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By Noble Smith

In every generation, some piece of local, regional or Federal legislation, or some momentous activity or occasion or some human event initiates a life-style change, a change that affects almost every aspect of our country.

Certainly when President Obama on April 21st signed into law the Kennedy Service America Act, some recognized instantly, others still were in wonderment, but the volunteer force and its impact on this country’s volunteer sustainability changed abruptly.

Some would say, “so what, it won’t help my pocketbook”, or other phrases such as “what’s in it for me” or “it’s just another bureaucratic labyrinth that will cost more than it’s worth.”

Others, rightfully so, across this country in all walks of life, all age, gender, race and socio-economic groupings are beginning to understand that service to this country through volunteering is now very much apart of our modus operand.

For Maine, the magnitude, complexity and diversity of the Act’s implications are still under intense assessment, planning and organizational implementation. Maine’s existing volunteer commitment and leadership, recognized nationally, has already begun a process, in an orderly business-like manner, to expand, enhance and grow the volunteer movement and its participation at all levels of the State’s needs. These adjustments will start to alter the landscape when the Act becomes effective on October 1st.

But, the impact of this Act is not just for Executive Directors, CEOs and top management. The impact is a bottoms-up initiative with strong top to bottom fiduciary, management and training mandates. The Act’s content has impacts from the smallest to the largest non-profit, to a wide diversity of human service and life-sustaining organizations and to a whole new set of service initiatives.

AmerCorp, alone, will grow from its current 17,000 participants to over 250,000 by 2017. Five new service Corps - Education, Health Futures, Clean Energy, Veterans and Opportunity - will be established thereby providing substantial and expanded volunteering options for local, regional and national service.

The senior administrative staff of MCCS and several Commissioners journeyed to Boston on the Friday start of the Memorial Day Weekend to participate in a historic “listening session” with our national partner – the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

The MCCS Commissioners will review in extensive detail the impact that the Service America Act will have on Maine during their annual retreat in June. Once all the legislative enactments are evaluated, MCCS and CNCS have agreed upon the steps that are in the best interest of Maine, our volunteer work force and how Maine can accommodate the new national criteria, a series of postings will be made on MCCS’ web site outlining in detail this most positive generational change.

As you read earlier this week, in the critically important blog by MCCS Executive Director, Maryalice Crofton, just determining the extent, magnitude and potential impacts of the Act represent a Herculean task. The thoughts, insights, guidance and council from all of Maine organizations that garner and encourage volunteer involvement should begin an open dialogue with MCCS.

The years ahead are extraordinarily bright for this State’s volunteer involvement. Maine is extremely fortunate to have a brilliant, hard working professional staff and an expanding group of volunteer Commissioners, all of whom share an exciting vision for the future.

Noble Smith is an MCCS Commissioner and a featured blogger.

By Maryalice Crofton

If you are a manager of volunteers who has not supervised a Foster Grandparent, AmeriCorps*VISTA, Senior Companion, AmeriCorps Member, or RSVP volunteer, the headlines around Kennedy Serve America Act may have left you feeling “How nice for them but what’s in it for my program?”

As Executive Director of the Maine Commission for Community Service, I want to point out the new elements that are “in it for you.”

Did you see the Volunteer Generation Fund? The Social Innovation Fund? The Nonprofit Capacity Building Fund?

What about Silver Scholarships that volunteers over 55 can “earn” and then assign to a child, grandchild, or foster child?

Then there are Service Fellows who design their own service project and volunteer at a nonprofit that has been pre-qualified to host someone.

There are more new opportunities but, as someone pointed out, creation of the program does not mean funding.

So, let’s look at one of the new options for which funding is included in the presidential budget: The Volunteer Generation Fund.

To clarify, the name doesn’t reference an age group. It does reference the need to “generate” volunteers to support the services and activities in communities that are formally organized.

The fund’s objective is to address a problem that has been in the spotlight for almost 10 years; namely, the capacity or ability of local programs to attract, deploy, and retain volunteers.

