Milwaukee Justice Center AmeriCorps program launches to assist people at the Milwaukee County Courthouse

The Milwaukee Justice Center (MJC) AmeriCorps Program celebrated the launch of their new program at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on October 4 in front of the information desk their AmeriCorps members will operate as part of their service.

“The MJC is excited to announce today the beginning of a brand-new AmeriCorps courthouse navigator program,” said Mary Ferwerda, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Justice Center. “The AmeriCorps members will accompany people through the multi-step filing process after they've received MJC services. They will be staffing this brand-new information desk that's here behind me. This program is going to change the public's experience within this courthouse complex.”

The AmeriCorps members will assist clients ofthe Milwaukee Justice Center, a nonprofit that assists low-income people involved in civil legal actions, such as eviction, child custody, and divorce, with the civil (non-criminal) side of the legal system. Mary Ferwerda explained that the filing process for some of the forms for these issues can require litigants to visit as many as six different offices, describing how “that can be very difficult if you are able-bodied and you speak English, and you have some support. If none of that applies to you, it’s an almost impossible barrier.”

MJC AmeriCorps program director Mark Guzman said “I would like to thank all of our AmeriCorps members helping us set up this program. Without them, this program would not currently be possible. And as I've explained to them all before, they are really building the foundation for what this program will become long-term.”

Describing the service that MJC AmeriCorps members have done since beginning service in September, Mark Guzman explained that “in AmeriCorps, we have the motto to “Get Things Done,” and we are certainly getting things done as this navigator program is being launched. We have already helped over 250 people that have come to our information desk here and we have also help navigate several different self-representing litigants through the courthouse.”  

Reflecting on the impacts the MJC AmeriCorps Program hopes to have, Mary Ferwerda explained, "everyone who visits the Milwaukee County Courthouse deserves ready access to the resources and services they need. Working together, we will take tangible steps to increase public access to justice in the Milwaukee County Courthouse Complex."

Media coverage of the launch of the Milwaukee Justice Center AmeriCorps Program

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinal - Milwaukee Justice Center, AmeriCorps work together to remove court-filing obstacles
• FOX 6 - Milwaukee County Courthouse Navigator Program; self-help legal services
• Wisconsin Law Journal - Milwaukee County Courthouse Navigator program launches

DPI Farm to School AmeriCorps members help Howard, WI win national award from America in Bloom as the

Best Youth Gardening Program

Last month, Howard, WI was recognized by America in Bloom for having the Best Youth Gardening Program in the country. The service done by the AmeriCorps members with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program with students in the Howard-Suamico School District was the primary reason Howard received this designation.

Farm to School AmeriCorps members work with students in a large school garden known as Inspiration Acres, doing activities with classes during the school year and with students during their Here We Grow summer school course. Ten large plots are prepped and planted by the students, with one plot specifically for free thinkers where they are allowed to move from the traditional rows being planted and create their vegetable garden any way they desire. The students plant the items throughout the garden and excitedly watch the seeds sprout, grow, and start to bear vegetables during the year.

The food harvested from these garden plots is funneled into the school nutrition department and into the community, setting up Food in the Park at six different park locations, where children can come to be with their friends and enjoy the freshly harvested vegetables. The current Farm to School members estimate that between 30 and 35 varieties of vegetables will be harvested this year, which will yield approximately 2,800 pounds of produce.

In addition to working with students outside in Inspiration Acres, the Farm to School members also work with students year-round growing lettuce using 29 hydroponic garden towers located across all eight schools, providing access for students from kindergarten through high school. These efforts yield approximately 8,000 pounds of lettuce grown for 80,000 salads by the students at Howard-Suamico schools across the year. The students help maintain the lettuce by testing the water's pH levels, watering, and monitoring the plants, letting them connect their science lessons with hands-on growing and farming.  

Getting the students involved goes beyond the curricular connections, but also students interested in eating leafy greens and other produce they help plant and maintain with both the hydroponic towers and in Inspiration Acres. Reflecting on seeing this with her students, Farm to School AmeriCorps member David Lee Schneider says, "if the students partake in making it, then they want to eat it, and that's what happens when you open (the tower garden) up. The first thing they're going to ask is, 'Can I eat a piece?' And they'll never ask, 'Can I have a piece of lettuce?' at home, but they will off the tower."

Following Howard, WI recognized with the Best Youth Gardening Program by America in Bloom, Farm to School AmeriCorps members David Lee Schneider, Erika Kundinger, and Anna Kopf had their service with Howard-Suamico students spotlighted during an interview by WFRV CBS 5 for their Midwest Farm segment. During their interview, David, Erika, and Anna highlighted all of the activities they are doing with students in the gardens and with nutrition education lessons inside the classroom. They also shared about the recent designation from America in Bloom.

