Volunteer Success with AmeriCorps

A team of CalSERVES AmeriCorps members from across the After School, VIP, and CalPREP programs teamed up on Make A Difference Day, and partook in an eagerly anticipated milestone for one of our local nonprofit partners.

 On this day, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa held the grand opening of ReStyle Marketplace, a new thrift store. ReStyle Marketplace is Catholic Charities’ first-ever social enterprise, and is run almost entirely by volunteers. All revenue made from the store will directly pour into all of Catholic Charities programs, from feeding the hungry to caring for the homeless and more. Customers can shop, knowing whatever money they spent, would directly go to help those who are in need.

The AmeriCorps members each helped to ensure this event was a success. Members helped in all aspects of the event, from helping organize volunteers, to helping store customers, to outreaching to the community, and even leading the Hub Bub Club (a live band!) throughout local shops and the event. The parking lot overflowed with vehicles, the store’s lines went out the doors, and customers were nearly shoulder to shoulder outside and inside of the store.

Our AmeriCorps members worked hard while being animated and focused. Over 1300 people stepped into ReStyle Marketplace that day. But let’s push the numbers aside for a bit. THE most important success of this day was that AmeriCorps members helped implement Catholic Charities’ vision of the store by exemplifying to over 1300 people that a group of volunteers, regardless of backgrounds or ages, can get together and work purely for the success of a good cause.

By Shemea Hammond,
AmeriCorps VIP Fellow at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa

Hundreds of CalSERVES AmeriCorps Members from Across California Gear Up for Our Annual Conference

 In the last month, hundreds of AmeriCorps members across our Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP), CalPREP, and After School programs have taken the first big step into their yearlong AmeriCorps pledge by immersing themselves in service. Our members serve in diverse capacities across California, from building capacity of nonprofits behind the scenes to tutoring small groups of students in specialized subject areas. No matter their role, all of our AmeriCorps members are untied in their passion for serving our state’s children and families through National Service commitments.

It’s my pleasure to announce that for first the first time, members from across all three of our AmeriCorps programs will come together in Rohnert Park for the CalSERVES AmeriCorps Conference. We’re thrilled about this opportunity to connect our inspiring corps of individuals and can’t wait to see the passion for community service that this event will spark in our dedicated team.

In addition to the opportunity to network with and learn from participants in other programs, each of our AmeriCorps members will receive high-quality training in their area of specialty. After School Service Scholars can look forward to training in behavior management best practices and in their primary subject area (Healthy Behaviors, Literacy, or STEM) from field experts. Instructors in the After School conference track include seasoned CalSERVES staff members and some of our favorite trainers, like David Chosa and Francesca Soriano-Hersh.

VIP and CalPREP fellows will have the opportunity to receive training from some of the best in the field of volunteer management. We’re excited to have experts from OneOC, the Sonoma County Family YMCA, and our event partner, the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, lead workshops in volunteer management topics from the “Elements of Volunteerism” to the building of business partnerships for volunteering. CalPREP Fellows – who are focusing their service year on building college-readiness mentoring programs – will also receive training in our research-based mentoring curriculum.

As the hub for nonprofits in Sonoma County, the Volunteer Center is excited to support our event by sharing its expertise and understanding of nonprofit and volunteer management with our AmeriCorps team! We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership and for providing educational support through multiple presentations over the 4-day conference.

Lauren Serpa, CalSERVES Volunteer Program Coordinator

Join the AmeriCorps Team!

CalSERVES recruitment is in high gear for the 2013-2014 school year! We have all kinds of positions (hands on with kids, leadership roles, volunteer programs), and different schedules (full-time or part-time). There are plenty of ways to be involved and serve the community!

AmeriCorps Service Scholars

Service Scholars serve part time, 25 hours a week, providing small group tutoring to kids in the After School Program. Each Scholar specializes either Literacy (Reading and Writing), STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), or Healthy Behaviors (Nutrition and Physical Education). They plan and implement lessons for students with the goal of helping them be successful in academics and in life. These Service Scholars form close bonds with their students, and provide support and mentoring.

Learn more about the position and apply by visiting the CalSERVES Website.