“Capacity” isn’t a question of willingness or passion but the absence of resources to organize effectively. We all have stories of the very compassionate effort that went into meeting a local need but didn’t last. Likewise there are stories of programs that used to be reliable or meet a need but now are shadows of themselves. And there are the community needs that many folks have taken a stab at addressing but the volunteer efforts just don’t seem to work.

More than 90% of the time, when one looks under the hood at what happened and why, there were too few resources – staff, training, business systems, budget, organizational support or validation — to support the volunteers’ work. When researchers studied the issues in a formal way, they quantified the symptom (one-third of new volunteers leave after one year due to program operating issues) and identified the cause (lack of program staff to coordinate volunteers, lack of training for staff on how to manage volunteers, and low allocation of time for management of volunteers). Just last month (April 2009), the 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey reported that 24% of nonprofits had no one assigned to manage the organizations’ volunteers.

Are these capacity issues relevant to Maine’s volunteer sector?

To find out, look around your community and do two things:
1. pick up a nonprofit annual report and see if you can find what volunteers accomplished for the agency, what was the value of their work (an in-kind donation to the agency), how many volunteers were involved, and which staff member is assigned to coordinate the volunteer effort.
2. ask yourself “who would I call for training or technical assistance if I wanted to start a volunteer program or get help on an issue for a volunteer program I was in charge of?”

Maine’s volunteer sector generates $868 million dollars worth of service annually yet, it is largely invisible to boards of directors and funders. And, although there are a known set of traits for high quality, sustainable volunteer operations, local operational training is scant and it is not possible to be trained as a manager of volunteers within Maine.

So how does the Volunteer Generation Fund relate to the needs of volunteer programs?

Here are the allowable uses cited in the law:
- provide technical assistance and support that strengthens the capacity of local volunteer infrastructure organizations (i.e., volunteer centers)
- provide support to community-based volunteer training clearinghouse, an institution of higher education, a volunteer collaborative partnership
- directly carry out volunteer programs

While State Service Commissions like the Maine Commission for Community Service will receive half the funding appropriated and can compete for additional monies from the Volunteer Generation Fund, much of the money will flow down into regions as grants.

In Maine, the Volunteer Generation Fund has the potential to take the Commission’s concept of “volunteer centers without walls” from the drawing board (where it’s been for 6 years) into communities. These centers would actually be small collaborations between organizations that would ensure the functions of volunteer centers are established and maintained in the area:
- a searchable volunteer-matching system to connect people with volunteer opportunities;
- volunteer management training for organizations
- activities that heighten awareness of volunteers’ impact and recognize volunteers
- identification of opportunities for volunteers to help address critical local needs

The question for our state is “what organizations care enough about the volunteer sector to undertake this work?”

And, even more exciting to contemplate are possibilities like…
- Specialized volunteer centers out of school districts that connect students with meaningful volunteer opportunities in their communities (Kansas called them VYNES);
- A Maine Service Academy that develops volunteer leaders, people who volunteer in leadership roles to organize other volunteers in activities that tackle local needs;
- A Maine School Service Corps that places service-learning coordinators in nonprofits committed to engaging youth in meeting community needs;
- Development of new peer-to-peer networks of managers of volunteers and establishment of a statewide association for managers of volunteers
- A program to link nonprofit management and business students in colleges with volunteer programs that need added staff to upgrade their operational procedures and policies;
- A scholarship fund to help staff of volunteer programs attend professional development programs;
- Project grants to local groups that organize community days of service (Martin Luther King Day, Make A Difference Day, Join Together, etc.).
- A cost-shared program through which a volunteer program could re-engineer its operation to accommodate the changed lifestyles of today’s volunteers

There are more possibilities but not an endless supply of funds. If the $10 million in the federal budget is appropriated and Maine gets its usual 0.04%, that would be $400,000. So, there is a need to set priorities and try to improve or assist the broadest range of volunteer programs with whatever happens.

