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Guest Post by Kala

There is a moment in life when most individuals realize that they ache for something bigger than themselves. This is a realization that poverty and hardship takes place in the very country that we reside in.

We struggle to rebel against opposing beliefs; we battle against personal and political oppressors, but little is resolved. Though we battle, like many before us, against that which we disagree with, we know that we love our land. We are proud. We cannot give up or give in.

The lucky find that resolution can come with service, not out of resentment. The fortunate find that productivity and strength, in comparison to hatred and hostility, lends a healing hand. The timely understand that there is a solution; a task that one person can take on now.

One plus one soon becomes many and we begin to create a country that has just a little less hate and a little less sorrow. We are the lucky; the fortunate; the timely. We are AmeriCorps.

“…A vision softly creeping left its seed while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains…” ~Paul Simon

Kala is an AmeriCorps VISTA member who began serving in Maine in January 2008. Her work has had measurable positive impact on hundreds of agencies and organizations in Maine since that time.

Guest Post by Dorothy Grannell

As a supervisor of AmeriCorps VISTA projects in 3 different states over 20 years, working with 14 different individuals in 4 separate programs, I have had a unique opportunity to see what AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA projects do in building communities. VISTA is different from the general AmeriCorps program in that its members are building infrastructure rather than doing direct service- although sometimes they have to do some direct service in order to build the infrastructure. What does building infrastructure mean? How can it be beautiful?

If you have ever built a house or seen a building being built you know that long before walls and roofs go up, there is a lot of messy, time consuming work that takes place. Think of a seven story building. First there has to be the idea that it is a good thing to build this building, that there is a need for it and that it will be used and useful. Then there has to be funding to support the project. Then there is the planning. What else? Well, soil testing, wet lands discovery, core drilling to see if there is bed rock to support the weight, and finally the actual design has to be developed with all of its considerations. Is this going to be a “green building”? who will the contractors be? This is the kind of work that is done when the community organization writes its AmeriCorps VISTA Grant. Once the grant is accepted, the rest of the hard, unseen and often unglamorous work starts. This is the point in time where the AmeriCorps VISTA members come in. In a sense they are the ones who - if they were building the building - would be digging the foundation, pouring the footings, laying the septic and water lines, putting in the underground wiring and geo-thermal heat pumps and finally building the foundation.

The part of the building that gets noticed is its design , its outward appearance, inner functionality and decoration. It may take years to build the building. But the evaluation of the building comes many years after it has been put into service and after it has weathered storms. An AmeriCorps VISTA project works that way too. The beauty is that the programs last and serve the public and make the community stronger.

The project that I am currently coordinating, the VolunteerMaine VISTA project, is a three to five year grant that is designed to promote the use of the VolunteerMaine web site (in all of its facets and this blog page is one of those facets), develop “Volunteer Centers without Walls,” promote best practices in volunteer management and provide training to achieve those best practices, and to manage volunteer response in times of emergency and disaster. Many of the things that these AmeriCorps VISTA members will do will never be seen by the general public and we won’t know if we have built a sustainable product for at least five years. The members move ahead however, without any assurances that their work will make a difference, and do their very best.

If my experience with AmeriCorps VISTA tells me anything, it is that the work will make a difference and that volunteers and non-profit organizations in Maine will have a better experience because of the work of these members. In ten years they will be able to look back and see how Maine is better prepared to respond in emergencies, has well prepared managers of volunteers and a growing base of actively engaged community volunteers. They will also bring strong organizational and partnership development skills to the communities where they land and be actively engaged in their communities.

In Maine, the infrastructure that AmeriCorps VISTA members are building across the state is making Maine a better place to live. This AmeriCorps Week gives us all a chance to say thank you to those who have done this hard work for us. If you see someone with an AmeriCorps Logo on a shirt or you see it on an application for a job or a volunteer position take the time to say “thank you” for serving Maine and our nation. The 14 individuals I have had the opportunity to work with over the years are some of the finest people I know and I am blessed and privileged to have been in their company. We may also want to write to our legislators and urge continuing support of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs. Let them know that these programs are among the best of federally funded programs that there are. They may not be sexy but they have lasting beauty.

Dorothy Grannell coordinates the Volunteer Maine VISTA project.

Volunteer Maine’s AmeriCorps week page spotlights the great work that AmeriCorps members are doing here in Maine. Check out some stories from AmeriCorps members, send an e-card to that special AmeriCorps member in your life, and find out more about service opportunities in Maine and beyond.

Also check out Carolanne Dube’s recent editorial on the impact of AmeriCorps.

by Christy Monroe

Since we’re celebrating AmeriCorps Week on the Volunteer Maine Blog today let’s have a better look into what this program is all about.

