Jillian Maynard is helping the aging Jewish community in Youngstown, Ohio tell their stories. From surviving the Holocaust to making a new life in the United States, the Life Stories Project serves as a form of narrative therapy while also helping to strengthen the connection between participants and their children and grandchildren.
Kurtis Edwards can’t recall how he found the AmeriCorps VISTA program, but after almost two years of service, he feels lucky that he did. As he completes his second year of service, he is even more resolute in his determination to “work tirelessly at a career in human service and community building.”
Luwi is a Zambian immigrant who came to the U.S. with her family in 2006. Over the years, her experiences have helped her develop a personal understanding and perspective on what it means to be an immigrant in the U.S., which includes challenges such as seeing her older sister forgo epilepsy treatments her parents could not afford. These experiences are part of what drew her to the AmeriCorps VISTA position at Boston Medical Center (BMC).
A few years later, this is the exact message he wants to get through to people: “It can happen to anybody so quickly. People don’t really understand how quickly you can fall into this place where you feel like you have no options, and then you’re trapped.”
It was this passion for sharing his story through public speaking and advocacy that led Mikah to AmeriCorps VISTA, an experience he would later call “magical.”
National service was always something Claire knew she wanted to do. With a desire to keep her focus on improving healthcare domestically, she chose to serve in AmeriCorps.
As a Chicagoan and recent college graduate serving in Wyoming in the department’s Aging Division, Claire would be working in a place and with a population that was very unfamiliar.
But to drive home his point, McAteer is willing to table the intricacies and strip down “sustainability” to its bluntest, barest form: “You don’t just finish a project, take a digital photo, and move on.”
Mandy’s Farm – VAMOS Program – 2019 Excellence in AmeriCorps Award for Engaging More People with Disabilities
This annual celebration of outdoor activities and their benefits has grown from a week-long celebration in 1998 to cover the entire month of June. Whether you are into fishing, camping, hiking, biking, or other outside pursuits, there are plenty of places to enjoy them. You could spend all summer exploring some of the 419 locations in the National Park System, or visit some of the thousands of state and local park facilities near you.
Elder abuse takes many forms — physical, emotional, financial, and sexual — and can come at the hands of strangers, family, and trusted caregivers or advisers. Studies estimate that 10 percent of America's seniors experience some kind of abuse and neglect, although it's generally agreed that incidents are under-identified and under-reported. For example, the New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found that for every case known to programs and agencies, 24 were unknown.
The following vignettes come from a sample of CNCS staff members who served in AmeriCorps and were transformed by the experience and lasting impact of service.
Dina Manco
Dina Manco served as an AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps member from 2016-17 on disaster preparedness and response efforts in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi.