AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol brings together service participants from across Wisconsin for AmeriCorps Week

More than 100 AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, and program staff from across Wisconsin came together for AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol on March 15. Serve Wisconsin hosted the event as part of AmeriCorps Week 2023. Participants from more than twenty programs throughout the state joined together to celebrate the difference that AmeriCorps service makes in Wisconsin. The attendees helped bring greater awareness to the service done by nearly 8,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers at over 900 service sites throughout our state.

During AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol, the participants visited with legislators about the programs serving their districts. They also operated informational tables in the First Floor Rotunda to share the impacts that AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs make for communities and the people of our state. Additionally, they collected business attire clothing as part of a larger AmeriCorps Week clothing drive to assist individuals in need. The clothing gathered as part of the event were donated this year to Father Gene’s Help Center and Capuchin Community Services.

The celebration of AmeriCorps Week culminated during the program in the First Floor Rotunda, with speakers highlighting the leadership experience they gained as part of their service and how their service made a difference in the communities they have served. The program began with Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez, a former Peace Corps volunteer, presenting the AmeriCorps Week 2023 proclamation issued by Governor Evers and highlighting the importance of service across the state. Sonali Nijhawan, Director of AmeriCorps State and National and an AmeriCorps alumna, highlighted AmeriCorps's vital role in strengthening communities nationwide and shared greetings from the federal AmeriCorps office in Washington, DC. Recently elected Representative Darrin Madison, an AmeriCorps alumnus, provided insights into how his service helped lead him to his new role and the importance of the service being done by those attending the event. Following these speakers, multiple current AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors program representatives shared about their service.

For more information about AmeriCorps Week 2023 and AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol, visit the following resources:

• WKOW 27 News – AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol
• AmeriCorps Day at the Capitol celebration program recording
• AmeriCorps Week 2023 proclamation from Governor Evers
• Map of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors service sites throughout Wisconsin

Nominations Due for the 2023 Governor's Service Awards on April 10, 2023

The Governor's Service Awards honor outstanding national service members, volunteers, and programs. Those honored by these awards will have made significant contributions to Wisconsin through their service and their generous service impacting the lives of countless Wisconsinites. Awards will recognize outstanding national service by individuals and programs serving through AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors, and the tremendous impact volunteers make throughout the state by honoring a Volunteer of the Year from each of six Wisconsin regions.

Award nominations are due on Monday, April 10, with the 2023 nomination form and information on past recipients available on the Serve Wisconsin website at https://www.servewisconsin.wi.gov/governors-service-awards, with specific resources listed below.

• Nominations Overview for 2023 Governor’s Service Awards - includes information on nomination categories, award eligibility, the questions/prompts on the nomination form, submitting supporting materials, and the scoring process
• 2023 Nomination Form - nominations can be submitted by completing the online form available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WI2023GSA

The nomination categories for this year are listed below, with descriptions on the nomination form.

• AmeriCorps Member of the Year 
• AmeriCorps Program of the Year 
• AmeriCorps VISTA Member or VISTA Program of the Year 
• AmeriCorps Alumni of the Year 
• AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer of the Year 
• AmeriCorps Seniors Program of the Year 
• AmeriCorps Seniors Lifetime Impact Volunteer
• Marty Stein, Friend of National Service Exemplary Supporter
• Volunteer of the Year - East Central Wisconsin
• Volunteer of the Year - Northeast Wisconsin
• Volunteer of the Year - Northwest Wisconsin
• Volunteer of the Year - Southeast Wisconsin
• Volunteer of the Year - Southwest Wisconsin
• Volunteer of the Year - West Central Wisconsin

Please contact kyle.clower@wisconsin.gov with any questions and to submit nominations for the Governor's Service Awards by April 10. 

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps members participate in Books of Hope project during AmeriCorps Week

As part of their celebration of AmeriCorps Week, the AmeriCorps members and program staff at the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project with the United Way of Dane County worked together to pack and distribute books for their Books of Hope initiative this year.