In that light, perhaps the last question for this post should be one for you: “What would strengthen your program operations and, at the same time, benefit other volunteer programs in Maine?”

Maryalice Crofton is the Executive Director of the Maine Commission for Community Service and a guest blogger.

By Trudy Hamilton

It’s been a fairly cool spring this year, so far. As usual, if I can’t go out and play in my garden this time of year, my mind will wander, and I’ll start thinking of the strangest things. This time, I’ve been thinking about marketing. Probably because of the Cheerio’s issue with claiming to lower cholesterol, and being asked to change their campaign.

How does marketing fit in with volunteer management? How much of your position involves “recruitment”? Recruitment is mostly marketing. Determining your target audience, and developing an appealing message, and getting results. That said, how many of us came to volunteer management with a background in marketing?

Lucky for us, there are lots of resources out there for marketing information on a low or no budget plan, lots of tips, and techniques. If you start collecting these now, you’ll have a great resource when you need something different, or when you realize what you are doing might not be working. There is information about different age groups, and what appeals to them. You may even come across ideas that are specific to your program, if you are lucky. One of the best ways to have a great idea is to have lots of ideas!

While you are looking for what works, what is new and exciting, don’t be afraid to use the same resources and tools that those in the corporate world uses. You may find that it isn’t any more expensive than things you already do. The corporations just spent the money developing the idea with a marketing firm or team.

While you are discovering what works, remember to keep track of what didn’t work, and try to find out why it didn’t work. Often, a great idea just needs a small change to become a great idea that works.

While you are looking for ways to market you agency and your program, remember to keep in mind great ways to market yourself. With the current economy (The Nonprofit Finance Fund recently completed a study that showed only 16% of nonprofits will be able to cover their operating expenses for the next two years, 31% can cover less than three months, and another 31% do not have enough money to cover for one more month), chances are you will have to market your program and/or yourself to either the budget folks at your agency or hiring staff at another agency. What better way to market yourself than being fully prepared and confident?

Trudy Hamilton is a Volunteer Manager at SeniorsPlus and a featured blogger.

By Carla Ganiel

Did you know that this blog depends on volunteers? In fact, for the first six months it was run by an editorial board composed entirely of volunteers. As the chair of that intrepid group, I spent a lot of time looking for other volunteers willing to write for us. We found a group of individuals who could commit to writing on a regular basis—our featured bloggers and decided that we would also seek out guest bloggers to help us fill in with additional content.

It turned out that recruiting guest bloggers wasn’t that easy. People are busy. Sometimes they don’t have time to think, let alone write about what they’re thinking. Sometimes they’re new to the idea of blogging and not certain they want to put themselves out there. But having recently started a blog of my own, http://whipmyassets.blogspot.com/ here is what I can tell you first-hand about the benefits of blogging:

There’s no better way to connect with other people on the internet. I have been amazed by the feedback I’ve gotten about my blog, which focuses on my personal struggles with health and fitness. People I hardly know—and some I don’t know—have sent words of advice and encouragement. Many of them have commented or emailed to tell me that they can relate to what I’m writing about, and the conversation is only just beginning. I’ve been writing for years, but I’ve never experienced such a sense of community and immediacy in connection with something I’ve written until now.

You can take a stand without being an expert. How is it possible that I am writing a health and fitness blog? Do I have any qualifications? Am I an expert on health and fitness? Not really. But I am an expert on myself, my challenges, and my story. I have something to say that only I can say, and if you think about blogging as a community development activity, then you soon realize the importance of creating a conversation with many different voices. That’s the underlying assumption of community development work—that groups are smarter than individuals, and that everyone has something to contribute.

You don’t have to be the best writer, and your writing doesn’t have to be perfect. Blogging is the written equivalent of chatting around the water cooler about the things that excite and frustrate you as you go about your daily work. It does not require lengthy exposition. It’s about getting your ideas and questions out there and inviting feedback and conversation.

We all know that one reason people don’t volunteer is that they haven’t been asked. Today I’m asking. I hope you’ll consider writing a guest post for this blog.

