Serve Wisconsin Among 8 States Selected to Receive Grants from ASC and the Mott Foundation


 
Wisconsin will be better poised to expand out-of-school time opportunities for youth at a statewide level, thanks to new funding that has been awarded to Serve Wisconsin from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in partnership with America's Service Commissions (ASC).

The Mott Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to ASC in September for a multi-year initiative to identify how the state service commission network can expand afterschool opportunities through national service, such as AmeriCorps.

As part of the initiative, ASC has selected eight state service commissions, including Serve Wisconsin, to receive $12,500 mini-grants. Funding will support staff and consultant time to develop a better understanding of the local afterschool landscape and identify potential paths for developing national service programming that will expand the quality and quantity of afterschool opportunities in their respective states.

Continue reading the press release here to learn more about how the funding will be used in Wisconsin. 
2018 AmeriCorps State and National Grants- Targeted Priority Grant Opportunity

In this competition, CNCS is seeking proposals to fund AmeriCorps programs that focus on healthy futures, child wellness, and infrastructure. Not all information related to this competition has been released at the moment, and individuals who are interested in this opportunity are encouraged to read the Notice of Funding Opportunity for more specifics about the types of proposals that are accepted and the organizations that are eligible to apply. Organizations interested in applying should send a message to [email protected] to discuss funding opportunities.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
 
On January 15th, AmeriCorps members across the country participated in service projects to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Below are project snapshots from Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs!

Public Allies Milwaukee

To commemorate Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Public Allies Milwaukee partnered with Woodlands School in Milwaukee. Public Allies cleaned classrooms, decorated hallway bulletins, organized and shelved critical math and science curriculum, and helped with maintenance needs of the school. Allies also drafted letters of encouragement to students in the school and decorated the staff lounge to celebrate the work of teachers.




 
College Possible Milwaukee

AmeriCorps members from College Possible Milwaukee went to Feeding America in Milwaukee, WI, to sort food and prepare Feeding America for their food bank.




Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee- SPARK

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee's SPARK Early Literacy Program hosted their Annual Peace Event on Saturday, January 13th at Brown Street Academy. Every year, SPARK invites all students and families from their school sites to attend the event. Families engage in various activities, receive free books and prizes, and enjoy lunch together. The theme this year was Low Cost, No Cost
and the kids and families made crafts out of recyclable items.



 
5th Annual Hunger & Homelessness Summit
 
Wisconsin AmeriCorps members and staff were honored to be invited to Congressman Duffy's 5th Annual Hunger and Homelessness Summit.


Pictured above left to right: (back row) Emily Lenten- Recovery Corps, Congressman Sean Duffy, Amanda Jahn- Recovery Corps, (front row) Heather Gehrig- Recovery Corps, Jennifer Heiting- Recovery Corps, Kao Yer Thao- NCCAP, Allison Hung- Volunteer Wisconsin, Megan Birginal- Recovery Corps, Shelly Kaiser- Marshfield Clinic Health Systems AmeriCorps, Cameron Woolworth- Afterschool, and Jeanne Duffy- Serve Wisconsin. 
RSVP: National Service Summits

Serve Wisconsin will be hosting two national service informational summits in March in collaboration with the CNCS Wisconsin State Office. The summits are geared towards individuals who would like to learn how national service can benefit their organizations and communities!

The summits will answer the following questions: What is national service? What are the types of national service and how are they different? How can national service benefit organizations? How can organizations apply for national service funding?

The first summit will be held on March 6th in Kenosha at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside from 9:30 am until 11:30 am. The second summit will be held on March 8th in the Madison area at a TBD location from 9:30 am until 11:30 am. Individuals who register for the Madison summit will be notified via email when the location is announced.

Registration is required for the summits as space is limited. The registration link can be accessed here.

