March 2025
As we celebrate AmeriCorps Week coming up, we want to give a huge shout-out to our incredible members and alums! Your service impacts thousands of people in need, endangered natural habitats and native species across Washington State. Thank you for your dedication, determination and true grit!
Happy AmeriCorps Week (March 9-15)! Since its inception in 1994, over 1 million Americans have served in AmeriCorps, dedicating 2 billion hours towards helping people in need and strengthening communities, large and small. AmeriCorps Week gives us a nationwide opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate current members and alums, while educating our community members and local and state leaders about the extraordinary things that are accomplished through AmeriCorps programs and member service. Let's get celebrating!
March 10 - Day of the A: Members, throw on your AmeriCorps gear (new OR vintage) and show off on your socials with tag #DayoftheA.
March 12 - Mayors Day: Mayors across the country recognize the impact of AmeriCorps in their city. You can invite them in advance to post on social media or website, or join you in a service project. #MayorsDay
During the week: Share stories of service and moments of impact. #AmeriCorpsWeek2025, #AmeriCorpsWorks
Check out the new toolkit from AmeriCorps for free graphics, messaging templates and more. Plus, we have newly updated outreach resources on our website you can use to help you educate others about AmeriCorps! Click here, then look under "Communicating about AmeriCorps".
Due March 15
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Reminder: Second quarter stories of service (from members) and project performance reports (from site staff) are due by March 15. Site reporters should've received an email from us with a link to the online report form; if you did not, please contact your WSC Coordinator.
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April Lunch & Learn
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Join us on April 2 at 11:30 a.m. for our next Lunch & Learn for site staff. At this important point in the service year, members start gaining traction on planning for post-service employment. At this session, we'll discuss how you can help support your member's professional development before they wrap up their term.
April 2 11:30 a.m. | Join here
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With March being National Nutrition Month, we're taking the opportunity to share a recent story of service from WSC member, Murphy Best, who is serving her second term of service at Clark County Food Bank in nutrition education:
"My name is Murphy, and I am an AmeriCorps Nutrition Educator serving at Clark County Food Bank in Vancouver through the Washington Service Corps.
Our mission is to alleviate hunger and its root causes. We manage over 8 million pounds of food each year. This food is distributed to over 50 partner agencies at 100+ distribution sites.
I [serve] in the Nutrition Education program, which aims to reduce food insecurity and promote healthy living. Our classes include Cooking Matters, Cooking Matters at the Store, Cooking Matters with Families, Seed to Supper, Student Nutrition and Cooking (SNAC), various workshops, and the Healthy Pantry Project. This term, I primarily serve as the Healthy Pantry coordinator and lead instructor for Seed to Supper, while also assisting with other programs like Cooking Matters, SNAC, and workshops.
One of my most impactful experiences has been co-teaching a cooking and gardening workshop at the Veterans Affairs Center. Partnering with a Therapeutic Garden Coordinator, we help veterans learn to cook fresh vegetables from their community garden. Initially, we were unsure if the cooking and nutrition lessons would resonate, as many veterans preferred takeout. Over time, we noticed a shift. They began sharing recipes with family, bringing friends to class, and consistently attending. This experience taught me that, while content is important, creating a welcoming and supportive community has the greatest impact. Moving forward, I aim to foster this sense of community in all our classes."
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We are hosting weekly applicant webinars for prospective members. We hope these sessions will improve recruitment statewide, better prepare applicants for service, and promote civic service.
A big thank-you to the current members and alumni who are joining us for these sessions to share their first-hand experiences. You can help us by promoting these webinars on your organization's website and social media channels.
Why Serve? Mondays @ 4 p.m. | Registration Link
Get Ready to Serve! Wednesdays @ 3 p.m. | Registration Link
Our next Days of Service are coming up and less than a month apart. Please share your events with us soon for Cesar Chavez Day of Service (March 31) and Earth Day of Service (April 22) by submitting a Days of Service form for each day.
Days of Service provide an opportunity get help from community volunteers with specific projects and connect with other AmeriCorps programs. They help promote volunteerism and show the difference AmeriCorps members make. Check out the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Earth Day of Service pages for the latest list of projects from WSC & WRC members.
Every year, communities across the world celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, acknowledging the economic, political, social and cultural achievements of women, while also shining a light on the continued fight for women’s equality.
Like early International Women’s Day organizers, Frances Perkins was inspired by the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - one of the most deadly industrial disasters in U.S. history, claiming the lives of 146 garment workers, who were mostly immigrant women. A champion of workers' rights and safety, Frances Perkins became the first female in a federal government cabinet position, as the Secretary of Labor. She helped craft legislation for New Deal programs, one of which was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was designed as a work relief program for young unemployed men during the Great Depression. Decades later, the CCC became a model for similar national and state-based service programs, such as the Student Conservation Association and the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), an AmeriCorps program.
Welcome back for another installment of Washington Service Corps trivia! This month’s topic is about the Segal Education Award.
Q: When can members use their Segal Education Award?
A: Upon exiting from service, eligible members will receive notice of their award from the National Service Trust. To learn more about how the award can be used, visit our Life After AmeriCorps page and watch the “Using your Segal Education Award” video. Also visit AmeriCorps' website for up-to-date information on awards, including tax implications, matching institutions, and how to apply the award to loans. Please note that it can take some time to go through the process of receiving your award, so factor in extra time and don’t try to submit a payment the night before it’s due.
Catch up on prior issues of this year's bulletins by going to one of our Resources webpages and look for our News Desk.
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