If you’re still not sure how to get started, Bob Creamer offers some suggestions in The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging:

• Make one key point in your post. Use a straightforward headline and a succinct opening paragraph to clearly communicate your basic argument. The rest of the narrative should reinforce your argument.
• Use numbered lists, bullets, short paragraphs or bold type to make your narrative more readable.
• Include a call to action in the conclusion—Invite readers to respond in word or deed.
• To achieve maximum impact, relate your topic to the readers’ personal experience or appeal to their emotions.
• Say something surprising or unexpected.

In the interest of following Bob’s advice, let me conclude by asking one more time. If you would like to submit a guest post for this blog, please contact Rochelle Runge.

Carla Ganiel specializes in strategy consulting for nonprofit organizations and is a featured blogger.

By Ann Swain

Do you know a perfectionist? Are you a perfectionist? If you know a perfectionist, do you like that person? And if you are a perfectionist, do you like the person you are? Do you think others like who you are as a perfectionist?

I once heard a comedian say “my mom told me ‘practice makes perfect’ and then she said ‘no one is perfect’, so I quit practicing”. Hmmmm….what if we didn’t at least work towards perfection, even if we know there is always room for improvement.

What does perfection have to do with volunteers and managing volunteers? I have had volunteers throughout my career who helped me be a better manager merely by the way they approached their volunteering. Sure there are times you may have a volunteer or two who are taking up space and you feel you’re getting what you’re paying for…nothing! In my case, that has been a rare event.

For all the volunteers who have crossed my path, it would be difficult to put a dollar mark on the value of what they give to others. I know that there is a value placed on volunteer work, but in most cases I have experienced, that dollar mark is nowhere near the real value of the dedication, knowledge and commitment volunteers bring to the business or agency where they give of themselves.

With the emphasis on youth volunteer programs and the push to grow those programs, it is my hope there will be ways for older volunteers to mentor younger volunteers. There is no question youth volunteers can be just as committed and just as dedicated as the older volunteer, but the knowledge gained by the partnership across the age spectrum just might be the greatest move toward perfection in volunteerism. The value of the experience to all participants would be the ultimate achievement.

Ann Swain is the Director of the Senior Companion Program at UMaine Extension and a featured blogger.

By Leah Deasy

Searsport District High School is a small school in rural Maine with few extracurricular activities beside the most popular sports and a drama club. With just over 250 students its hard for any one activity to attract enough students to thrive and compete. We do have one thing, however, that many larger schools do not –a student run, coffee-powered, community radio station. It’s a small station, internet only, and with a tiny listener base, but we love it. The students own it—every morning they’re there, producing a morning news show, sometimes before we are.
Students work independently or in groups to produce shows—from special requests in the hallway to original poetry and music to visits from specials guest including Von Gore the viking. Our students were just recognized with an award for service-learning at the Hall of Flags in Augusta. The momentum is growing and as the students become more aware of the needs and wants of their school and larger community, they’re gaining attention and a committed fan base.
The change I’ve seen in some of the students over the course of the year—from being forced in front of the mike and producing little more than a timid whisper, to becoming full on DJ’s with multiple personas, is wild. Having an audience and ownership of a creative product that enters the airwaves of the real world and not just a teacher’s grade book, is a very empowering experience for students. They feel real control and responsibility over our final product.
To celebrate Americorps week we produced a 30min broadcast on the impact of Americorps in our town. The broadcast aired on WERU and can be downloaded as a podcast from their archives at www.weru.org
Check out our website at www.sdhsradio.msad56.org to listen to the station and get up to date news at SDHS radio endeavors!

Leah Deasy is an AmeriCorps member and a guest blogger.

By Chris Wolff

To kick off AmeriCorps Week, I would like to highlight the impact of AmeriCorps on the communities in which AmeriCorps members serve, and share some of the highlights from my program. We work hard to match our AmeriCorps members with their host sites based on skills, interests and personalities. Sometimes I tell people that my job is really all about match-making. I learn about the needs of the communities, and get to know the on-site supervisors. I learn a little about the character of the community, and how much support is available for the member, and how much initiative will be needed by the member. After the match-making process is completed and the member has been selected and placed, the placement is then somewhat organic and I can only hope I’ve set up the mechanisms for success based on a solid support structure and clear position descriptions.