AmeriCorps Leaders

There are several full time (42+ hours a week) leadership positions available in CalSERVES. We have Service Scholar leaders at each of our After School Sites who oversee the tutoring programs and provide leadership and support to the Service Scholars. There are also Regional Leaders for the After School programs who are involved in supporting several programs. There are also Content Leaders - folks who specialize in our Content Areas (Literacy, STEM, Healthy Behaviors) that help train tutors and support the development of resources for their specific areas.

Learn more about these positions and apply by visiting the CalSERVES Website.

Volunteer Programs AmeriCorps Leaders

CalSERVES runs statewide volunteer programs. We have opportinties to engage in community service all throughout California. These positions are full time (42+ hours a week).
Learn more about these positions and apply by visiting the CalSERVES Website.

Benefits for AmeriCorps Service

You might have heard about some of the benefits of AmeriCorps Service - an Education Award ($5,550.00 for a full time member) at the completion of service, a living stipend while you serve, extensive training, Alumni support and services... Learn more about the benefits to you by visiting the CalSERVES Website- Benefits of Service.

Questions?

What is AmeriCorps? Who is eligible to serve in AmeriCorps? Can I defer student loans while I serve? Find the answers to these questions and more on the CalSERVES Website - FAQ's about Service.

Can't find the answer on our website? Contact our friendly staff at americorps@calserves.org!

Employment

CalSERVES is also hiring staff for office positions and After School Classroom Leaders. Learn more about these opportunities on the CalSERVES Website - Employment.

A Valuable Volunteer

Volunteer Christina Strong works with students at Kawana Elementary.

Kawana Elementary has been honored with an exceptionally devout volunteer in Christina Strong. Aspiring to become a teacher one day, Christina brings a steadfast approach to the CalSERVES after-school program. Her experience continues to be an important stepping-stone in moving forward towards her career of teaching. “I am majoring in Liberal Studies to become a K – 12 teacher and this program offers me everything I need as I am searching for teaching and classroom leadership experience.”


Kawana team members have recognized her hard work. Classroom Leader, Emily Walski, praised Christina’s commitment, “she’s very self-motivated; she comes in to help, figures out where she can lend a hand, and starts working.” This kind of relentless work ethic and passion for teaching makes Christina such a unique and valuable member of the after-school team. Cody Cibart, the volunteer coordinator, added further appreciation, “Christina is great; not only do the mentors and children enjoy her, but she also brings value to our program through her willingness to make a difference.”

Since beginning as a volunteer in early October, Christina has made remarkable progress. In fact, she did such an amazing job as a volunteer that CALSERVES recently decided to hire her as a substitute classroom leader. She is confident going into the future, mentioning that this new position will provide good practice for her career goals.

Volunteers like Christina contribute to the improvement of our community with an unselfish zeal. Her dedication, patience, and desire to improve students’ learning capabilities are the perfect mix of support that the CalSERVES after-program is thrilled to have.

by Cody Cibart and Alex Rowan, AmeriCorps VIP Leaders

CalSERVES VIP Doing Great Things!

The CalSERVES Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP) is doing amazing things throughout the state of California.

To read more about this project and how they are impacting the State of California, visit the CalSERVES website, www.calserves.org and read more about CalSERVES VIP!

CalSERVES Blogs

Did you know that there are 3 CalSERVES blogs? Come check them out!


CalSERVES Volunteer Infrastructure Project

This blog features the work done by AmeriCorps VIP members all over the state of California. The blog includes tips and ideas for recruiting and supporting volunteers, making a difference in the community, and highlights the great work being done by members.

CalSERVES Direct

Written by the CalSERVES Program Director, Julie McClure, this blog focuses on her unique perspective about the work being done in CalSERVES. From site visits to news about service days, this blog is a great place see what our programs are all about.

And of course, there is the CalSERVES blog, where you are right now! Here we feature a little of everything - news from school sites and partners, service days, AmeriCorps members, and much more!

If you would like to contribute to any of these blogs, please contact Emily: emily.mann@calserves.org.

Volunteers Make All the Difference

Christina, CalSERVES Volunteer at Wright

This is my first year working with CalSERVES as a VIP Fellow. Coming into this position I knew that it was my responsibility to bring extra help into our classrooms. With this in mind, I worked under the assumption that people would come and go, essentially becoming transient volunteers. After all, people have school, friends, family, and lives of their own. Why would they spend an extra couple days a week helping our kids? They're strangers and have no relationship to them. What I found within the first few weeks, however, was that like the CalSERVES Team, our volunteers have fallen in love with the Wright kids.

