AmeriCorps Week is a recruitment and recognition event designed to bring more Americans into service, salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact, and thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible.
The forth annual AmeriCorps Week will take place May 8-15, 2009.
Past activities have included AmeriCorps for a Day, radio interviews, handing out stickers and magnets at schools, a reception at the Capitol, and editorials from AmeriCorps members.
Past Editorials from Members
AmeriCorps serving Gallatin County
The week of May 11-18 marks the second annual AmeriCorps week when we acknowledge and celebrate the work of thousands of AmeriCorps volunteers and alumni nationally and in our own backyard for their dedication and service to our communities.
Now you may be asking yourselves, what is AmeriCorps? Well, it’s not a simple answer. One of its functions is to provide funding to many nonprofit organizations to allow them to hire full-time volunteers to perform a wide variety of community services. One of these organizations, the Montana Conservation Corps, with whom I am a field crew leader, has already had a big impact on the Bozeman community this year with service projects being held with the Bozeman’s Children Museum, the Bozeman Senior Center, the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and (featured in the Chronicle) the graffiti removal project in cooperation with the Downtown Bozeman Partnership.
Another integral part of AmeriCorps week is to extend this service opportunity to other willing participants in our community. Currently, we are recruiting for field crew members for the summer season for those who enjoy the outdoors and want the challenge of performing conservation work in one of the most beautiful settings in the country. If that sounds appealing, contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss the possibilities of serving with the MCC.
Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to all the other AmeriCorps volunteers who are serving other community needs in the Gallatin Valley. As a second year AmeriCorps volunteer, I understand some of the huge sacrifice that these volunteers make in the name of community service and I respect them all highly for choosing that path and wish them the best of luck. I also want to thank our community for their continued support and gratitude.
Dustin Rothenberg
Bozeman
Celebrate National Service in Helena
National AmeriCorps Week kicked off Monday, May 12th with a rally at the Capitol Rotunda. Thank you so much to the Helena community for your ongoing support of AmeriCorps!
Surprising as it is to AmeriCorps members, only a handful of Americans have heard of the program. AmeriCorps is not a simple thing to explain. Thousands of participants work to improve the sustainability and functionality of nonprofit organizations across the country and in our own backyard, but their roles vary greatly. For example, VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) members in Helena support organizations like Florence Crittenton, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Montana Legal Services, to name just a few.
Four months ago, I moved to Helena to join the 44 year-old national service program called VISTA. Taking an AmeriCorps VISTA position meant joining a network of dedicated individuals who really care about making a positive impact on their communities. For me, AmeriCorps is an opportunity work for a meaningful organization like CASA of Montana.
AmeriCorps is a chance to do work that influences American communities at a basic level. Check it out: www.americorps.org. On behalf of local AmeriCorps members, thanks again, Helena, we really appreciate your support and recognition!
Rebecca Harbage
AmeriCorps Member Advisory Council, Helena