More times than not, this process works very well, and the members are well-matched with their host sites. The Island Institute asks the AmeriCorps members to focus 100% of their time on being a part of their host communities: to attend potluck dinners, volunteer for the school plays, attend basketball games, volunteer at the senior luncheons, organize a coastal clean-up project… We expect that the member will have broader-reaching impact in their host communities beyond their direct scope of work. It is an incredible opportunity to just “be” community for 2 years. This immersion in the communities creates a richness and depth of experience for both the AmeriCorps member and their host communities. The impact goes far beyond the immediate expectations of the placement, and creates a lasting impact.

Over the past 10 years of operating the Island Fellows Program, we have placed approximately 75 Fellows in the field. Of those, approximately 20% have settled in their island host communities. Some have married. Some have had children. They continue to work and volunteer in these communities, and are also helping to sustain the schools by adding more children.

In celebration of AmeriCorps week, I would like to share some excerpts from our AmeriCorps member site supervisors regarding the impact of their member in their communities.

“Most important, Alden has become an Islander no one wants to see leave. His care and love of Long Island is obvious. We are having withdrawal symptoms at the idea of his departing. Alden had giant shoes to fill when he arrived as our previous Fellows were absolutely superb. Those shoes he more than filled and in so doing will leave behind a stronger, better community able to face future challenges and needs as a result of his contributions to Long Island.

We thank the Island Institute for this incredible program that has made all of the Fellows available to the Islands over the past years. And, we thank Alden Robinson for his tremendous contributions to Long Island and wish him well in all his future endeavors. You will be sorely missed.”
-Mark Greene, Fellow Advisor, speaking on behalf of Alden Robinson, Long Island Fellow.

“Scott has done a remarkable job doing side tasks, creating opportunities for our community, and offering a helping hand at anything and everything. Scott has spent most of his time at our K-8 school and our preschool and has made an impact on the lives of all of our children. He has spent time mentoring, tutoring, guiding, just hanging and teaching. One child has taken piano lessons and has written and memorized his own piece thanks to Scott. Several others have taken guitar lessons and piano lessons and participated in the talent shows for the past two years. Many other students have worked on art techniques, learning new games for the playground and for all of us a deep appreciation for music, art and physical education.

As many of you know, living on an island, you have a small community that is being forced to keep up with expectations of large communities based on volunteers and the same volunteers for the same ones?

With Scott being part of our community for the past two years has helped ease our load. Having Scott in our community has brought new life, ideas and dedication to make things happen. We have learned a lot and treasure this opportunity for an island fellow and are even more grateful that it’s been Scott. If Frenchboro gets another Fellow they’ll have big shoes to fill. What I value most about Scott is that from day one when he came to Frenchboro, this has been more than just a job for him. He came in and made this place home and allowed it’s residents to be his extended family. For me Scott has been like a brother I never had and I hate seeing him leave but I want him to chase his dreams because he can succeed in anything. Thanks to the Island Institute for bringing him into our lives, for all of the people that funded this project to make it happen and most of all to you Scott for being who you are.”
- Rebecca Lenfestey, Fellow Advisor, commenting on Scott Sell, Frenchboro Fellow

“I had so many visions for the school that I could not possibly have done any of it without Anne. The fellowship means two things, it means this ability to get things done in our community, and then there’s the person part and it’s Anne and it’s just so special. I’ve never seen anybody come into an island community, this tight knit little community that can be so intimate and lovely and wonderful and frustrating and irritating at the same time and Anne just sort of melded in there and it’s just amazing and people just love her there. I just can’t believe how much we have accomplished in two years. We have resources in our school, we have brand new textbooks, we have a curriculum, we have technology we didn’t have before, we have a beautifully painted, warm, cozy interior atmosphere.

