indeed, staffers at
nonprofit groups sometimes call AmeriCorps headquarters looking
for support for their organizations, only to find out that their
own salaries are being paid by AmeriCorps. It's no wonder most
Americans say they have never heard of the program. And a
program few have heard of will obviously not be able to inspire
a new ethic of national service.
I believe AmeriCorps needs to be expanded and changed, in ways
that do not alter those aspects of the program that make it
effective, but that build greater espirit de corps among members
and encourage a sense of national unity and mission.
There is no doubt that this can be done because some smaller
programs within AmeriCorps are already doing it. One example is
City Year, an AmeriCorps effort that began in Boston and is now
operating in 13 American cities. City Year members wear
uniforms, work in teams, learn public speaking skills, and
gather together for daily calisthenics, often in highly public
places such as in front of city hall. They also provide vital
services, such as organizing after-school activities and helping
the elderly in assisted-living facilities.
Another example is AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community
Corps, a service program consciously structured along military
lines. NCCC members not only wear uniforms and work in teams, as
City Year members do, but actually live together in barracks on
former military bases, and are deployed to service projects far
from their home base. This "24/7" experience fosters group
cohesion and a sense of mission. AmeriCorps' NCCC members know
they are part of a national effort to serve their country. The
communities they serve know that, too.
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Continued... In April of last year,
when the Mississippi's flood waters threatened the town of
Camanche, Iowa, an AmeriCorps NCCC team was brought in to
coordinate volunteers and help plug leaks in the town's levee.
"This AmeriCorps crew has probably single-handedly saved $1
million to $1.5 million worth of property damage since they've
been here," Camanche Public Works Director Dave Rickertsen told
the St. Louis Post Dispatch. NCCC teams also helped out last
year after floods in Ohio and Florida, a hurricane in North
Carolina, and forest fires in six western states, providing
disaster relief to an estimated 33,500 people. This year they've
been dispatched to help combat nine floods and dozens of forest
fires.
When not providing
disaster relief, NCCC teams often work in national parks,
clearing overgrown trails and rebuilding cabins. In the spring,
they help Habitat for Humanity run its Collegiate Challenge, a
program that convinces thousands of college students each year
to spend their spring breaks not in bars in Ft. Lauderdale but
building homes for low-income families.
In May of last year, one NCCC crew descended on the home of
Stella Knab, an 80-year-old former cleaning lady, now confined
to a wheelchair. Knab lived with her handicapped son in New
Orleans' Bywater district, in a decrepit house with cracked
plumbing and rotted wood floors with holes big enough for
neighborhood rats to pay visits. The NCCC team moved Knab and
her son into a motel for two weeks, and in partnership with a
local nonprofit group, the Preservation Resource Center,
completely gutted and rebuilt the interior of her house. "It was
pretty scary. I really can't imagine someone living like this,"
Paula Dora, 23, one the AmeriCorps members, told The New Orleans
Times-Picayune. "It felt more like the Third World than it did
the ŒLand of the Free.' It feels so good to be able to make such
a difference."
Only about 1,000 of
AmeriCorps' 50,000 members are a part of NCCC. City Year
accounts for another 1,200. Congress should expand these two
programs dramatically, and spread their group-cohesion
techniques to other AmeriCorps programs. Indeed, the whole
national service enterprise should be expanded, with the
ultimate goal of ensuring that every young person who wants to
serve can serve. Though this will require significantly more
funding, the benefits to our nation will be well worth the
investment. At the same time, we must encourage the corporate
sector and the philanthropic community to provide funding for
national service, with federal challenge grants and other
incentives.
We must also ask our nation's colleges to step up to the plate
and more aggressively promote service. Currently, only a small
fraction of college work-study funds are devoted to community
service, far less than what Congress originally intended when it
passed the Higher Education Act in 1965. Congress must encourage
universities to comply with the intent of the act to promote
student involvement in community activities.
We should also be concerned by the growing gap between our
nation's military and civilian cultures. While the volunteer
military has been successful, fewer Americans know and
appreciate the sacrifices and contributions of their fellow
citizens who serve in uniform. The military is suffering severe
recruitment problems.
In the past, it has been a rite of passage for our nation's
leaders to serve in the armed forces. Today, fewer and fewer of
my congressional colleagues know from experience the realities
of military life. The decline of the citizen-soldier is not
healthy for a democracy. While it is not currently politically
practical to revive the draft, it is important to find better
incentives and opportunities for more young Americans to choose
service in the military, if not for a career, then at least for
a limited period of time.
For example, an
important responsibility of our armed services is peacekeeping
around the world. Often, this involves non-military activities
such as constabulary work. The military should explore whether
short-term enlistees could fulfill these responsibilities,
freeing other personnel to perform more traditional military
duties.
We should also undertake a campaign to revive Reserve Officer
Training Corps (ROTC) on college campuses across the country. On
many campuses, ROTC was expelled as a result of protests during
the Vietnam War. One result has been an ever-declining number of
college graduates choosing military service as a career.
Congress should consider linking financial aid to the
willingness of colleges to allow ROTC back on campus. It is
truly outrageous that some colleges receive federal aid while
forbidding access to an organization that promotes the defense
of our freedoms.
In America, our rights come before our duties, as well they
should. We are a free people, and among our freedoms is the
liberty to care or not care for our birthright. But those who
claim their liberty but not their duty to the civilization that
ensures it live a half-life, indulging their self-interest at
the cost of their self-respect. The richest men and women
possess nothing of real value if their lives have no greater
object than themselves.
Success, wealth, celebrity gained and kept for private
interest---these are small things. They make us comfortable,
ease the way for our children, and purchase a fleeting regard
for our lives, but not the self-respect that, in the end,
matters most. Sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest,
however, and you invest your life with the eminence of that
cause.
Americans did not fight and win World War II as discrete
individuals. Their brave and determined energies were mobilized
and empowered by a national government headed by democratically
elected leaders. That is how a free society remains free and
achieves greatness. National service is a crucial means of
making our patriotism real, to the benefit of both ourselves and
our country.
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Are You Up to the Challenge?
Engaging Americans of all ages
and background, the AmeriCorps national service movement
addresses the most critical problems in our nation's
communities. More than 50,000 AmeriCorps members serve in over
430 programs across the country. In exchange for service,
AmeriCorps members earn a living allowance and an education
award. NYRP currently maintains a crew of 16 AmeriCorps
participants.
AmeriCorps seeks
to improve communities by helping them solve problems in such
areas as education, public safety and the environment. In
addition to meeting local needs through service, AmeriCorps
members help strengthen communities by bringing together a wide
range of community partners to plan and implement programs. In
many cases, these types of co-operations mark the first time
that government leaders, local businesses, non-profit
organizations and citizens of all backgrounds join together to
address pressing concerns.
As part of
their service, AmeriCorps members help recruit, train and
supervise, and serve alongside community volunteers to ensure
that local needs can be addressed when their terms of service
end. By involving all sectors of the community in service
activities, AmeriCorps members increase the number and
effectiveness of local volunteers across the country—people who
help when they can without compensation. The members themselves
learn new skills, acquire leadership qualities, and gain a sense
of satisfaction from taking on responsibilities that directly
affect people's lives.
In partnership
with the Corporation for National Service in Washington, DC,
NYRP has assembled a team of environmental specialists with
backgrounds ranging from horticulture, urban forestry and
environmental science, to landscape architecture, design and
mechanical engineering. NYRP AmeriCorps teams carry out the
daily work of the project: cleaning, restoring, maintaining and
creating parkland and shorelines in northern Manhattan and
working with community gardeners throughout the five boroughs of
New York City.
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