National Service in the News for Friday, June 23, 2017 through Monday, June 26, 2017.
Summer VISTAs already taking duties at 10
different city sites
The Cleveland Banner (TN), June 22, 2017
The United Way of the Ocoee Region’s 2017 Summer VISTAs jumped into action
two weeks ago, with 10 different sites throughout the city. “I’m really excited
to see how they are professionally. There are several who were summer VISTA’s
last year, so I’m excited to see how they build on the work that they did last
year,” said VISTA leader Brittany Stoess. VISTA is short for Volunteers in
Service to America. Throughout their eight-week term, the summer VISTAs will be
working with the Boys & Girls Clubs Tucker and Jacobs units, the Unity
Center of Broad Street United Methodist, Cleveland City Schools After-School
University programs at Stuart and Blythe Bower Elementary schools, ASU family
engagement at Cleveland Middle School, Andor, the Museum Center at Five Points
and YCAP.
United Way of the Tri-Valley Area receives
AmeriCorps grants
The Daily Bulldog (ME), June 22, 2017
United Way of the Tri-Valley Area has received a $27,657 AmeriCorps grant from
the Maine Commission for Community Service to support two AmeriCorps members
who will work with area food pantries to increase the number of volunteers
serving, train these volunteers to connect individuals to additional community
resources, establish a food pantry network to advance communication and
leverage additional resources; and increase the amount of locally grown,
nutritious food available at 13 local food pantries. This grant will support
AmeriCorps members who will serve in 27 towns in the United Way of the
Tri-Valley Area service area. AmeriCorps members will tackle the critical
challenges of food insecurity, allowing United Way to expand its impact on this
important local issue.
AmeriCorps
receives money to continue work in Northland
The Duluth News Tribune (MN), June 23, 2017
State Rep. Liz Olson's year as an AmeriCorps member is a part of her journey to
public office. "It was a lot of the leadership skills and friendships and
the deep commitment that I had for my community that I really experienced
through the AmeriCorps programs," Olson said during a news conference
Friday to announce new federal funding for the True North AmeriCorps program
that serves Northeastern Minnesota. AmeriCorps is vital for the students who
benefit from its mentoring and tutoring services and for the people who serve
with the program, she said. Olson served with City Year for a year in a Chicago
high school, and then completed a year of service with the True North
AmeriCorps in Duluth. She still sees some of the students that she worked with
as an AmeriCorps member in Duluth.
Mosaic project bridges gulf between
Baltimore police, city youth
The Baltimore Post Examiner (MD), June 21, 2017
On a sunny Monday afternoon in early April 2015, 18 teenagers – all veterans of
the juvenile justice system – sat in a circle with seven Baltimore City police
officers inside a dance studio at a strip mall on the city’s west side. A
“Peace Circle” – in which the officers and youth sought common ground, trust and
understanding – began each of the five days that the group worked on an
intricate, circular, 5-foot-diameter mosaic. The youth-focused Choice Program
at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), brought together the
officers, young people, AmeriCorps student volunteers at UMBC and Carien
Quiroga, a professional mosaic artist who teaches art at juvenile facilities
throughout the state and led the effort.
Energy Express in Doddridge County Helps
Kids Avoid the ‘Summer Slide’
WBOY-TV (WV), June 22,2 017
Time off from school can make students forget crucial learning skills. The
Energy Express in Doddridge County is working to help students avoid the
"Summer Slide." Mentors with AmeriCorps and Energy Express said the
six-week program keeps kids engaged and learning during the summer months. The
theme changes each week and the curriculum pairs books with fun, hands-on activities.
The program also provides two free meals. "I was a kid for three years and
I volunteered for seven. This is my second year mentoring and this is basically
the reason I went into teaching. It helped me a lot with my reading skills and
my social skills cause I was a very shy child when I was younger," said
Faith Winkelmann, AmeriCorps mentor.