“Books of Hope is an initiative that began in 2016 as a way for the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project to distribute high-quality books to the students we tutor,” said Anneke Kingery, Schools of Hope Program Staff. “The goal of Books of Hope is to provide high-interest, diverse books (including fiction, non-fiction, and bilingual books) to the students we work with to support literacy and help families build their home libraries. This year, we partnered with Books4School to select a great variety of books. On March 17, our AmeriCorps members and staff team packed and distributed 2,000 books to 400 students at 9 Madison Metropolitan School District Elementary Schools. Each student received 4-5 books to take home and share with their families.”

The Schools of Hope AmeriCorps members found significant meaning and impact on the project for the students they serve, with the reflections of some of these AmeriCorps members found below.

Toni Johns, serving at Lake View Elementary

“The students at Lake View Elementary School really enjoyed receiving books to take home and read. I appreciated the opportunity to select books for the students. It was fun to view the huge selection that Books for Schools offers. I rarely see bilingual books in Hmong, Arabic, Pashto, or Swahili, but Books for Schools had selections in all of these languages, plus many more. My favorite part of the experience has been reading the books with the students to make sure they are a good selection before they take them home. It has been neat to see the students look over the books and find connections with the text or the pictures. It was great to take part in the Books of Hope AmeriCorps project.”

Heather Banschbach, serving at Sandburg Elementary

“The service day for Schools of Hope was fun and meaningful. Although we meet as a team to learn and problem solve, we don't have as many opportunities to connect in the way that we were able to while putting book packs together for the students we support. It was both interesting and fun to hear about the interests and aspirations of different kids. Whether it be related to becoming an astronaut or a love for graphic novels, it was a new way of seeing the service we do outside of tutoring literacy. It was about the connections we make with students and how well we get to know the ones we see more often.”

Emma Graham, serving at Anana Elementary 

“It was really nice to be able to spend time bonding with other Schools of Hope members while being productive and doing something to give back to the students and community. It felt good being able to pick out books for students that I've gotten to know over the past couple of months. I hope receiving these books will help to encourage their love of reading and learning.”

DPI Farm to School AmeriCorps starts growing a love for food and nutrition for Monona Grove students

The Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program is dedicated to serving communities throughout the state by increasing access to fresh, healthy foods in schools and providing nutrition education to students. As part of their mission, the AmeriCorps members with Farm to School reach students in numerous ways, including leading lessons on nutrition, conducting tastings of locally raised/produced foods, working with students in school gardens, and connecting students with local farmers through classroom presentations or farm tours.

This school year marks the first year that the Monona Grove School District has been participating in the program as a host site, with Farm to School AmeriCorps member Wes Broske serving students at seven schools across the district. In addition to providing nutrition lessons, Wes has been working to develop school gardens throughout the district, hoping to expand them at several locations and increase student access to learning in the gardens. Wes has also been working on getting local foods into schools through Harvest of the Month items and connecting with local farmers.

Reflecting on the importance of the hands-on elements of his lessons involving the gardens, Wes said, "our students can actually get out in the garden. They can pick a fruit or vegetable they plant; they can eat it, they can see where it's coming from, and they can take pride in being part of the process of growing a fruit or vegetable...The main thing is instilling a curiosity of where their food is coming from. If you understand where food is coming from to understand why it's important to buy things locally."

Media Coverage and Podcast Episodes about Farm to School AmeriCorps service in the Monona Grove School District

• WMSN FOX 47 - Farm to School program grows students' love for food
• The S-Files Podcast - Serving Students across Seven Schools with Farm to School

RSVP of Marathon County AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers assemble kits for children in hospitals

As part of their celebration of AmeriCorps Week 2023, the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers with RSVP of Marathon County through the United Way of Marathon County assembled over 500 activity kits for children receiving treatment in hospitals. The activity kits will be delivered locally to children at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Marshfield Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital Wisconsin. The kits were made in collaboration with Project Sunshine, assembling kits filled with crayons, cutouts, stickers, and a journal to help soothe anxiety and help children feel less isolated while receiving treatment.

