National Service in the News for Wednesday, March 15, 2017.
AmeriCorps
to speak at coffee
The Dispatch
(KS), March 14, 2017
At this Chamber Coffee forum, members of the AmeriCorps
team in Clay Center will give an update about their projects that they
have been working on. Their time with us is nearing a close and our
community has been more than blessed to have them here with us for the last few
months. They will also be sharing in more detail about what AmeriCorps is and
how it works.
'Amazing
resource' behind EdCampCU being honored by UI YWCA
The News-Gazette (IL), March 15, 2017
Early into her
teaching career, Katrina Kennett took part in a unique professional development
opportunity. The relatively new EdCamp brought educators together for a day of
learning. There were breakout sessions and lots of coffee. But unlike previous
conferences she had attended, this one was participant-built and -led. "When
the participants walked in that morning, they built the schedule on topics or
things they were trying in their classroom or ... struggling with,"
Kennett said, adding the premise is "attendees have really interesting
things to share and can help each other improve their practices, even when we
teach in such different places."
Is it time to introduce military or
community service for all 18-year-olds?
NewsWorks
(PA), March 14, 2017
Military or
community service for 18-year-olds used to be mandated in the United States, but
its usefulness ended in 1973. Some countries, including Israel, Mexico, Russia,
and South Korea, still require young men, and in some places young women, to
serve their countries for a period of time. Peaceful Sweden is set to
reintroduce conscription for the first time since 2010, and for the first time
including women, due to the “new security situation” involving recent military
activities in nearby Crimea and Ukraine. There are those who consider that such
service builds character and skills, and those who believe that it interferes
with individual liberties.
News announcement from Volunteer Florida
The Foster Folly
News (FL), March 14, 2017
Volunteer Florida reminds current grantees and interested
organizations that the 2017-2018 AmeriCorps formula funding
RFP is now available on the Volunteer Florida website. Applications for funding are due April 6,
2017. Each year, over 1,300
individuals in Florida and more than 80,000 across the United States, meet
critical community needs through service in AmeriCorps. With funding from the Corporation
for National and Community Service that is administered by Volunteer Florida,
AmeriCorps members dedicate a year of their life to intensive community service
in Florida. The experience meets critical needs and provides on-the-job career
training.
Eliminating AmeriCorps would be a
short-sighted mistake
The South Bend
Tribune (IN), March 15, 2017
On any given
day in South Bend, one can find 30 enthusiastic young people in gray T-shirts
with a large “A” emblazoned on the front serving our community. They can be
found in schools, local agencies, Boys & Girls Clubs and community centers.
They are tutoring, practicing language skills with preschoolers, sharing
Shakespeare with children as young as 8, teaching conflict resolution to
middle-schoolers, helping teenage entrepreneurs perfect business plans or organizing
activities for seniors. They are AmeriCorps members from the Robinson Community
Learning Center, and — as they say in their initial pledge — they “get things
done for America.”
DNR Salutes AmeriCorps Members Working as Stewards
USAgNet (WI), March 15, 2017
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is recognizing AmeriCorps during a national observation of the AmeriCorps' continuing efforts to help young people gain valuable job experience, while simultaneously serving their communities. From Adopt-A-Forest and invasive species and forest health monitoring to classroom visits and renovation of cabins and park facilities, AmeriCorps members make a tremendous positive impact serving with the DNR. AmeriCorps NCCC members worked with Summer Youth Employment Program participants at Waterloo State Recreation Area to refurbish cabins near Mill Lake.
New Leader Of Ann’s Place In Danbury Finds
A Home Helping Cancer Patients
The Stamford
Daily Voice (CT), March 15, 2017
After more
than two decades, Shannon Cobb’s diverse career paths converged as she took the
reins as CEO and president of Ann’s Place, a Danbury nonprofit that provides
counseling, support and other resources to people and their loved ones coping
with cancer. “One of the
things I was drawn to was the direct service,’’ said Cobb, a Danbury resident
for 15 years. “Working right on site where people need your care and being able
to assist them is powerful. Being able to work in my own community is another
aspect that drew me to this position.”
