Serve Wisconsin was excited to have AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes announce $5.7 million for Public Health AmeriCorps funding for five Wisconsin programs at Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee on April 29. Public Health AmeriCorps, a partnership between AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will support the recruitment, training and development of a new generation of public health leaders.

“Public Health AmeriCorps and Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, United Way Fox Cities and the Wisconsin Association of Free & Charitable Clinics will add capacity to strained public health systems and build a career pipeline for public health careers in Wisconsin,” said AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith. “Over the next year, more than 200 new AmeriCorps members will provide invaluable services to rural and underserved communities and address the COVID-19 pandemic, substance use, community health and health education across the state. I look forward to championing these programs in partnership with our grantees, Lt. Gov. Barnes and Wisconsin health leaders.”

“I deeply admire the work AmeriCorps has done over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the continued investments in the nation’s recovery," said Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. “This funding from the American Rescue Plan will help further that work to an even greater extent.”

Additional speakers highlighting the importance of this funding to support public health programming and the development of future public health leaders in Wisconsin included, Dr. Julie Schuller (Sixteenth Street President & CEO), Kristen Johnson (City of Milwaukee Health Commissioner), Ximena Vaca (current AmeriCorps member), Dr. Brian Hilgeman (AmeriCorps alumnus), and Jeanne Duffy (Serve Wisconsin Executive Director), with a recording of the full event available here.

Serve Wisconsin was thrilled to welcome AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith and Director of AmeriCorps State and National Sonali Nijhawan to Milwaukee on April 29-30, and introduce them to AmeriCorps members from six of our programs.

They first visited with the AmeriCorps members with Milwaukee Christian Center - YouthBuild. The members provided a tour of the house they are currently renovating to be sold to a low-income family. The America members showed Michael and Sonali the work they have done so far in the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and garage, as well as discussing their hopes for the future and why they were serving with the program.

Michael and Sonali then visited with AmeriCorps member serving in Milwaukee at Pathfinders with the Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services. The AmeriCorps members shared about how their service impacts homeless and at-risk youth, including how some of them benefited from AmeriCorps programs and service when they were younger, and how they hope to continue making a difference for youth in the community.

Their first day of visits concluded with a discussion with the AmeriCorps members serving with 414 Fellows at Marquette University, welcoming Sonali back to her alma mater. The AmeriCorps members shared about their service assisting early childhood learners at Next Door in Milwaukee, as well as the greater connection to service in the community they are striving to have inside and outside of the program.

To begin the second day, Michael and Sonali visited with AmeriCorps members serving with both Public Allies Milwaukee and Public Allies Racine/Kenosha, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is a AmeriCorps alumnus of their program. Their discussion explored not only their service to expand community impact at multiple nonprofit organizations throughout southeastern Wisconsin, but also an examination of issues of diversity and equity within the region and the national service landscape.

Their final stop on their visit to Milwaukee was at Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, where they visited with the AmeriCorps members from Sixteenth Street Community HealthCorps following the announcement of $5.7 million in Public Health AmeriCorps funds coming to five Wisconsin programs. The members reflected on their own service helping others lead healthier lives and their next steps along their journey into the medical and public health fields.

With a national focus taking place this April for Alcohol Awareness Month, Marshfield Clinic – Recovery Corps AmeriCorps member Chelsea Korzenieski is striving to spread awareness here in Wisconsin and support those in recovery from alcohol abuse.

While serving at Marshfield Medical Center – Ladysmith, she provides onsite support to “meet people where they are at” in a time of great need. Chelsea is also the first recovery coach placed in a host site focused on providing primary health care in conjunction with a hospital, and in addition to assisting those in recovery. She is educating health care professionals on the importance of offering support services for people in recovery.

This April, she has also worked to raise public awareness in multiple ways. Chelsea helped craft a public-facing blog post for Marshfield Clinic’s Shine365 blog called Recovery and sobriety: How they are different. As part of this post, she explained that “Sobriety is day-to-day, short-term, not drinking or using…When you have one or two days sober, you want to get to recovery. This is where you’re living your life, looking long-term with goals to make mental and physical changes to set yourself up for success.”

Chelsea was also interviewed as part of a story on WEAU entitled Doctors say too much alcohol can potentially lead to cancer that discussed how people like she and her fellow Recovery Corps members could be of assistance to those struggling with alcohol abuse. Within the interview she described how she works with those on their recovery journey, explaining that “I just sit down with them and just learn like where they’re coming from…Then after that, we kind of go through some sobriety goals and also kind of help push them along a little bit more into recovery to see what they want to become instead of what they have been dealing with.”

In addition to these efforts this April, Chelsea sat down earlier this year to discuss her AmeriCorps service on an episode of The S-Files podcast series entitled Coaching People along the Path to Recovery where she shared about her overall service experience and how she channels her own experience of being in recovery to make a difference for others as they strive to achieve their recovery goals.

