Upcoming: National Service Recognition Day


On National Service Recognition Day, thousands of local leaders honor AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers by participating in recognition events, issuing official proclamations, and taking to social media in a nationwide show of appreciation. The sixth-annual National Service Recognition Day will take place on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. This initiative is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and Cities of Service. To learn more about National Service Recognition Day and to see a list of elected officials who have stepped up as Leaders for National Service, click here.

In Wisconsin, there are four public events planned for National Service Recognition Day in Appleton, Green Bay, Kenosha/Racine, and Stevens Point. If you would like more information on these events, please contact the individual listed on the flyer or Alexis Matthews at [email protected].   
Recap: 2018 ASC North Central Regional Training Conference
 
Wisconsin was well represented at the 2018 ASC North Central Regional Training Conference in Chicago last month. Serve Wisconsin staff attended along with a large number of AmeriCorps program staff. Former Serve Wisconsin Program Officer Amy Porter was also in attendance to present a session on board diversity. Serve Wisconsin staff was able to speak with Chester Spellman, Director of AmeriCorps, and Executive Director Jeanne Duffy was able to meet Barbara Stewart, the new CEO of the Corporation for National & Community Service. Thank you to ASC and Serve Illinois for planning and hosting a fun and educational conference!
 
Group photo of conference attendees from Wisconsin including Serve Wisconsin staff and AmeriCorps program staff.

Serve Wisconsin staff with Chester Spellman, Director of AmeriCorps. Left to right: Jeanne Duffy, Casey Sweeney, Chester Spellman, Margie Kriel, Kara Rivers, Alexis Matthews, and Daria Rydzak.  
Recap: National Service Outreach Summits
 

Serve Wisconsin held two National Service Outreach Summits last month in collaboration with the CNCS Wisconsin State Office. The summits which took place in Kenosha and Madison were held to inform local agencies about the funding and capacity building opportunities that are available through national service. The summits were a huge success with 25 individuals from 22 organizations attending! A special thank you to Margie Zutter from RSVP of Dane County and Kysa Stocking from the Wisconsin HealthCorps for speaking about their experiences with managing Senior Corps and AmeriCorps programs. 
Apply: NCCC Accepting Project Applications


Do you have projects that you've been trying to complete for a long time or a special project that you could use assistance completing? AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a full time team based national service program who work with non-profit organizations, state and local agencies, and Indian tribes to complete projects that typically last 6 - 8 weeks. Members in the past have tutored students, constructed low-income housing, built and repaired trails, developed recycling programs, managed community volunteers, and worked on disaster prevention, relief and recovery projects. AmeriCorps NCCC is currently accepting applications for projects taking place September 12 - November 1. The concept form deadline is May 22. Concept forms can be obtained from Alana Svensen Hults at [email protected] or found here.
Register: 2018 Wisconsin Volunteer Coordinators Association Conference

Registration is currently open for the Wisconsin Volunteer Coordinators Association Conference. Register now for two days packed with professional development: 3 keynote speakers, 24 workshops led by leaders in the field of volunteer engagement, networking opportunities, and lots of FUN! 

Four Volunteer Wisconsin AmeriCorps members are co-presenting and Brian Blahnik will be leading the Conference Closing session- a retro game show with many chances to win fantastic prizes. Click here to review the conference brochure and registration details or visit the Wisconsin Volunteer Coordinators Association website.  
Member Reflection: Jacob Froehlich
AmeriCorps Member with NCCAP

Early in the month some students came to me requesting that our High Five 4 College group help some individuals who are in need. For the students to come to me requesting this warmed my heart, so I put together a trip to go to a nearby assisted living community where I used to work. The program director at the assisted living facility suggested we do origami with the residents which both my students and myself were happy to do.

We had a small amount of students come but there were only about four residents in the activity room for our program so it worked out to be 2-3 students per resident. Knowing my students tend to be shy I tried to introduce them to the residents with the help of the staff. Toward the end of our session a resident had been brought in by one of the staff. The resident was not very verbal or responsive but she was able to perform basic skills when prompted and given a little guidance. She appeared to want to be there around the children although she did not verbally express it. The best part of December for me started when one student decided to sit next to the women and began making a snowflake without being asked to. A staff member introduced her to the resident and she helped a little with the creation of the resident's snowflake.

Once the student had helped the resident finish cutting the folded piece of paper they began to unfold it to reveal the snowflake. The moment the resident realized they had made a snowflake together she smiled and began crying tears of joy. Moved by the experience, the student also began crying tears of joy and they both stood up and gave each other a hug. The student seemed overjoyed about the experience she shared with the resident as she continued to talk about it on the bus trip back.

As for the resident I cannot say for sure, but I feel that student gave her the best gift she will receive this season. Personally, it was experiences like this which brought me to want to work with children, so to be the person who provided the opportunity for this to happen makes me feel accomplished. In the future because of this experience that student may decide to work with the elderly population, which is the whole purpose of both AmeriCorps and the High Five 4 College program.
Calendar: Upcoming Events

APRIL
  • April 3rd- National Service Recognition Day
  • April 4th- Monthly Update Call for Program Directors
  • April 5th- WNCSB Meeting (Marshfield)
  • April 15th-21st- National Volunteer Week
  • April 20th-22nd- Global Youth Service Days
  • April 30th- AmeriCorps Celebration of Service (Green Lake)
  • April 30th- Governor's Service Recognition Ceremony (Green Lake)
MAY
  • May 2nd- Monthly Update Call for Program Directors
Serve Wisconsin |  servewisconsin.wi.gov | AmeriCorps

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