First, since our focus has turned towards outcomes based measurements, let’s run some numbers:

• 542,000: Number of people who have served as AmeriCorps members since 1994.
• 705 Million: Total number of hours served by AmeriCorps members.
• $1.43 Billion: Total amount of Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards earned by AmeriCorps members.
• 1.7 Million: Number of community volunteers managed or mobilized by AmeriCorps members in 2007.
• 4,100: Number of nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations that AmeriCorps members served with last year.
• $5 Billion: Amount of AmeriCorps funds invested in nonprofit, community, educational and faith-based community groups since 1994.

WOW! So, you might ask, “What exactly do AmeriCorps members do?”

Well, funny you should ask…they do a wide range of things. They recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers, tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, help communities respond to disasters, and build the capacity of nonprofit groups to become self-sustaining, among many other activities.

In a nutshell, AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service which provides opportunities for 75,000 Americans to give back each year. It’s often coined as “the domestic Peace Corps” and consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).

If you know an AmeriCorps member, give them a high-five for a job well done. If you are serving as an AmeriCorps member, pat yourself on the back. And if you’re interested in becoming an AmeriCorps member visit the AmeriCorps website. (Then give yourself thumbs up for your interest in national service.)

Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.

To celebrate AmeriCorps Week, we’d love to hear from AmeriCorps members and alums. If you have a story to tell about what AmeriCorps means to you, go to our submission guidelines page and follow the instructions for submitting a guest post. Please include a brief one or two sentence bio.

by Christy Monroe

National AmeriCorps Week is celebrated from May 11-18, 2008. As you may already know, chances are there is an AmeriCorps member working in your community helping to strengthen organizations by building capacity and directly serving in projects across the United States. As the slogan goes, they are “getting things done!”

Get involved in a service project hosted by AmeriCorps Members! Community Members invited to attend! Experience being an AmeriCorps Member for a Day!

Join AmeriCorps Members in Service Projects Across Maine:

• Day of Caring, Greater Portland
Volunteers will work alongside AmeriCorps members to sort through approximately 50,000 lbs of food collected throughout the annual National Association of Letter Carrier’s Food Drive. Lunch provided.
Sign Up, contact Kala Stenehjem, kstenehjem@unitedwaygp.org

• Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, Jefferson, Monday, May 12th, 7 - 11am
Join Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association for this public bird walk with local ornithologist Tom Arter.
Sign up, contact Alice Phillips at dlwastaff@roadrunner.com

• Blueberry Cove, 22 Blueberry Cove Rd, Tenants Harbor, Monday, May 12th, 10am
Sustainable agriculture activities with an educational twist such as compost bin building and cold frame building. A great time to enjoy the fellowship of AmeriCorps.
Sign Up, contact Hanna Wheeler, hwheeler@umext.maine.edu

• Rippling Waters Farm, 55 River Rd, Steep Falls, Wednesday, May 14th, 1pm-5pm
Help out on the farm planting in the fields, repotting, working in the greenhouse. Get dirty and have a great time getting to know fellow volunteers!
Sign Up, contact Christy Mckinnon, volunteer.ripplingwaters@gmail.com

• Southern Maine Children’s Water Festival, Portland, Friday, May 16th
The goal of the festival is to emphasize the importance of water to human and ecosystem health, as animal habitat, and its role in weather and other earth processes.
Sign Up, contact Ann Speers, ann.speers@maine.gov

• Blueberry Cove, 22 Bluberry Cove Rd, Tenants Harbor, Saturday, May 17th, 9am
Saturday is our monthly community work party and we have painting projects planned.
Sign up, contact Hanna Wheeler, hwheeler@umext.maine.edu

• Otter Paddle, Saturday, May 17th at 9 a.m.
Damariscotta Lake State Park (bring your own canoe or kayak)
Questions, contact Alice Phillips at dlwastaff@roadrunner.com

For more information about AmeriCorps, click here!

Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.

by Bessie Wright

Next week is Americorps Week and anyone interested in volunteering in an Americorps event should check out the possibilities listed on this website!

Last Thursday, Rochelle Runge from the Maine Commission for Community Service called me up because she was writing an article about Americorps Week for the Bangor Daily News. She wanted to know some of the volunteer projects going on in the area, any special activities for Americorps Week and about me.

I cannot count the number of times I’ve been asked what being an Americorps member means to me. I’m getting close to the end of my final term with Americorps so I’ve been really thinking about that question. I’ve decided that the better question is, “What does it mean to be an Americorps member?”