I don't know how to thank those who have sacrificed their time to be here. I always tell volunteers when they come in for an orientation that even if they are unsure of themselves right away, the fact that they are here and sitting next to our kids means the world. It shows the kids that they are important and that others care for them and want to be here.

One volunteer in particular took my advice so seriously that she made sure to stay until each student was picked up. To Christina volunteering isn't just a requirement for class or an activity to beef up her resume; it is something that she did because she enjoys kids. Each day in the second grade she is as good as a third mentor. Drawing pictures for the kids when they land at the top of the clip chart and playing the keyboard during song and dance club makes her one of our best recruits.

I am continually amazed by each of our long-term volunteer's consistency. These are the kinds of people who enhance our program. Without them, each mentor and team leader would have a harder time tying up loose ends. I will forever respect and admire their kindness and generosity. I hope that this semester will find Wright with even more positive people coming through our doors.

Lauren Loeffler, AmeriCorps VIP at Wright Charter School

Life in the CalSERVES Office

Ah, the elusive office. Many in CalSERVES have heard about and visited this pristine space. Some come here every few weeks for meetings. Few know the reality of working in the office. Often, my fellow members at school sites ask me about my experience thus far in the office. Coming up with a suitable answer proves difficult because working in a setting like this is not so novel to me—most of my prior work experiences took place in an office setting, besides my term as a full-time mentor at Wright last year.

For this blog, I offered to write a piece on life in the office. In order to best articulate my feelings on this subject, I wrote a poem encapsulating my time here. I hope you enjoy it.

A Cube with a View 

My head bobs unconsciously to the 
cacophonic taps of fingers upon keyboards; 
our joints read the notes of an unseen composition, allegro. 
I devour another email, rich in its text, a signature like cupcake frosting. 

I blink; the resulting image is a mishmash of right angles, 
algorithmic in their precision. My cubicle is lined with interwoven threads 
of charcoal and peach, of granite quarries and southwestern dust. 

I sit, stare, and I forget other people exist here. 
Everywhere. My own vacuum of productivity. 
Then someone calls me. I text them. They fax me. I email them. 
We engage in the electric slide, the techno tango, 
making up the moves and songs as we go along. 

A child appears and people swarm like ducks to an open palm of breadcrumbs. 
My spreadsheets have replaced my students: I protect them, 
teach them new formulas, respond to error messages and data disagreements; 
cells tattle on each other, but with a click, everyone is friends again. 

I get up; the grey carpet is now crimson, a runway lined with adoring fans. 
Strutting to the kitchen, I wave and smile and pretend the fluorescent bulbs 
flash at me; coworkers scream my name as I pass by, asking for my autograph 
on a timesheet. A Starbucks mermaid is my Oscar trophy; 
my supervisor hands it to me and I tear up during the acceptance speech. 

It was once an enigma, a maze of plastic and frosted rectangles,
where the cogs of CalSERVES hid and hashed out. 
I often heard “the office” uttered as if it were an individual. 
“That’s what the office said.” “Let me ask the office.” 
However, I’ve infiltrated the inside and have come to spread 
the juicy gossip: behind that voice on the phone, 
behind those glossy glass doors, behind the privacy screens of cubicles— 
there is no false wizard, no other-worldly entity. 
There are people. Smiling. Answering questions. Laughing. 
Finalizing the fiscal. Besieging the budgetary. Caring. 
They are the instructions to our IKEA bed, 
the plumber to our leaky pipes, 
the heart to our tin man. 

by Patrick Link, CalSERVES Local VIP Leader

Healthy Food for Families

Fresh produce from the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Every Friday I go to the food bank and get hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables to give out to the families. This past Friday I got over 600 pounds of produce. I picked up 150 boxes of strawberries (1 per family), 200 pounds of potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and celery. In the past I have also gotten sweet potatoes, carrots, parsley, green onions, apples, oranges, asian pears, and more. Although I do this every Friday, the parents still ask me how much I am charging for the produce. The families are relentlessly shocked and grateful for the copious amounts of fruits and vegetables I provide.

