Serve Wisconsin - March 2020 Newsletter

Articles this month:
CapitolDay AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs gather for National Service Day at the Capitol


AmeriCorps members, Senior Corps volunteers, and program staff from throughout the state participated in National Service Day at the Capitol on February 19.  The day was  a celebration of service in Wisconsin and included remarks from members of the legislature on the importance of national service programs, informational tables in the First Floor Rotunda, and visits to the offices of state legislatures to provide information on the national service programs in their districts.
 
Legislative speakers during the event included Representatives David Bowen and Jonathan Brostoff, both of whom are Public Allies Milwaukee AmeriCorps alumni, and Senator Robert Wirch and Representative Tod Ohnstad, who both volunteer with their local Senior Corps program, RSVP Of Kenosha County.
 
Each year, approximately 1,300 AmeriCorps members and 8,000 Senior Corps volunteers provide a wide range of impactful services to communities throughout our state, including educational programming and tutoring, assistance for those impacted by substance abuse, environmental conservation projects, disaster recovery projects, services to veterans and their families, therapeutic recreation for individuals with disabilities, assisting homeless and runaway youth, helping individuals access health care and obesity prevention services, the construction of homes, and providing transportation, meal delivery, and other services to enable senior citizens to live independently. 

To access an interactive digital map with the service locations of the over 75 AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps programs in Wisconsin, go to https://www.servewisconsin.wi.gov/sites-wi.
 
For media coverage and videos of remarks from this event, please go to:
GSA2020 Governor's Service Awards - Now Accepting Nominations


Serve Wisconsin is pleased to announce that the 2020 Governor's Service Awards will be held on Thursday, June 25th, 2020 at Monona Terrace in Madison. The ceremony will take place from 10:00-11:30 a.m. in the Community Terrace.

The nomination categories for this year are listed below, with descriptions on the application form.
  • Governor's AmeriCorps Member of the Year Honoree
  • Governor's AmeriCorps Program of the Year Honoree
  • Governor's AmeriCorps VISTA Participant or Program of the Year Honoree
  • Governor's Senior Corps Participant of the Year Honoree 
  • Governor's Senior Corps Program of the Year Honoree 
  • Veteran Volunteer of the Year Service Honoree
  • Volunteer Engagement Honoree
  • Marty Stein Friend of National Service Exemplary Supporter
  • Governor's AmeriCorps Alumni of the Year Honoree 
  • Governor's AmeriCorps VISTA Alumni of the Year Honoree
 
The nomination form, which is the same for all award categories, as well as information on past recipients of the awards can be found at https://www.servewisconsin.wi.gov/governors-service-awards
 
The deadline for nomination submissions is scheduled for Friday, April 24.
MU414414 Fellows collaborates with Next Door to host Books for Kids project that brings together community volunteers


As part of Marquette University's annual Mission Week, AmeriCorps members with 414 Fellows at Marquette collaborated with Next Door to host the Books for Kids project in February.  Next Doors is an award-winning early education provider, focusing on improving literacy and school readiness for children ages 0-5 in Milwaukee's central city. This project is an extension of the larger partnership between these two groups, with 414 Fellows AmeriCorps members serving at the Next Door site near the Marquette campus. 

Sixty-five participants from throughout the community came to clean and repair donated books, which were then provided to children in Milwaukee to help them build home libraries to bolster their reading. They were joined at the project by Dr. Michael Lovell, President of Marquette University, who spoke to participants before joining them in cleaning the donated books, the university's recently appointed Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Rev. James K. Voiss, and Dr. Tracey Sparrow, President of Next Door.
SHEroesTwo Public Allies Milwaukee Alumni named Milwaukee SHEroes



Two AmeriCorps alumni from Public Allies Milwaukee, Shavonda Sisson and Diana Vang-Brostoff, were among the 12 women of color named as Milwaukee SHEroes by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater for representing the values of leadership, solidarity, collaboration and sisterhood. Shavonda Sisson is currently the Program Director of Ally and Alumni Experience at Public Allies Milwaukee and her presentations on Social Justice and Healing Work have recently received media coverage. Diana Vang-Brostoff is currently a clinical social worker at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and is a co-founder of Hmong Young Professionals. The Milwaukee SHEroes were selected from 107 total nominations of women who are "working for the betterment of their communities and demonstrate the values of solidarity of joyful collaboration."
 