The Americorps community is a vast confluence people and organizations;all with different purposes and capacities. There are so many factors that influence how any single term of service will pan out. The member may have an academic and professional background that supports his/her efforts or have no experience whatsoever. The host organization may have a very specific plan or may give minimal guidance to the member. There may be time for the member to develop his/her own program within the program but then maybe not. Many Americorps members form fast friendships with fellow members even though their service terms were in entirely different places while other members form lasting relationships at their host sites; sometimes both. And yes, sometimes things just don’t work out. There is no cookie-cutter resumé for what an Americorps member will experience or for how long.

If I had to give one sentence about what it is like to be an Americorps member it would be this:

Your term is what you make of it.

Situations are never the same, but that’s just the way life is. There’s going to be ups and downs and moments when you simply can’t control what’s going on. Anyone who joins Americorps has decided to use part of their lives for some kind of community service - not relinquish all control. Take charge of your term; if you have a passion for what you’re volunteering about then make it happen! Your host site will support you;they want motivated and happy volunteers.

What have my terms meant to me?

Productivity, Success, Complexity, Stretching My Limits, Learning New Skills and New Ideas, Conservation and Education

I strove for my highest. Good luck!

Bessie Wright is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps.

by Chris Wolff

Working with many rural communities in Maine, I am always in awe of the level of civic engagement within these communities. Many small towns are governed by volunteers who serve as selectmen and school board members. Some small towns are lucky to have a local library and historical society. If these do exist, they are only open and organized because of volunteers dedicated to having these services available or preserving artifacts for future generations.

Matinicus Island, the Historical Society places all of their artifacts in the home of a local volunteer, since a designated building or room does not exist. If this person was not willing to store these objects, they may become damaged and unavailable for future generations. On Swan’s Island, the Librarian position is a very part-time, paid position. The Library then relies on community volunteers to open the library and provide programming. If a community has a recreation center or after school programming for youth, the success of these programs almost always relies on a volunteer effort.

Many of the volunteers in these small, rural communities don numerous volunteer hats. When your community consists of less than 100 individuals, there is an expectation to participate in the sustainability of the community, whether it’s volunteering with the school, participating in a subcommittee of the town’s comprehensive plan, helping out with the local solid waste efforts, or alternative energy research. Without this volunteer effort, these communities would not function. But, on the flip side of it, these same volunteers experience a high level of burnout. They attend meetings almost every night of the week. They have families and full-time jobs. For some of these volunteers, they have a strong desire to volunteer and help out with community efforts, but may be lacking the necessary skills to further the mission of the organization or planning effort.

For instance, the small Community Center on Long Island has requested an AmeriCorps member to help with sustainability initiatives. They would like to have help with researching grants, and finding support for programming and infrastructure/building rehabilitation. The current staff and volunteers either do not have the time or the skills to move their projects forward. On North Haven, the North Haven Historical Society has recently completed the construction of a new building, with a state-of-the-art climate-controlled archival storage room. The Historical Society is run by community volunteers, and they would like to have an AmeriCorps member help out with digital archiving and creating community programs. The volunteers do not have the technical skills and time to move their mission forward.

Though AmeriCorps members fill a great niche in providing much-needed support for community initiatives on a 1-2 year full-time basis, some communities have specific needs requiring expert skills. The Island Institute is getting more and more requests from older citizens who will be retiring to Maine and who want to volunteer their time with the Island Institute and the communities we serve. These individuals have been CEOs and consultants with corporations. They have been leaders of large non-profits. They’ve been teachers and superintendents. They possess a breadth of experience and expertise and could be a great resource for the small communities that rely on volunteers to get things done. Their volunteer effort could help enliven volunteerism in these small communities.

In a preliminary survey conducted in January, Casco Bay islanders were asked to report on their volunteer needs. Speaking with a number of representatives in the Casco Bay island communities, a number of potential volunteer needs were identified:

• Grant Writing Advice & Support
• Business Plan Development
• Brush Removal & Beach Cleaning-Ups (Arms & Legs)
• Legal advice regarding affordable housing: buy-back options, land leases, land trust models, eligibility language, etc.
• GIS mapping and data management
• Town ordinance language and planning and development
• Small business development- marketing, website development, etc.

These volunteer-led organizations need help coordinating activities, furthering their mission, and completing many projects. Volunteers can help catalyze projects and create energy and excitement for the work. By creating public interest around projects, outside volunteers can provide opportunities for further local volunteer participation.

It will take a little work to help train the island volunteers in volunteer management. And, in turn, it will also take some work to bring potential volunteers up to speed on island culture and the projects. But, even if the Island Institute is successful in having 2% of its membership volunteer with our communities, that is an additional 40-50 people who will be able to provide much-needed assistance to a group of dedicated volunteers and hopefully prevent volunteer burnout.

Chris Wolff is Community Development Director at the Island Institute.