This is by far one of the most rewarding things I have a chance to do. Giving healthy food for the families to put on the dinner table, and knowing that my students aren’t going to go hungry tonight- that’s all the thanks I need.

by Melissa Collins, VIP Fellow at Kawana Elementary School

New CalSERVES VIP Blog

The Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP), a part of CalSERVES, has a new blog! Check it out. You'll be able to read about all the amazing work our AmeriCorps VIP Fellows are doing across the state of California.

http://calservesvip.blogspot.com/

Need to Read-a-Thon!

Amy Holter, AmeriCorps VIP at RL Stevens Elementary

Sonoma County District Supervisor Efren Carrillo encourages students to read.

Learn to read, so you can read to learn. That was the message sent by District Supervisor, Efren Carrillo, when he addressed 80 students at the CalSERVES Need to Read Festival on Monday, May 9, 2011. The Need to Read Festival came at the end of a three-week read-a-thon held at all eight CalSERVES elementary schools.

The read-a-thon was an opportunity for students to measure how much they read outside of school. Top readers were invited to the Need to Read Festival and had a great time dressing up as storybook characters, painting their faces and eating healthy, refreshing snow cones.

The event was a community affair. Full funding for the event was provided by the Active 20-30 Club #50, an organization that raises money for children in Santa Rosa. The read-a-thon also provided a chance to raise funds to purchase high-quality books for CalSERVES libraries. CalSERVES would like to thank the Active 20-30 club #1029, Umpqua Bank, Whole Foods and Copperfield’s Books who sponsored the book drive.

Summertime is often an enemy of continued academic progress. With summer just around the corner, it is very important for students to increase the amount of time they read at home. Please remember the message of the read-a-thon and encourage your students to embrace learning through reading even after they go home for vacation.

Congratulations to all the students who worked so hard to make the read-a-thon a huge success!

VIP and Volunteers make a Big Impact in San Luis Obispo County

Wendy Lewis, the Associate Executive Director of the Food Bank Coalition

The AmeriCorps VIP program has definitely proven not only beneficial, but necessary for the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County. Spread between two warehouses, the Food Bank only comprises of 23 paid employees, otherwise we gratefully rely on our pool of 400+ volunteers!

Our VIP fellows Stephanie Lossinsky and Megan Chicoine both handle our large database of volunteers, as they work with the volunteers and orchestrate opportunities for those who want to participate in the community. It is so important to nurture and establish positive, fun relations with the generous people who want to help the county, and Stephanie and Megan surely do that with great verve, leadership, and administration.

One of the core volunteer groups they look forward to working with is the vivacious and always entertaining 8th grade girls with Community Giving Back, which is a service-oriented program for youth that facilitates opportunities to attend camps and various educational programs. The 8th graders have been dubbed “The Fridays” since almost every Friday, between 4 and 7 girls join forces and tackle various tasks at the Food Bank warehouse in Paso Robles. Stephanie and Megan always look forward to when the girls come to the Food Bank because the Fridays complete the occasional dirty work—for instance, bagging onions for the Saturday distribution (sometimes there are a few grimy ones!)—with loads of laughter and cheery attitudes! They make sure that the Fridays know exactly how and who in SLO County they are helping.

It was really exciting during our "Have a Heart Food Drive" at Food 4 Less in February because the girls very excitingly gathered food from giving customers and even got to take turns dressing up as the amazing Food Bank mascot Sandie the Sandwich! Community Giving Back creator Kim Austin truly appreciates the relationship between the VIP Fellows Stephanie and Megan and the Fridays. All of them understand the value of service and enjoy the process of providing for the community.

VIPs Pull Together COOL Sports Dance and Cheer!

Frances Hardie, VIP Leader, CalSERVES

In December, we had our first Cool Sports challenge of the year. Cool Sports is one of the students’ favorite activities here at the CalSERVES afterschool program. Each school sent one team to participate in the final dance and cheerleading competition, which was held on the stage at Sheppard Elementary. Everyone is always a winner in Cool Sports- each team got a distinct award for their dance or cheer.

Our eight local VIPs were in charge of doing the behind-the-scenes logistics for Cool Sports: finding coaches, making practice times, and getting everyone on the bus and safely to Sheppard and back. I came over to the gym at Sheppard, and a few teams were already there. The kids were a bundle of excited and nervous energy. As more schools arrived, it got crazier and crazier, with everyone getting on costumes, practicing, and sneaking glances at the other schools. It quieted down when Ms. Ford began the MCing, and the events began! The kids and their coaches had fantastic dances and cheers, and everyone cheered wildly for each of the other teams.