For media coverage, please go to the Broadway World Milwaukee article 12 Women Honored as Milwaukee SHEroes at Milwaukee Rep
TFAAlumni Board created at Teach for America Milwaukee to expand efforts to advance educational equity


After a decade of AmeriCorps service in Milwaukee, Teach For America's alumni network is nearly 600 strong across the state. As TFA Milwaukee works to accelerate alumni impact and achieve large-scale systems change, one of its central strategies this year is the formation of an Alumni Board, with the inaugural 12 members of the board recently convening for their first board meeting.  Their goal is to bring together a team of systems thinking alumni who will be charged to create a vision and strategy that builds a thriving alumni community who feels a strong sense of responsibility for advancing educational equity in Wisconsin. 
  PASSPASS AmeriCorps "shares the love" at Second Harvest Foodbank


 How did you celebrate Valentine's Day? PASS AmeriCorps members "shared the love" on Friday, February 14th by dedicating a morning to serving at Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Eleven PASS Members sorted and packed food that will be distributed to local food pantries, demonstrating how PASS AmeriCorps members are not only "getting things done" for the students they work with in Dane County, but for the community as a whole.
Robin Welcome to Robin Lee, our new Fiscal Officer!


Robin Lee is bringing years of experience working collaboratively with nonprofit agencies to successfully implement federal, state, and local programs to his new position at Serve Wisconsin as our Fiscal Officer. Robin will be responsible for conducting financial desk reviews, providing financial technical assistance to grant recipients and grant applicants, monitoring expenditures and financial reporting, and conducting on-site evaluations to evaluate compliance with statutes and regulations.
 
Before joining Serve Wisconsin, Robin worked in the Department of Administration with the state's weatherization and energy assistance programs, where he worked with nonprofit agencies throughout Wisconsin to ensure compliance and promote best practices. Additionally, growing up in rural Wisconsin, he witnessed and participated in many community projects that instilled within him a passion for service. 
DisasterDisaster Response Training in Madison on March 20-21


Serve Wisconsin is hosting a Disaster Response training in Madison on March 20-21.
 
The training will address several ways that AmeriCorps members, program staff, and other national service participants or alumni can assist and take key roles in future disaster recovery projects, including the following topics:
  • Damage Assessment -- Learn how to assist your county after a disaster by learning the process of assessing and reporting damage.
  • 2-1-1 and Crisis Cleanup -- Learn how to assist the 2-1-1 call centers by learning the Crisis Cleanup system.
  • Core Operations -- Learn the processes of debris management, muck-outs, expedient home repair.
  • First Aid -- Learn how to keep yourself and teammates safe by learning basic first aid and how to respond to injuries encountered on disaster sites.
If you have any questions regarding this training or would be interested in attending, please contact Ruhamah Bauman at [email protected] .

VolunteerVolunteer Management Training Opportunities this April in Northern Wisconsin hosted by Volunteer Wisconsin



Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps - Volunteer Wisconsin is hosting two free workshops in April in Ashland and Barron entitled Recruiting and Supervising Volunteers: A Training to Maximize Your Volunteer Team. This training is designed for both new volunteer managers and those wanting to review best practices and strategies to recruit and manage volunteers. Participants will learn how to design a well-organized program structure, develop ways to effectively reach volunteers, and understand what it takes to be a successful volunteer supervisor.
 