Over March and April, two traveling AmeriCorps NCCC North Central teams completed projects in Wisconsin, with Team Maple 2 assisting Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity and Team Hackberry 1 helping COA Youth & Family Centers at Camp Helen Brachman in Almond, WI.

The AmeriCorps NCCC members with Hackberry 1 served at Camp Helen Brachman from March 4-April 27, contributing to infrastructure improvements and enhancing the experience of the youth and families that COA serves by supporting trail restoration, landscaping, splitting firewood, repairing equipment and engaging youth. Looking back at his experience, AmeriCorps NCCC member Connor reflected explained that “I have enjoyed building instruction boxes for the cooperation station. I like being able to help improve Camp Helen Brachman as the children who attend the camp will benefit from the service my team does here.” Some of the additional tasks that the members completed included doing tent inventory, creating trail signs, sanding boxes for an obstacle course, and creating blindfolds for camp games. “Most kids coming to camp only get to experience this through COA Youth and Family Center’s Camp Helen Brachman, so I feel like running inventory on tents to make sure all the parts are there is important so the kids can have the best camp experience possible,” reflected AmeriCorps NCCC member Nhat Ha.

The Maple 2 AmeriCorps NCCC members began working with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity this April to help begin six homes in the Harambee Neighborhood, which has a significant need for safe and affordable housing. When ultimately completed by Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, this project is expected to benefit six families who will be able to gain strength, stability, and self-reliance through their new home and an affordable mortgage through Milwaukee Habitat, and the project is part of a greater five-year goal to serve 250 families.

Nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team this fall and early winter on a project need to submit a concept form by May 3, with details available in their Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2022 service dates.

National Volunteer Week took place this year on April 17-23. Marshfield Clinic – Community Corps AmeriCorps member McHailey Johnson, who is serving her second term at Midwest Renewal Energy Association (MREA) in Custer, WI, shared a brief overview of her experiences this year during National Volunteer Week 2022.

I had an incredible Volunteer Appreciation Week! It started with an energy presentation at the Boys & Girls Club with Pedal Power (including powering a blender to make smoothies with the youth). Then we had two Boys & Girls Club groups come out to MREA's headquarters to volunteer. The at-risk youth leader wants to make volunteering with us a regular thing!

And on Saturday, an AmeriCorps NCCC crew came out to help with some on-site builds. It was so much fun getting to learn about their service. We had a great time together, and they were thrilled to receive MCHS AmeriCorps sunglasses. They told me that there will be several other NCCC groups coming through the area that will need volunteer opportunities. I'm excited to connect with their program leaders to invite more AmeriCorps members to volunteer with MREA.

April episodes of The S-Files podcast

This month on The S-Files, we explored the service stories of two AmeriCorps members that are both currently serving their second AmeriCorps service term and making a difference for Wisconsin students. Check out these episodes below and access all of the podcast episodes on The S-Files podcast series website.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Robin Muhs, who is currently serving with Schools of Hope and served last year with Achievement Connections, with both programs operated by the United Way of Dane County. Robin first discusses her current service with Schools of Hope at Huegel Elementary School as a literacy tutor, describing the different activities she is doing with her students. Robin then speaks about her previous AmeriCorps service with Achievement Connections, where she served as their volunteer liaison to help connect high school students needing assistance with Algebra and Geometry with remote math tutors during the COVID-19 pandemic, including her own tutoring with students at West, East, and La Follette High Schools. Listen to learn the ways that Robin’s AmeriCorps service has both impacted the academic growth of her students and her own personal growth and development for working with students in the future. (listen to episode here)

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Jean Abreu, who is currently serving her second term with the North Central Community Action Program (NCCAP) AmeriCorps Program. Jean discusses her two years serving students at the Enrich, Excel, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy in the Wausau School District, returning to assist students in the classroom after retiring from being a high school biology teacher. We discuss how she has worked with students in completing their coursework in the non-traditional computer-based setting, including bringing her biology expertise to the students and how working with the students was adapted due to COVID-19. Listen to learn about how Jean has continued to reach students in her retirement through her AmeriCorps service, as well as the benefits she has found through serving with AmeriCorps. (listen to episode here)

For nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team this fall and early winter, the deadline for submitting a concept form for is May 3. This is the final opportunity to apply to for projects to be completed in 2022, with concept forms due for organizations interested in working with a team between either September 16 and November 9 or October 20 and December 16. Information on the application process for the final 2022 windows this fall and early winter is available in their Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2022 service dates.

AmeriCorps NCCC teams are constituted of 18-24 year-olds that travel 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 which address a compelling community need. These projects address five main service areas: natural and other disasters, energy conservation, environmental stewardship and conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development.

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 jeanne.duffy@wisconsin.gov.

Serve Wisconsin | servewisconsin.wi.gov | AmeriCorps