The award for “Hardest Dance” went to Kawana School (pictured). We had two amazing volunteers working as coaches with the Kawana team, Ms. Mitchell and Mr. H (back left). Together, they put in over 30 hours teaching dances and cheers. They also prepared chants so that the Kawana team could loudly cheer on every one of the other teams as they were making their way up to the stage. In the middle of their dance performance, the Kawna students even tried out a bit of break dancing that they had been working on with Mr. H. Our volunteers are an invaluable addition to our programs at CalSERVES, and their obvious hard work was evident in the great Kawana cheering and dance routines.

Thanks to all of our volunteers, VIPs, Sheppard School, and especially Ms. Ford for making this amazing event come together. And, finally, I can’t wait for Cool Sports basketball in February and track and field in April!

VIP's are making a difference in California!

A picture of Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP) Team Leader Rachel Osias from CSU Monterey Bay  is featured in the Californian for participation in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade in Seaside, CA. Behind her in green is VIP Ben Bruce and children from his VIP partner agency, Community Partnership for Youth.

Check out the picture here:
http://www.thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=J2&Dato=20110117&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=101170802&Ref=PH

Learn what CalPoly San Luis Obispo VIPs did for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, one of AmeriCorps’ National Days of Service! Their project was featured in this article among other projects at California State Universities.

Check out the article here:
http://www.calstate.edu/pa/News/2011/Story/MLK2011..shtml

Volunteers are VIP!

Lauren Serpa, CalSERVES VIP Leader

CalSERVES AmeriCorps VIP fellow Steven Goings with volunteers from BSU at CSU Monterey Bay.

The mission of the CalSERVES AmeriCorps Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP) is to increase the capacity of diverse non-profit and educational organizations to serve the highest-need children and families across the state. Our AmeriCorps members create effective volunteer infrastructure to serve needs that would otherwise be unmet.

In other words… we love volunteers! We do what we do at VIP because we know that every volunteer, every hour and act of service make a difference. We see the impact our members make in the lives of children and adults through community services, schools, universities, botanical gardens, food banks – at every one of our partner sites!

Many programs and projects that serve communities throughout the state depend solely on volunteer effort. Two of our AmeriCorps VIP members working with HandsOn Central California, Ashley Cole and Jonathan Munoz, coordinated one such project. By mobilizing 425 volunteers for their recent two-day event, Hope for the Holidays, they enabled 834 homeless school children and their families to celebrate the holidays with a hot meal, crafts, flu shots, entertainment (including Santa Claus himself!), and a wrapped gift for every child. Every one of the 425 volunteers made a difference to the hundreds of children and families who attended.

Team Kids, one of our partner sites in Irvine, understands that even children make a positive impact by giving their time. At one of their community outreach events, children gave their time by writing inspirational notes to sick children. Some children even volunteered to help deliver the notes. These young volunteers were engaged, and the sick children were encouraged by the volunteers’ time and care.

At VIP, we also know just how important it is to appreciate our volunteers. We value our volunteers and the impact they make every time they show up to give their time and their skills, and we like to make sure they know it! Many VIPs have made a point to appreciate the volunteers they have recruited in gestures or words of gratitude or in organized events. Alyssa “Zaylia” Pluss, an AmeriCorps VIP member serving at Aids Project East Bay, played a key role in organizing the First Annual Consumer (client) and Volunteer Appreciation Holiday Party: the organization’s first event geared toward appreciating and retaining volunteers. Alyssa remarks that “in the days following the party, I have noticed volunteers who did not previously know each other becoming friends, and many people have mentioned how uplifting the party was. We appreciated volunteers at the event by giving each one a certificate of appreciation and further appreciated two volunteers by presenting them with awards for ‘outstanding volunteer 2010.’ One volunteer, who is also a client, received an award for being an outstanding volunteer - this re-invigorated his participation in the organization while setting an example for others. In all, the event was a great success.”

Do you volunteer? Your time, your skills, and your consideration of others can make a huge impact.

Volunteer today!

VIP Stateside Service

Sara Sitch, CalSERVES AmeriCorps VIP Program Manager

A short two and a half months into their year of service, Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP) Fellows across the state have already dived into their year-long volunteer recruitment project by holding large-scale service projects in the communties they serve.