Thank you for helping us spread the word about the valuable opportunities that exist with national service!  
Sign Up: Volunteer Management Webinar Series

Marshfield Clinic AmeriCorps Volunteer Wisconsin is pleased to offer a no-cost webinar series covering hot topics in the field of volunteer management.  Beginning February 12, join experts for a one-hour virtual seminar as they present new tips and strategies to help you in your work with volunteers. Register for one or all four webinars. For more information and to register, please view this flyer and click on the title of the webinar you would like to register for.  
Nominate: 2018 Governor's Service Recognition

Serve Wisconsin and the CNCS Wisconsin State Office are pleased to announce that nominations are currently being accepted for the 2018 Governors Service Recognition. The ceremony will be held during the AmeriCorps Celebration of Service on April 30th from 3:00 pm until 4:00 pm in central Wisconsin (exact location TBD). Recognition categories are as follows:
  • AmeriCorps Member of the Year
  • AmeriCorps Program of the Year
  • AmeriCorps VISTA Participant or Program of the Year
  • Senior Corps Participant of the Year
  • Senior Corps Program of the Year
  • Volunteer Engagement Honoree
  • Marty Stein Friend of National Service Exemplary Supporter
  • Veteran Volunteer of the Year
Nominations must be received by midnight on March 2, 2018. Please click here for more information and to access the nomination form.
Nominate: AARP 2018 Purpose Prize

Calling all national service programs & volunteer connector organizations! AARP is currently accepting 2018 Purpose Prize award nominations.

The AARP Purpose Prize is the only national award in the United States that celebrates people 50 and older who are using their life experience to make a difference. Through the Purpose Prize, AARP celebrates the creativity, innovation, and inspiration that life experience brings.

Five winners will receive $60,000. The nomination deadline is March 6th. More information is available here on the AARP Foundation website.  
Member Reflection: Katherine Sorenson
AmeriCorps Member with Farm to School 
  
As with all great garden stories, this one starts in summertime. The Bayfield High Tunnel experienced great success over the course of the summer growing season, housing some classic northern Wisconsin heirloom cultivars beside a variety of exotics, which thrived in the balmy moisture of our greenhouse.  A high school student served as a paid Agripreneur, working beside AmeriCorps members and the summer program students to design a companion plant based permaculture garden that incorporated interplanted pollinator species and vertical growth canopy layout.  The High Tunnel transformed throughout the summer as new plants were added, pruned, harvested and trained to grow up into the framework of the greenhouse itself.  Housing approximately two dozen different species and varieties, this greenhouse became an exotic jungle over the summer, providing a perfectly chaotic experiential learning space for our students come September.
 
The first lesson I did this year was an introductory "meet and greet" with our High Tunnel and surrounding garden space for all of my classes, meant to reiterate basic garden rules and etiquette, and to reveal a completely different garden than the one these students helped plant in spring. Depending on the grade level, we did different versions of a garden scavenger hunt, then traveled around to visit several of our flowering veggies and pollinator plants, guessing which plants produced what type of food.  My kindergartners were especially excited to taste the spicy-sweet flavor of Nasturtium blossoms, absolutely shocked that such a pretty flower could be eaten! The third grade classes came back to find that the white sage they had seeded last March has thrived vibrantly in the High Tunnel, while the fourth graders had a lively discussion as to why the pickling cucumbers never took off.  My favorite moment of this quarter's service was a cumulative one; each time I took a new class up to the High Tunnel, I would roll up the large door and expose the flourishing garden, getting to see some truly memorable expressions on my students' faces.  I am extremely proud of the huge successes in general production, pollinator presence and educational value the High Tunnel had in the summer of 2017.  The conversations and totally spontaneous teaching moments of this first round of classes really proved to the students and teachers alike that this program has viable long-term opportunities to offer to our school and community.  Getting to see the reactions many of my classes had to the wildling blossoming garden reaffirmed my belief that a beautiful garden can change the world for a moment.  
Calendar: Upcoming Events
 
FEBRUARY  
  • February 7th- Program Director Monthly Update Call
MARCH
  • March 2nd- Nominations Due- Governor's Service Recognition
  • March 6th- National Service Summit (Kenosha)
  • March 8th- National Service Summit (Madison)
  • March 11th-17th- AmeriCorps Week
  • March 19th-21st- ASC North Central National Service Training Conference
APRIL
  • April 5th-WNCSB Meeting (Marshfield)
  • April 30th- AmeriCorps Celebration of Service (Central Wisconsin)
Serve Wisconsin | www.wiamericorps.com | AmeriCorps

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