Greene County Resident Awarded Indiana
Homeland Security Scholarship
WBIW-AM (IN), March 15, 2017
18 Indiana
students who serve in public safety organizations will receive scholarships
from the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation to supplement their 2016-17
college education. Each student receiving a scholarship attends an Indiana
college and has volunteer experience at a public safety organization such as
emergency medical services (EMS), emergency management agency (EMA), or a
police or fire department. Students studying full-time receive a $2,000
scholarship and students studying part-time receive a $1,000 scholarship. The
students must hold a grade point average of 2.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Local
students learn ecology in Hopland
The Ukiah Daily Journal
(CA), March 13, 2017
Students from Pomolita Middle School and Ukiah High School got out of the
classroom and into the field to learn about watershed management on Friday
during Watershed Discovery Day, a day long event held at the Hopland Research
and Extension Center. The Ukiah students went on a hike in the morning as the
Pomolita students learned about watershed stewardship at several stations set
along the banks of Parsons Creek, which flows past Shippey Hall through the
HREC campus and on into the Russian River. In the afternoon, the middle school
students took to the hills on their own watershed hike as the high schoolers
learned about the local ecology at the field stations.
Two Butte entities recognized at state
tourism conference
The Montana
Standard (MT), March 14, 2017
Two Mining
City entities are being recognized for their contributions to tourism and
recreation advocacy in Montana. Representatives for Butte. Elevated — a tourism
campaign launched last spring by a coalition of public, non-profit and private
organizations — accepted the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award Monday night
in Helena during a ceremony for the 2017 Montana Tourism Awards. The awards are
part of the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation. Jocelyn Dodge, a
recreation forester serving several jurisdictions in southwest Montana,
including in Butte-Silver Bow, also won an award. She was named Tourism
Ambassador for 2017.
6 Foolproof Ways to Get a Job with a Humanities Degree
College Magazine (MD), March 14, 2017
Did you know that Mitt Romney was an English major, and that Peter Thiel, co-founder and CEO of PayPal, was a philosophy major? They prove that contrary to the popular belief, you don’t have to teach just because you have a humanities degree. Plenty of students with a humanities degree have successfully cleft a path in non-humanities tracks.
Students
Come to Tulsa for Spring Break
Public Radio Tulsa (OK), March 13, 2017
It is not your typical Spring Break for 20 college students from all across the
country. They are coming to Tulsa to learn about food insecurity and its effect
on education. Hannah Arnaud is with Teach for America in Tulsa. She says the
students will be working with the Harvest Market on Tulsa's west side as well
as Global Gardens. These are college freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Arnaud
says hopes to get them interested in Teach for America and have them to come
back to Tulsa as teachers after graduation.
AARP
Tax Aide struggles to find volunteers
The News Review (OR), March 14, 2017
The RSVP and AARP Tax Aide Program’s temporary offices in
Douglas County are busy this season as volunteers work to prepare state and
federal tax returns free of charge for people with low to moderate incomes.
However, the income tax assistance service has been struggling to retain and
recruit volunteers to keep it running each year, which means less people are
able to have their tax returns processed for free. As the average age of
remaining volunteers increases, Karen McGuire, UCAN RSVP volunteer program
manager, said she’s not seeing empty slots filled by new volunteers behind
them.
Dance
for a cause: Dancing with Dickinson Stars finale on Thursday
The Dickinson Press (ND), March 14, 2017
Kyle Kuntz and
his children volunteered to help prepare packages for the Dickinson BackPack
program through their 4-H club last year. He realized how much of a need there
was in the community to help provide food and nutrition to children who may
need additional resources on weekends. Later on, he was approached by a few
community members about participating in the Dancing with Dickinson Stars
competition and decided to partake and help raise money for program. "The
second my kids heard about it they said, 'Dad, you have to do it.' Once I saw
their excitement I said, 'If it's for a good cause, I will do it,'" Kuntz
said. "It was definitely outside my comfort zone."
Oxford
Park Commission hires new Volunteer Oxford director
The Oxford Eagle (MS),
March 13, 2017
Teresa Faust is a people person who enjoys being out in the community. The new
Volunteer Oxford Director also has a love for Oxford, and the people she has
come to know since arriving in town six years ago. Faust has been employed by
the city for the past year and a half, working as the volunteer recruiter with
the Retired, Senior and Volunteer Program or RSVP. Faust was responsible for
making contact with the non-profit organizations and assisting with their needs
in relation to volunteers. The RSVP volunteers dealt with a number of events,
from supply drives at the schools to working at the library or at The Pantry,
and Faust was right in the middle of planning. All of the work was enjoyable
because Faust likes to please so much.
Virginia
McLaurin celebrates 108th birthday at D.C. school
WJLA-TV (DC), March 13,
2017
After video of her dancing with the Obamas at the White House became an
internet sensation, Virginia McLaurin is probably the most famous centenarian
in the city – maybe in the country. On Sunday, she turned 108 years old. She
celebrated on Monday with a group of school children in her D.C. neighborhood. McLaurin
was the surprise star attraction during a Globetrotters assembly at the LAMB
Public Charter School in Northwest Washington. The honorary Globetrotter wore a
special jersey and received her own Globetrotters basketball.
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