Governor Evers joins PASS AmeriCorps to complete September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance project 

In recognition of the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order declaring September 11^th as a State Day of Service and Remembrance and joined AmeriCorps members with PASS AmeriCorps to complete a service project at MMSD School Forest. In addition to Governor Evers, over 40 administration officials and staff also participated, including four members of the governor’s cabinet: Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld (DFI), Secretary Kevin Carr (DOC), Secretary Preston Cole (DNR), and Secretary Randy Romanski (DATCP).

When signing the executive order, Governor Evers remarked “On the 20^th anniversary, we reflect on the significance of this day and the effects that the attacks on 9/11 have had on our nation over the last two decades. Today, we honor and remember those who lost their lives, those whose lives were forever changed, and those heroic first responders who ran toward danger without second thought. I know that Wisconsinites will come together today, as they have each year, to mourn and remember the friends, family members, and neighbors lost, and reflect on this tragedy while calling upon our spirit of service, resilience, and community to let this day forever be defined not by terror but by our commitment to helping each other in times of great need.”

Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin then provided information on how September 11^th first became a national day of service, which AmeriCorps is responsible for leading nationwide. “The effort was organized and sponsored by the families of the victims of 9/11 as a way to pay tribute to all the people who suffered and died, so we could turn the day into a day of empathy, service, and action and their honor,” she said.

Press Release on September 11^th Day of Service and Remembrance 

Serve Wisconsin proudly announces that Wisconsin received nearly $8.1 million in grant funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and

community volunteerism. This funding will support 26 AmeriCorps programs with AmeriCorps members serving throughout the state, and will additionally support two organizations with planning grants in their efforts to start new AmeriCorps programs.

"This funding will put 888 AmeriCorps members on the ground to help our local communities as our state continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19," said Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin.

“These AmeriCorps members will continue and expand upon the service of the Wisconsin AmeriCorps members who have served over 750,000 hours since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service by these new AmeriCorps members will be critical in providing assistance with local recovery efforts and in tackling some of the toughest problems in Wisconsin, many of which have been exacerbated in recent months, including the opioid epidemic, the academic achievement gap, healthcare access, and housing shortages for low-income families,” Duffy continued.

For a description of each of the programs receiving AmeriCorps funding for the 2021-2022 program year, please go this funding announcement - Serve Wisconsin Announces $8.1 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Wisconsin.

This September, Serve Wisconsin Program Officer Ruhamah Bauman was honored with the Outstanding Commission Staff award at the 2021 America’s Service Commissions (ASC) Innovation and Leadership Awards. The awards ceremony is held annually by ASC to recognize the accomplishments of state service commission staff, commissioners, service programs, and their champions throughout the United States and its territories.

Ruhamah brought extensive national experience to Serve Wisconsin in 2019, having first served for two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and then as a program officer with the AmeriCorps state office in Milwaukee, managing an extensive portfolio of AmeriCorps Seniors and VISTA projects and helping to lead National Service Recognition Day for the state.

Ruhamah helped launch Serve Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps VISTA initiative, which aims to onboard 25 new AmeriCorps VISTA members to serve with high need organizations to build capacity and fight poverty across the state. Ruhamah has also led several disaster response initiatives since then, including organizing disaster recovery projects to help communities recovering from floods and storm damage, helping Serve Wisconsin apply for and be granted federal status as an AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team, and leading Serve Wisconsin’s Volunteer Generation Fund initiative to created regional VOADS/COADS to bolster volunteer response to disasters throughout the state.

In addition to leading these Serve Wisconsin efforts, Ruhamah was responsible for leading the state's mobile vaccination teams coordination efforts during the first half of 2021, which included finding and mobilizing vaccine volunteers for over 400 mission assignments across Wisconsin.

MCHS Community Corps AmeriCorps member organizes project preparing youth volunteers for disaster response for 9/11 Day of Service

Wanting to provide a meaningful opportunity for Racine area youth, Sarah Webb helped organize a Youth Volunteer Disaster Preparedness training to honor the 20^th anniversary of the events of September 11^th, 2001.

On September 11^th, twenty-five youth between ages 11-18 from Racine County participated in the disaster preparedness training at the Moose Lodge of Racine, participating in session covering first aid, CPR, search and rescue, and the history of 9/11. Supporting this effort were 20 adult volunteers, including members of the South Shore Fire Department, Racine Emergency Management, and the Fire Bells. The training sessions were detailed and worked to parallel real scenarios, with Sarah explaining that “we even had adult volunteer actors that were made up in make with wounds and blood to be the ‘victims’ and the youth volunteers had to treat their injuries.” 

Reflecting on the effectiveness of the training, Sarah described that “the training was a huge success, and it looks like we may be partnering with Racine Emergency Management to offer more trainings like this to youth.” Thanks to this project and future efforts, the future will be in good, well-prepared hands.

Sarah is serving a third AmeriCorps term at the Volunteer Center of Racine with the recently launched MCHS Community Corps program. Sarah previously served two terms at the Volunteer Center of Racine as an AmeriCorps member with Marshfield Clinic Health Systems (MCHS) Volunteer Wisconsin, including working with their Youth Volunteer Corps.

Striving to provide an opportunity for others to serve on September 11^th National Day of Service and Remembrance, the Racine Zoo AmeriCorps Program (RZAP) organized a beach cleanup open to the public at Zoo Beach on Lake Michigan. Partnering with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, project participants picked up over 45 pounds of garbage off the beach and collected data on the quantity and types of trash they collected.

After completing the project, RZAP AmeriCorps member Kelsey Sanders reflected that “I felt the beach cleanup was an important lesson in perspective. It was undeniably disheartening to see so much debris. It hurt to think of what this meant for the planet and about the apathy of others. But it was also exciting in a way. It’s not a stretch to say it was fun to find new things, and every hidden gem I collected was a tangible thing I did to help my planet. Upon reflection it reminded me of Dr. Nancy Knowlton’s talks of Ocean Optimism, and how our individual beliefs and conviction in our ability to do good can make all the difference.”

Over the next year, the RZAP AmeriCorps members will continue finding more ways to engage the public to encourage greater conservation efforts, particularly through their service providing environmental education to Racine area students.

Fall has just begun, and the AmeriCorps members of the WisCorps team are hard at work completing conservation projects and providing environmental education. Before the conservation crews headed out to begin restoring bridges, maintaining trails in Wisconsin forests, and completing other projects, the WisCorps Environmental Educators and Crew Leaders completed service projects for 9/11 Day of Service by helping with childcare at the La Crosse YWCA and unloading hay wagons and completing erosion control projects at Horse Sense. 

The Fall Roving Crew is starting off this fall with two weeks with Driftless Land Conservancy on the Driftless Trail – Zimrin Project Area before going across the state to work with the City/County of Sheboygan doing restoration work through the Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership. A second crew will be dedicated to serving at Indiana Dunes National Park. While the crews have departed, the Environmental Educators are remaining in La Crosse, leading Nature School Day Camps for children ages 3-6 and providing additional activities for students of all ages in the area.

The AmeriCorps members with Wisconsin DPI Farm to School found multiple ways to provide interactive and meaningful nutrition activities with their students through a combination of virtual and in-person lessons and projects during the last school year. 

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 “Here We Grow Together” – Updates on Nutrition Lessons and Inspiration Acres

Links to the RFP, the Notification of Intent links, technical assistance, and other resources are available on the Serve Wisconsin website at https://www.servewisconsin.wi.gov/start-a-program.

Please direct any questions regarding the RFP process or application to servewisconsin@wisconsin.gov.

Serve Wisconsin | servewisconsin.wi.gov | AmeriCorps