For more details on these workshops, please access this flyer for the Recruiting and Supervising Volunteers training
 
To RSVP for these training sessions, click on the following links:
GrantWorkshopAmeriCorps Grant Writing Workshop provides greater depth of knowledge and experience for participants


Serve Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative presented a one-day AmeriCorps Grant Writing Workshop on February 10, 2020 to help applicants gain greater understanding of the AmeriCorps program grant application process and requirements, and to strengthen their applications. Topics covered included the application instructions, program narrative, budget, logic models, performance measures, data collection, and planning grants. Participants learned how to build a strong program design that is informed by data and evidence through individual and group activities, including time to work on their grant application elements.
  ACWeekAmeriCorps Week 2020 -- March 8-14, 2020


AmeriCorps Week 2020 has arrived! This national event is March 8-14 and is an opportunity to celebrate everything AmeriCorps, including all of the AmeriCorps members currently serving and those that have served since the program started in 1994, as well as all of the programs and organizations that make a difference in the lives of American citizens in thousands of locations throughout the country.  The individual AmeriCorps programs in Wisconsin will be celebrating in a variety of ways throughout the state, including completing projects, participating in different events and trainings, and posting pictures to social media.

Throughout the week, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has selected the hashtag #MadeInAmeriCorps to use during AmeriCorps Week to show the nation how AmeriCorps has transformed lives for posts by members and programs. The largest national social media event will be the "Day of the A" on Wednesday, March 11, where AmeriCorps members, alumni, and programs will post images wearing the AmeriCorps logo or finding their own creative way to display the A. Serve Wisconsin would like to ask everyone celebrating AmeriCorps Week here in Wisconsin to tag @ServeWisconsin and #WIAmeriCorps in all of their posts so we can see the scope of national service and its impacts throughout our state.
 
For more information on AmeriCorps Week or to watch the CNCS #MadeInAmeriCorps video, please go to the CNCS AmeriCorps Week webpage

Become an AmeriCorps Member Today!


If you wish to engage in meaningful community service and acquire job skills, consider joining AmeriCorps!
 
To learn more about AmeriCorps or if you are ready to join and have questions about which program is right for you, contact us! We are happy to answer your questions and help you explore the different opportunities available.  Program information is also available on our Serve Wisconsin  website.
 
Please email us at [email protected]  or call (608) 492-2928.
We look forward to speaking with you!
Interesting in serving as a member of the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board?


For those interested in taking an active role in promoting national service and volunteerism in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board currently has three vacancies for board members for the following appointment types:
  • A representative of community-based agency
  • An individual between the ages of 16 and 25, inclusive, who is a participant or supervisor of a service program for school-aged youth, or of a campus-based or national service program
  • An open seat where the individual would meet any of the slot descriptions in state statute for one of the other appointed members
 
Those interested in serving are required to complete an application to the governor for the appointment. The online application for applying for a board position can be found   HERE, with additional information on the application process found at  Apply to Serve - Governor Tony Evers. If you are potentially interested in serving on the board and have any questions, please contact Serve Wisconsin Executive Director Jeanne Duffy at  [email protected].
Calendar: Upcoming Events and Key Dates

MARCH
  • March 8-14 - AmeriCorps Week (CNCS Resources for AmeriCorps Week) 
  • March 19 - Applications due for AmeriCorps Program and Planning Grant funding under Formula RFP
  • March 20-21 - Disaster Services Training (Madison)
  • March 27 - Transform Your Leadership - Session #3 (Milwaukee)
APRIL
  • April 7 - National Service Recognition Day (CNCS Resources for NSRD)
  • April 24 - Nominations due for Governor's Service Awards 
  • April 25-30 - Disaster Recovery Project (details pending)
  • April 28 - Program Evaluation and Development (PE&D) Committee Meeting (Madison)
MAY
  • May 6-8 - ASC Central Regional Training (Milwaukee)
  • May 14 - Wisconsin National and Community Service Board Meeting (Madison)
Serve Wisconsin |  servewisconsin.wi.gov | AmeriCorps

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