Duluth
YMCA receives federal grant
KQDS-TV (MN), June 23, 2017
The Duluth YMCA celebrated a major federal award on Friday. Duluth Mayor Emily
Larson, State Representative Liz Olson and Duluth Schools Superintendent Bill
Gronseth helped congratulate with the YMCA in receiving federal grant money. The
funds will be used to address Duluth’s achievement gap as well as the city’s
need for after school programs. True North Americorps works with local schools
in a variety of programs, like tutoring. “My own daughter had a tutor,”
director of the Community Services branch at YMCA said. “And that tutor gave
her the extra confidence, the extra relationship she needed to succeed in
school and move on to be a successful high school graduate.”
AmeriCorps
helps local volunteers improve trail system
The Chronicle News (CO), June 23, 2017
It’s hard to believe that just one short year ago, work commenced on a
multi-use trail system near Simpson’s Rest in Trinidad. Driven by the work of
countless volunteers, what is now called the Wormhole Loop Trail is currently
in place, and progress on the trail system still continues. Recently, three
AmeriCorps volunteers came to Trinidad to help move the project forward yet
again. This most recent work on the trail system is being done to improve
access to the Wormhole Loop Mesa, hopefully making the much-used trail even
more popular with hikers, runners, and mountain bikers. According to Tim
Crisler, Trinidad Outdoor Club founder and Parks and Recreation Advisory
Committee chairperson, “The group of local and AmeriCorps volunteers are
working together to create a trail that gets mountain bikers and hikers to the
top of the Wormhole Loop Mesa with a much easier grade so the trail can
actually be ridden.
FSU
Center for Literary Arts helps children make their own books
The Times News (FL), June 25, 2017
Everybody has a story to tell, and a new program will help local children put
theirs in print. This summer, the Frostburg State University Center for
Literary Arts is presenting the Make-A-Book program at regional public
libraries. The program, which is free, gives students ages 8 to 12 years of age
the opportunity to take full creative control of their own book, teaching them
the basics of storytelling such as plot and character development, as well as
how to format text for the page and add illustrations. “This program has been
designed to give young authors flexibility that most traditional classrooms
don’t offer, allowing their creativity to flow onto the pages of their own
publications,” said AmeriCorps Youth Academic Engagement Mentor Josh Mallow,
who serves with the Center for Literary Arts.
AmeriCorps Receives Federal Funding Support
WTUZ-FM (OH), June 22, 2017
AmeriCorps sees more $532 million in funding support from a federal agency. On
the heels of the funding announced by the Corporation for National Community
Service, local AmeriCorps Gabriel Riggle shares some insight on the role
AmeriCorps members serve within a community. “For example, there’s Americorps
and the National Parks clearing trails, there’s Americorps working at food
banks, but in Tuscarawas County, there’s definitely an environmental focus and
of outdoor recreation.” Riggle notes local water quality efforts such as
abandoned mine reclamation projects including the Huff Run Watershed and the
Mud Run Watershed in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
AmeriCorps team aids in BCFS farm: Bemidji
Community Food Shelf hosts “Grow Your Community” event
The Bemidji Pioneer (MN), June 22, 2017
An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team gave volunteers the opportunity
to play a role in bettering the community Thursday by rolling up their sleeves
and getting their hands dirty at the Bemidji Community Food Shelf farm. The
"Grow Your Community" event helped bring attention to the FARM
project, which is often underserved, said Hannah Fertig, NCCC's committee chair
for the community service day. "Part of our objective is to make (the
farm) sustainable, make the work we do sustainable. Encouraging people to come
and continue the work that we've started so there's many things to harvest in
the fall," Fertig said. "A lot of people volunteer at the food shelf,
but not so much at the farm, so we want to get more people interested and
excited about farming so they keep coming back."