The Maine Commission for Community Service is offering a multi-session course on designing an AmeriCorps program in anticipation of the next major round of grant-making. The course, “Developing a Blueprint for AmeriCorps,” is open to teams of local organizations that might want to submit a proposal in the Fall 2008 AmeriCorps grant competition.

AmeriCorps grants provide financial support to public and nonprofit organizations that sponsor volunteer service programs. Eligible applicants include faith-based and community-based nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, Indian tribes, local education agencies, and public agencies. AmeriCorps program grantees recruit, train and place AmeriCorps members in service assignments to meet critical community needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.

The Maine Commission for Community Service is the state government administrator of AmeriCorps*State programs. In addition, it is responsible for providing training and technical assistance to potential grant applicants.

An orientation session for the “Blueprint” course will take place by webinar on Monday, March 31, 2008 at 3:00 pm. This session will clarify the purpose, scale, and basic eligibility criteria for operating AmeriCorps programs. Course participants are urged to attend this free session before committing to the entire program.

An outline of “Developing a Blueprint for AmeriCorps” and registration for the March 31 webinar are available on the MCCS website. For more information, contact the Commission at service.commission@maine.gov or call 207.287.8931. The deadline for webinar registration is Friday, March 21.

by Chris Wolff

I have been working with AmeriCorps since its inception back in 1994. It has been a rewarding experience, to say the least. I still can’t believe it’s been 14 years. Where does the time go?

As I reflect back on these 14 years, I am in awe of all the people I’ve worked with over the years- so many young, talented, dedicated, enthusiastic, passionate, caring people. Due to the nature of the programming I’ve coordinated or directed, I’ve worked mostly with young adults in their 20’s. Sometimes you hear that this generation doesn’t care, but I can tell you that is definitely not the case. If anything, this generation is equipped with the knowledge, passion, and technology to truly make a positive impact on our lives now and for generations to come.

While I was directing the Student Conservation Association’s New Hampshire Parks AmeriCorps Program, I had the pleasure of helping to form a program from scratch, literally. We recruited 20 AmeriCorps volunteers for a 10-month residential program, with a focus on environmental education and trail maintenance. When I say residential, you may have images of dorm rooms. But, this was definitely not the case. We took over a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the middle of a 14,000 acre park. The building were not insulated, there wasn’t any kind of central heat or year-round running water. The program started in September, and we had to scramble to insulate, sheetrock, install woodstoves, cut, split and stack 30 cord of wood, and figure out a winter water supply. Everyone had to work together as team to make this work. Everyone was issued a hammer, a staple gun, coveralls for the insulation, tape measures and utility knives (many had never used these tools before). The days were long. But, by the first snowfall, we had a cozy, warm dining hall. By the way, the dining hall also became the “dorm” for all 20 AmeriCorps members, with just tarps separating the “rooms.” Needless to say, it was beyond cozy.

Why do I talk about this experience, you may ask? Well, this past summer, this particular cohort of AmeriCorps volunteers decided to pull together a reunion at Bear Brook State Park- our old home. This group has kept in touch with each other all these years, through marriages and children, and really wanted to see each other again in their old home and share stories. I had not seen these members for over 10 years. I was moved by how their year at Bear Brook had shaped their lives and how the experience “stuck” with them after all these years. They appreciated the experience, which challenged them in ways they had not expected, and left them with a sense of pride and accomplishment. They have amazing careers, working as forest rangers, doctors, marine scientists, psychologists, writers, artists, etc. They commented on how the professional development training they received really helped them. One woman went on to pursue her medical degree as a result of the Wilderness First Responder training she received while a volunteer. Several other volunteers pursued graduate degrees in marine sciences and geology as a result of the environmental education and science training they received as volunteers.

It’s important for managers to provide professional development opportunities for their volunteers, whether it’s directly related to their work or not. I encourage host sites to provide time for members to pursue professional development. Many young people are still deciding what to do with their lives or what they’d like to study in graduate school. By providing diverse training opportunities, we are creating a rich experience for the volunteers, which can contribute to higher retention and a life-long learning ethic.

There are many ways to provide professional development opportunities. Many of the adult education programs provide affordable access to technical skill development. Volunteers have participated in numerous conferences and workshops, and can usually apply for scholarships. Program managers can collaborate with other managers to coordinate specific training opportunities by sharing the costs of presenters.

Investing in professional development and allowing volunteers to enhance their skills will bring great payback. Volunteers will feel valued, they will be able to enhance their resumes, be exposed to a new career or education path, and best serve their communities by learning and imparting their new skills for the sustainability of their projects. You never know how this training will help shape the lives of our volunteers and the impact they will have in their communities for years to come.

Chris Wolff is Community Development Director at the Island Institute.