During the month of October, VIP Fellows from all over the state participated in Make a Difference Day: a service day that utilizes community involvement to meet targeted community needs. These projects were all united in their goal of mobilizing community volunteers.

Owen Martin, one of the VIP Fellows at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, put together a very successful Make a Difference Day, with over 400 volunteers who helped 28 different agencies across the county. Independentsector.org estimates a volunteer hour in California is worth $22.79. Based on this figure, the time served volunteering that day was worth approximately $36,000. Owen says: “On October 23, individuals and groups from around San Luis Obispo County came together in the spirit of community and volunteerism to lend a hand to local nonprofit agencies. Their help and support made this year one of the most successful Make a Difference Days in its twelve-year history in San Luis Obispo County.”

In addition to Make a Difference Day, many VIP sites have gotten the ball rolling and held additional large service projects. For example, this past September Volunteer Center of the East Bay worked with Civicorps Schools, one of its partner organizations, to host the Creek to Bay Day event to clean up an Oakland park. Ursula Machado, the VIP Fellow at Civicorps, coordinated the event with City of Oakland staff and recruited an incredible 500% more volunteers for this year’s event compared with last year! All of the Volunteer Center of East Bay’s VIP Fellows also showed up to rally around Ursula and help make the park beautiful.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and MORE Pumpkins!

Frances Hardie, CalSERVES AmeriCorps VIP Leader

Shone Farm, part of the Junior College’s Agriculture Program, donated 120

absolutely enormous pumpkins- they weighed more than some of our first graders!

Last month was October, which means just one thing in the world of the CalSERVES VIP Fellow: Pumpkins! With almost 1,000 kids in CalSERVES afterschool programs, we had a whole lot of pumpkins to find. Local businesses and farmers were extremely supportive and offered us more pumpkins than we could even carve!


The donations started slowly, with farmers not sure what their crops would be like or how many pumpkins they could offer. However, it turned out to be a bumper crop; combined with a rainy final week of the month and shoppers staying inside, there were tons of pumpkins left over all around Sonoma County. We suddenly had to get to all of the farms, organize trucks for pickups, drive everywhere from Petaluma to Windsor to Forestville, and then pass out pumpkins and carving supplies.

 Here, VIP Fellows Tyler Rockey and Gabby O’Neill 

collect pumpkins from Oluf’s Ranches amidst much rain and mud.

All of the VIPs worked very hard bringing the pumpkins to our eight schools, and the carving days went off without a hitch. I got out to see Meadow View and Bellevue, and the kids were having a wonderful time. My favorite moment was when a girl at Meadow View looked into the Cool School room and saw the huge pile of pumpkins sitting on the floor. Her reaction: “WHAT?!?!”

The last week of October was the most insane and hectic of my time at CalSERVES so far, but it was all worth it to see the kids so excited. I’m just glad it’s November now!

To the 2010-2011 AmeriCorps Members

A Letter from Julie McClure, CalSERVES Program Director

2010-2011 AmeriCorps Members,

As CalSERVES programs begin their new year, I wanted to share with you some reflections from those impacted most by our program and my wishes for your year.

I think B has benefited from having a tutor and from being in After School. She lost her mother this year and she really connected with her tutor and was able to open up with her and talk. She’s so shy in the classroom. She’s been through so much. I’m glad she had that all-important one-on-one time with her mentor. I’m grateful to her mentor for taking her under her wing. - Teacher

Remember that every day you can make THE difference in someone’s life.

During my year of service I have come across challenges, and with these challenges have come rewards. The rewards are simple smiles on the faces of my students, and the excitement they share with me when they understand what we’ve practiced for weeks. I have better honed my skills and my patience…and have also reaffirmed my love for helping kids. – CalSERVES AmeriCorps Mentor

I realized this month that Social Services are what I want to do in life, and it took AmeriCorps for me to recognize my talents and passion for helping others. I am so thankful to have come so far and to have gained so much experience being in AmeriCorps. I value this program for a multitude of reasons. –VIP AmeriCorps Mentor

Take advantage of the growth and development opportunities available to you.

I really like tutoring because it is fun and we do the big three: learning, reading, and writing. I have had so many achievements. – CalSERVES Student

Celebrate all your successes!

I am proud of the work you are doing and of the accomplishments I am sure you will have throughout your year of service.

Julie McClure, Program Director