JEVS
Human Services Awarded $269,992 in AmeriCorps Funding
Press Release, June 26, 2017
JEVS Human Services (JEVS) announced today that it has received $269,992 in
AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service programs. This federal
investment will support 20 AmeriCorps members. These AmeriCorps members will
tackle some of the toughest problems in Philadelphia and Camden by providing
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and digital literacy
skill-building opportunities to at least 400 students in grades 5-12 at
neighborhood recreation centers, schools and community organizations. TechServ
is unique in that it addresses two key community issues: the digital literacy
and STEM skills divide among school-aged children in low-income communities and
the lack of access to career pathways for young adults in the technology and
science sectors in the same communities.
Charity
and Service
The Shoshone News-Press (ID), June 24, 2017
It is no secret that many in the Silver Valley are going through hard times. With
an older population and low marks for overall health, there are many Shoshone
County residents that cannot perform much needed maintenance on their homes or
property. Thankfully though, Idaho Servant Adventures (ISA) (apart of
Lutherhaven Ministries) are here to help. Teaming up with AmeriCorps National
Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Team Silver 5, the two organizations have been
working to make the Silver Valley a better place. Since their arrival on May
25, the AmeriCorps NCCC team members have been working with ISA on several
projects in the area. From complex projects such as construction and roof work
to simple tasks like painting and chopping firewood, the dynamic duo have been
busy.
Protecting
Our Children: Some summer programs accessible, 'essential'
The Tribune Democrat (PA), June 24, 2017
For Middleburg mother Amy Gresh, the Greater Susquehanna Valley YMCA has been
an essential part of helping raise her two children. “My husband and I feel
that without them, we couldn’t have done the job we did with the boys,” said
Gresh of her 18-year-old son Stephen and 14-year-old son Michael. “We are so
blessed to have that organization in this valley. They have made a difference
in the lives of our kids by being available all along the way.” When her oldest
son was only 4 weeks old, Gresh said she went to the Sunbury YMCA, took a tour
and was amazed at the interaction the staff had with the children and teens.
She and her husband never looked back. The YMCA is one of the havens across the
state where children can find affordable and sometimes accessible summer
programs to fill the gap between the end of the school year in June and late
August when classes resume.
Springfield,
Holyoke welcome Teach for America recruits
The Republican (MA), June 24, 2017
Teach for America corps members Madeline DiGiovanni and Tiffany Porter are
eager to begin working with low-income students in local schools. The young
women are among 25 new Teach for America recruits -- hailing from Massachusetts
to Michigan and New Jersey to Arkansas -- who have been assigned to schools in
Holyoke and Springfield in the fall, when the program enters its third year
here. During a welcoming event at the Museum of Springfield History last week,
DiGiovanni and Porter said the social justice mission of Teach for America
spoke to their core values.
AmeriCorps members attend two-day training
The Marianas Variety, June 23, 2017
Thirty-eight outgoing AmeriCorps members attended a two-day training to assist
them in transitioning to life after their service in the community. Vicky
Nicholas, CNMI AmeriCorps coordinator, said the training was held in Kanoa
Restort on June 20 to 21 to provide tools needed by the members in college.
“They have already graduated from high school, except for the three juniors. A
majority of them are done with their hours of service,” Nicholas said, adding
that the highlight of the two-day “Life after AmeriCorps” training was having
former members discuss their experiences in college. Nicholas said the students
learned about budgeting, how to cope with difficulties, how to make plans, how
to set goals and achieve them. She is confident that their members will have
the skills to make them employable in the future. “Throughout their career in
AmeriCorps, they gain valuable experiences and the skills necessary to succeed
in college and in their chosen career,” she said.