I can’t say enough about this program, I really never could have gotten everything done in the last two years without her and I’m so grateful for this program and for the opportunity to go into another school year with a new Fellow who’s going to be working in the school and our new historical society. I’ve made a wonderful, dear, lovely friend that I’ll always have.”
- Natalie Ames, Fellow Advisor, commenting on Matinicus Island Fellow, Anne Bardaglio

“When we’re as lucky as we have been to get Fellows who do good work, who fit into our community, who build strong relationships with colleagues and kids, we want to keep them.

We got David as a Fellow to help us see and embrace the power of experiential, place-based education, especially in isolated maritime communities like ours. What we got along with that was a view and understanding of the power of great teaching because David is a truly great teacher. We saw it first from the kids in their visceral response to his presence in their classrooms, and then in the teachers as they responded, albeit reluctantly at first, to what he was doing – even in his quiet, unobtrusive way of introducing ideas, suggesting activities, leading discussions, and organizing projects.

And this power of great teaching, and great education, is critical in our schools where the direct personal relationship between teacher and child can make the difference between a wonderful, inspiring school experience and a miserable one.

It is to the Island Institute’s great and everlasting credit that it does this for us- that it has provided us with extraordinary, high quality people like David Steckler – great teachers in our case – that contribute to and make better what we do.”
-Barney Hallowell, Fellow Advisor, commenting on North Haven Fellow David Steckler

“The Fellows program is great and has enabled us to expand the services we provide to our patients and raise the quality of care we provide on Vinalhaven.”
-Dinah Moyer, Fellow Advisor and Executive Director of Islands Community Medical Services, commenting on Vinalhaven Public Health Fellow Peter Levandoski

Chris Wolff is a featured blogger and the Community Development Director at the Island Institute.
Learn more about Americorps Week here!

By Alison LePage

To be honest I had never really thought of becoming an AmeriCorps member. I graduated, went on to have a successful career, and 15 years later found myself compelled to respond to a posting that happened across my path for a “Local Foods Advocate.” And now, here I am, halfway through my service with the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine.

I know that everyone wishes that they could work for something they believe in or to do something that will truly make a difference. AmeriCorps gave me that opportunity. I had been very involved with the local foods movement for many years, but felt that the impact I was making as an individual wasn’t enough. I needed to find a way to help connect more people in Maine with the bounty of food that is produced here and my service project, the Maine Food Map is doing exactly that.

Through partnerships with organization throughout the state I have been gathering information about everything from farms and fisheries to grain silos and distribution centers. The first phase of the map, slated to launch later this month, will focus on connecting consumers with local food. They will be able to access the map online and search for products in their area. Food producers will be able to add themselves to the map if they are not already there. And a comprehensive collection of data about food production in Maine will instantly be available to anyone. Later in the summer a second map will be launched with resources for producers, including educations resources, store age, processing and more. The combination of the two maps will represent the entire Maine “foodshed.”

Working on this project has not only given me an opportunity to support a cause I believe in, but has resulted in the creation of a tool that continue to connect people, food and farms long past the end of my service term. What more could a local foods advocate wish for?

Alison LePage is an AmeriCorps member with Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine and a guest blogger.

by Pete Phair

Back in the 1970’s, seeds of legitimacy were planted that, with careful social cultivation, began to blossom into the budding concept we now know as community service. Flower analogies aside, back then, adults were the primary volunteers in this land and benefactors were mainly organizations like the Jaycees, Pop Warner football, political campaigns or the local Memorial Day Parade Committee. Volunteering was something few citizens participated in (compared to current day practice) and unless compelled by a judge, one was fairly picky when choosing a cause to root for.

Today, volunteers run the gamut in terms of age, abilities and causes. Causes run the gamut from saving the whales to saving the planet. Organizations now have complete departments to manage volunteers and volunteer support systems. And one of the many positive side effects in the growing trend toward volunteerism is the emergence of youth as a volunteer work force.