Jeff Sargent, Executive Director for United Way of Marathon County, said when discussing the event, “We are proud to be part of AmeriCorps and grateful for the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who are getting things done for Wisconsin.”

Media Coverage of RSVP of Marathon County project

• WAOW - United Way of Marathon Co. celebrates AmeriCorps senior week

Service stories from AmeriCorps alumna from the

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee - ClubCorps

March episode of The S-Files podcast

This month on The S-Files, we explored the service story of AmeriCorps alumna Anna Dannecker, who served two terms with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee - ClubCorps and helped create The S-Files podcast while an intern at Serve Wisconsin following her AmeriCorps service. Check out the episode below and access all the podcast episodes on The S-Files podcast series website.

From AmeriCorps Service to Serve Wisconsin and Beyond

In this episode, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps alumna Anna Dannecker, who served two terms with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee - ClubCorps and helped create The S-Files podcast while an intern at Serve Wisconsin following her AmeriCorps service. Anna begins by describing how she led students through a variety of performing and visual arts activities during her two terms of AmeriCorps service, bringing skills gained in her college comedy classes and other coursework to her service. During her first term, she supported summer enrichment programming at multiple locations in 2018, leading improv classes and organizing arts and crafts activities. She then describes her service during her second AmeriCorps term in Spring 2021, creating pre-recorded activities and leading remote virtual drawing classes with students due to the impacts of COVID-19. Anna then discusses her experience as an intern with Serve Wisconsin, including creating videos and promotional materials to support Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs, assisting with the Governor’s Service Awards, and helping to create The S-Files podcast and editing its episodes. Listen to learn how Anna has built upon the skills she developed serving with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee - ClubCorps and working with Serve Wisconsin into her current professional role in the entertainment industry at an animation studio.(listen to the episode here) 

Serve Wisconsin hosting Introduction to Disaster Operations training for AmeriCorps members on May 12

Serve Wisconsin will hold its annual Introduction to Disaster Operations training for AmeriCorps members on May 12 in La Crosse, WI. Members will learn basic disaster operations, including site safety and personal protective equipment (PPE), muck and gut operations, and debris management.

This training is open to all AmeriCorps members and will be the culminating training for those currently participating in the Wisconsin AmeriCorps Disaster Team. To be eligible to participate, AmeriCorps members must complete two online courses from FEMA in advance of the training. 

To complete the courses, AmeriCorps members should

• Create a FEMA Student Identification Number at https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid
• Go to https://training.fema.gov/nims/ to complete the required trainings
• Complete IS-700.B – An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
• Complete IS-100.C – Introduction to the Incident Command System
• After successfully completing the course exams, send your completed course certificates to Rachel Donaldson at rachel.donaldson@wisconsin.gov

Please complete the RSVP form if you would like to attend. If you have any questions regarding the training, please contact Rachel Donaldson at rachel.donaldson@wisconsin.gov

Deadline for NCCC AmeriCorps Concept Papers is May 2 for projects in September-November or October-December

AmeriCorps NCCC teams are 18-24 year-olds traveling regionally to help communities meet their critical needs by completing projects that typically last 6-8 weeks. NCCC partners with a variety of nonprofit organizations, government entities (federal, state, or local), educational institutions, neighborhood associations, Native American Tribal Councils, and community-based or faith-based organizations to complete projects that address compelling community needs. These projects address five main service areas: natural and other disasters, energy conservation, environmental stewardship and conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development.

Nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team either between September 15 and November 7 or between October 19 and December 15 need to submit a concept form by May 2. Information on the application process for these upcoming periods is available in their Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2023 service dates.

For those interested in taking an active role in promoting national service and volunteerism in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board has a current or pending vacancy for board members for the following appointment type:

• A representative of business
• A representative of local government
• A representative of local labor

Those interested in serving must complete an application to the governor for the appointment. The online application 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 interested in serving on the board and have any questions, please contact Serve Wisconsin Executive Director Jeanne Duffy at jeanne.duffy@wisconsin.gov.