Children
learn, play, do good
The Sharon Herald (PA), June 24, 2017
The sky didn’t look promising on a recent day when Mercer County Housing
Authority’s first day of summer camp was about to start for children in Valley
View Homes in Mercer. But the rain never came, and Holly Kline’s four children
– Landen, Jada, Ian and Maisen – attacked the obstacle course built in the
public housing development’s courtyard with a competitiveness you’d expect from
four siblings between the ages of 8 and 12. Soon, Alicia Corner’s children –
SkyLynn, 7, and Tayven, 4 – emerged from their apartment, taking up sidewalk
chalk. Nicole Wilms’ 8-year-old twin daughters, Emmie and Haylie, joined the group,
using bouncy balls – the ones you sit on – to charge through the arches that
had been erected as crawling obstacles. Eleven kids had come out by lunchtime
for the two-week program run by Keystone SMILES, the Clarion-based non-profit
that frequently teams with the authority for activities.
Of Interest: June 23, 2017
The Press Republican (NY), June 23, 2017
The SUNY Plattsburgh College Council will hold its regular summer meeting,
Friday, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Thomas and Marie Hermes Conference
Room, AuSable Hall. The council will hear a presentation by Brittany Trybendis
of North Country Thrive on the VISTA grant the program recently received to
bring AmeriCorps volunteers to campus and other entities as named in the grant.
The anti-poverty organization Volunteers in Service to America, created by
President Lyndon Johnson when he signed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964,
is a domestic version of the Peace Corps, where people volunteer in cities,
rural areas and on Native American reservations across the country.
Foster
Grandparent program keeps seniors active
The Midland Reporter-Telegram (TX), June 23, 2017
For more than 15 years, Senior Link’s Foster Grandparents program has helped
low-income seniors stay active by giving them the opportunity to give back. As
of 2016, volunteers have clocked in close to 50,000 hours of service. The
program has impacted the lives and education of at-risk elementary students and
another 1,000 students in classrooms where Foster Grandparents volunteer. This
summer, six foster grandparents are reading to children at the Midland County
Public Library downtown branch. “The Foster Grandparent program is a critical
piece of the puzzle in the Midland County Public Libraries annual Summer
Reading Program,” library education and program coordinator Edward McPherson
said. “Each summer, more than 2,500 local children register in the program, and
interact with foster grandparents at each of our libraries. Each has more than
100 unique interactions with children daily bringing kindness, interest and
curiosity into their lives. Without this Senior Link program, the library wouldn’t
be such a vibrant community destination.”
Foster
grandparents needed in southwest Virginia
WCYB-TV (VA), June 23, 2017
An initiative to bring together the young and old in our community is in need
of volunteers. The Foster Grandparent program pairs seniors with students in
several counties in southwest Virginia. Sheila Miller is a retired school
teacher in Wise County, formerly teaching Pre-K and Head Start students. With a
federal grant, in retirement she is able to continue in the work she loves. Miller
is a foster grandparent. "Just to see daily the progress they make and the
comfortableness of it. Knowing that I will be there every day to help them with
their skills has made a great impact on the students," Miller said. The
program making the impact is funded from a federal grant through the
Corporation for National and Community Service. Mountain Empire Older Citizens
runs the program for Wise, Lee, and Scott counties, as well as the City of
Norton.
Seniors
benefit from long-standing state Capitol basketball tradition
The Las Vegas Sun (NV), June 24, 2017
In the year since 75-year-old Barbara Barton moved to Nevada to recover from a
stroke and live with her daughter, she’s learned to walk and talk all over again
with the help of a friend. Carson City resident Ceil Jones, 79, has been
volunteering with Seniors in Service for 15 years. She spends her days with
Barton and clients like her, providing companionship and driving them wherever
they need to go. Barton, who spent 50 years living in a community outside of
Anchorage, Alaska, says moving to Nevada and meeting Jones transformed her
life. With the help of family, she became a client of Seniors in Service and
her diet improved. “She has helped me totally,” Barton said while she and Jones
sat in her living room in Carson City. “She has helped me adjust and interact
with people.” Jones said Barton could barely write her name when they first
met, and she was very shy. Now, when they walk into stores, Jones says Barton
greets everyone and chats with people. “It was very hard,” Barton said of her
recovery. “It was very rough. I know it’s only been a year but it seems like forever
for me.”
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