Recognizing the significant payback students receive when helping others, many high schools now require a specified number of community service hours before students can graduate. Some have paid staffs that coordinate these service learning programs with the end result involving some of the following outcomes for their high schoolers:
• Personal development effected in a positive way
• At-risk behaviors tending to wane
• Civic & social responsibility becomes more than a chapter in a text book
• Society benefits from active and energetic contributors
• Students’ academic profiles develop a rosier aspect rather than the alternative
• Students are more motivated to learn while in school
• Students are more motivated to actually be in school
• Volunteering often leads to career path exploration for students
Not to mention that schools with active service learning programs see their school climate improve, respectful interactions increase and the overall learning environment flower. Locals have a more positive perception of the kids in their community and just so it won’t get lost in the translation, the community itself is the better for their efforts. Well, and so are organizations like ours.

Colleges and universities also practice the art of service learning and it behooves those of us in need of volunteers to tap into these valuable resources. When I was with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, we enlisted the aid of college students to help us teach bicycle safety classes to elementary school children. Here at WinterKids, we will use similar protocols to supplement our Active Academics Workshops in Maine schools and if it had not been for McAuley and Cheverus High School students, our Welcome To Winter event this past January could have been a very different experience for over 300 Portland children and their families.

We’ve come a long way from the Jaycees and Pop Warner football and with that growth comes more substantive, more comprehensive development of volunteer systems across the globe. Whether you are in need of a body to hold a paint brush, or a brain to enter complex data into your database, consider the talents that young people have in abundance and contact your local schools and colleges. In other words, reap what those seeds of legitimacy hath sowed.

Pete Phair is an Outreach Coordinator at WinterKids and a guest blogger.

By Hannah Wilhelm

One of the most rewarding parts of past volunteer experiences for me has been the instant gratification. Several years ago, I helped a Philadelphia nonprofit with a weekend farm stand. I got to meet customers who had searched high and low for grass-fed ground lamb, local organic berries, or Maine sea salt, finally find what they were looking for. I heard their stories about why it was important to them to support local farmers. Other experiences like seeing a trail go from a puddle-filled quagmire to a smooth bed of wood chips, a litter-covered roadside cleaned up, or the look on a child’s face at a festival were so rewarding because I could quickly see the results of my work.

My experience this year as a Maine Conservation Corps Environmental Educator is very different. My placement fits into the Environmental Educator program because my service site, the Biomonitoring Program in the Division of Environmental Assessment at the Department of Environmental Protection (try saying that five times fast), does “in-reach.” We provide water quality information that other parts of the state government, as well as the public, can use for education.

When it comes to studying the impacts on non-point source pollution on water quality, ironclad conclusions about cause and effect can be elusive. Regardless, for water quality education, having accurate information to share is so important. Collecting that information requires long-term, methodical work, as does putting the information to use once people have learned about it. I admire the staff here who work so patiently to keep track of the details of permits, monitoring reports, and state laws that are the action end of the state’s environmental policies. I admire the researchers who sort through all the details of the science that begins long before new policy ideas are developed.

Everybody enjoys something that might seem unusual to others; there’s a place for all of us. I like to untangle balls of yarn that cats have messed with. I know a woman who enjoys removing the wax from rabbits’ ears. Where someone else might cringe, she holds the bunny firmly, smiles, and patiently begins the job.

When it comes to water quality protection, I’m still finding my place, but I’m sure it’s out there. In the introduction to a management plan for the Ogunquit River Watershed (http://swim.wellsreserve.org/results.php?article=658), Tin Smith writes, “Watersheds degrade by insignificant increments. They will have to be restored and protected the same way.” Although much of what I do here at the DEP might feel far-removed from the goal of clean water, being an AmeriCorps volunteer has given me a window into the behind-the-scenes work of cataloguing water quality monitoring data, deepened my respect for the people who do it year after year, and helped me better understand its significance.

Hannah Wilhelm is an AmeriCorps Environmental Educator with the Maine Conservation Corps