December 2023
Jan 15: MLK Day
Every year, service members around the country honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. through special community-based service events. WSC sites and members work with partners to host events across the state.
If you are planning to host an event for MLK Day of Service, we want to promote it. Keep an eye out in the next month for an invitation to list your event with us. We will celebrate events and sites across the state on our website and social media channels.
And check out AmeriCorps' toolkit for logos, vids and social media templates to help promote your project!
|
Tick Tock: On Track?
Members, we know that with the holidays and cold-weather illnesses, a day off here and there may be necessary; now is a good time to make sure you're on track to complete your minimum required hours if you have to take time off. To check your hours, (1) log into TimeTracker, (2) open your last approved timesheet, and (3) compare your total hours at the bottom of the sheet to our chart. Note that hours not yet approved will not be added to your total. Ask your site staff to approve all timesheets before checking.
Example: A member serving a 1,700-hour term who started on Sept 1 should have at least 496 total hours by the last pay period (Nov 30).
If you're not on track, create a plan with your site staff now to gain additional hours, and utilize WSC's alternative service policy if needed.
See Section VII (Leave Situations) in your MSA for more details.
|
Pro Tip: Alternative Service
It’s that time of year when many sites may be closed for a few days in observance of the holidays. So, what does that mean for AmeriCorps members?
With their site's approval, members may be eligible for the same holidays as staff at their site, however "holiday hours" do not count as service term hours. You must serve in order to earn service hours. Not completing the minimum required hours in your term will, in most cases, affect whether you receive an education award.
Therefore, members are expected to serve during extended breaks (like winter and spring break at schools) to stay on track with earning hours. To that end, finding a temporary, alternative site to serve at is a great idea; we recommend serving at your local animal shelter, food bank, an environmental service project, or another local non-profit in your area that needs volunteer help.
You must make sure that the activity you'll be doing is allowable: prohibited activities are listed in the MSA (Section IX) as well as in POL-121.
Plan ahead with your site staff, and follow the instructions in WSC's alternative service policy.
|
Upcoming Lunch & Learns
|
|
Site staff, mark your calendars and join in at our upcoming Lunch & Learn sessions:
Dec 6 - Alternative Service & Member Hours Over the Holidays
Jan 3 - Member Evaluation Best Practices
All sessions 11:30am-12:30pm. Click here to join.
|
Members, we're looking forward to seeing your first-quarter story of service (due Dec 15)! Following up on the email we sent to you a couple weeks ago, this is a reminder that we're expanding the typical format of a written narrative to also include a video, song, poem, photo collage, etc. that can tell the story of your service experience so far. If you're unable to upload your story file in TimeTracker, email it to your WSC Coordinator with subject line "Story of Service - Quarter 1".
What else is on our Christmas wish list? A photo of YOU we get to share! As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and there's nothing better to tell the story of AmeriCorps than pics of our members in gear doing the wonderful things you do in service to others. Outside of your story of service, you - and your site staff - can send photos to our outreach specialist, Jason McLaughlin.
|
|
Members and sites should have received a survey last week from our expanded outreach team. We want to learn more about your experience throughout the AmeriCorps recruitment process. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help us keep improving to serve you better! |
Do you know an amazing individual or team of volunteers that deserve to be recognized? Nominations are open for the Washington State Volunteer Service Award. You can nominate both individuals and groups for the award. Winners will be selected from every region of the state. Deadline to nominate is 5:00pm on Dec 22.
Our state's service commission, Serve Washington, is still accepting applications for their BIPOC-Led and Small Nonprofit Equity Fund, available to eligible organizations who would like to host AmeriCorps members; funds can be used to help offset member placement fees, costs to provide training, and other related program expenses.
More information can be found here. Please help spread the word! Grant funds must be spent by June 30, 2024.
|