In honor of AmeriCorps Week, I’m interviewing people who are current or former AmeriCorps members, to talk with them about their service, and its impact on their communities and their careers. This interview is with my colleague at Idealist.org Hannah Kane who served with City Year.
Where did you serve?
I served primarily at the Boston Renaissance Charter School in 1999-2000 and then at various schools and community agencies in Washington, DC in 2000-2001.
What do you do now? Continue reading
In honor of AmeriCorps Week, I’m interviewing people who are current or former AmeriCorps members, to talk with 
them about their service, and its impact on their communities and their careers. This interview is with my husband Doug. We met in 2000, during his second AmeriCorps year with Notre Dame AmeriCorps.
Where did you serve?
From 1999-2000 I served at Heberle Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and from 2000-01, I served at Fair Oaks Elementary School in Redwood City, California.
What do you do now?
I teach fourth grade at an elementary school where most kids are from low-income, limited-English families. This is my fifth year at my school.
You studied fine arts and painting as an undergrad, but you started AmeriCorps several years after Continue reading
May has been declared Older Americans Month, by the Administration on Aging (AoA) out of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the AoA: “This year’s theme ‘Living Today for a Better Tomorrow’ reflects AoA’s continued focus on prevention efforts and programs throughout the country that are helping older adults have better health as they age.” Many seniors of all abilities are “living today for a better tomorrow” by committing themselves to national and community service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn & Serve programs.
In May 2007, the Corporation for National and Community Service released “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research” (PDF). The study “documents major findings from more than 30 rigorous and longitudinal studies that reviewed the relationship between health and volunteering. The study, which were controlled for other factors, found that volunteering leads to improved physical and mental health.”
Key findings include:
A little talked-about change in the Serve America Act that recently passed into law includes a new “prohibited activity” for AmeriCorps members.
A new category has been added to the list of prohibited activities in the new law that will take affect October 1: AmeriCorps staff and members will be barred from “providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.” The category seems to be included in order to quell the concerns of conservative groups that Federal funding will go to support abortions since, for example, Planned Parenthood chapters often host AmeriCorps members to work on public health education topics.
Check out the full text of the legislation.
And a word on prohibited activities which seem to confuse people unfamiliar with national service to no end.
While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or the Corporation for National and Community Service, staff and all Continue reading
Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is taking place from April 24 to 26, and according to organizers, is the largest annual service event in the world. The annual days of service aim to “highlight and celebrate the difference youth make in their communities year-round through community service and service-learning.”
This weekend, estimated millions of young people will participate in and lead service projects in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries.
In partnership with families, schools, community organizations, faith-based communities, and businesses, the young people will address critical issues such as global climate change, homelessness, poverty, health, hunger, homelessness, education and illiteracy.
Youth spokesperson Miley Cyrus has been promoting GYSD this year — learn more about her involvement and check out her blog.
Ways to get involved:
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The New Service 