Media coverage about Farm to School AmeriCorps members at Howard-Suamico and the America in Bloom award

• WFRV CBS 5 - Farm to School program growing in Howard / Suamico

Easterseals Wisconsin hosts Fall Veterans Family Camp

The following article was submitted by Easterseals Wisconsin AmeriCorps member Brigette McCormick, who is serving this year as their AmeriCorps Veterans Coordinator.

On the evening of September 22nd, 2023, 11 Veterans and their families settled in for a weekend of fun and bonding at Easterseals Wisconsin’s Respite Camp. What lay ahead of them were two jam-packed days of fun activities, camp songs, and an opportunity to take a break from the chaos of day-to-day life. Here’s a small recap of how that weekend went!

To Easterseals Wisconsin, this camp served as an opportunity to give back to those who gave the most to our country. To the families, it was a chance to reconnect without boundaries. Each family was given their own space in either a room in the Elks Lodge or a cabin in order to maintain their privacy.

Saturday was filled to the brim with crafts, a trip to Deer Park, a tractor ride, and movie night! This was the Veterans Camp’s first time visiting Deer Park as an outing. The families enjoyed the opportunity to try a new attraction in the area as well as spend time with the animals. Needless to say, it will remain an option for future camps.

The weekend wouldn’t have been the same without the friendly faces and delicious dessert donated by the Mt. Hope Women’s Auxiliary. They were in the kitchen serving up meals with a side of happiness and sincerity.

On Saturday evening, a ceremony was held to honor two veterans in receiving their Quilts of Valor. These quilts serve as a civilian award to those who have served in any branch of the military. Each quilt was handsewn by the Wisconsin Quilts of Valor and details their service. It was a truly beautiful moment to see these individuals be recognized.

Sunday morning held a special moment to say goodbye to the friends that were made over the weekend. At 10:00 a.m. outside of the Lodge, we held a friendship circle where each participant got to say their highs of the weekend. There was laughter and tears as each person got to say what Veterans Camp means to them. It was the chance to focus on family, a much-needed break, and overall an amazing weekend.

Easterseals Wisconsin will be having their next family weekend in April of 2024 where we hope to have returning and new families alike once again return to camp.

Celebrating National Farm to School Month this October

October marks the celebration of Farm to School Month throughout the nation, with Governor Tony Evers issuing a proclamation marking October 2023 as Wisconsin Farm to School Month at the beginning of the month. One of the highlights of this annual celebration for the AmeriCorps members serving with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) AmeriCorps Farm to School Program is participating with their students and nearly 2 million others in the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch to crunch into locally and regionally grown apples, which took place this year on October 12. This event highlights several aspects of the mission of the AmeriCorps Farm to School Program, educating students about nutrition and bringing healthy foods into the schools while making community connections with local farmers.

DPI Farm to School AmeriCorps members are dedicated to serving communities throughout the state by increasing access to fresh, healthy foods in schools and providing nutrition education to students. To learn more about their local impacts across Wisconsin, check out some reflections from the 2022-2023 Farm to School AmeriCorps members who recently concluded their service about how they worked with students in numerous ways, such as 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.

Farm to School AmeriCorps member reflections and service stories from 2022-2023

• Anna Kopf, who served at Howard-Suamico School District
• Catherine Masters, who served at Rooted
• Jen Klemm, who served at Rooted
• Jessie Ferraro, who served at Kickapoo Valley Forest School
• Julie Severance, who served at Ithaca School District
• Lindsay Larson, who served at Bayfield School District
• Wes Broske, who served at Monona Grove School District

MCHS Community Corps and MCHS Recovery Corps members from across the state gather for fall event

The following article was written by Sophie Spiess, program staff with the Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) AmeriCorps team, which operates two AmeriCorps programs, MCHS Community Corps and MCHS Recovery Corps.

After successfully kicking off the new term of service virtually on September 11, 2023, MCHS AmeriCorps members and staff from across the state gathered in Stevens Point for the Fall Meet-Up on October 13. This one-day event brings Community and Recovery Corps members together for networking, motivation, and support to successfully carry out their service terms. 

Motivational speaker Paul Wesselmann, also known as The Ripples Guy, opened the day with an active session on positively impacting the communities we serve, both for ourselves and others. Members also participated in Question, Persuade, Refer Training with Christina Garcia, a session that taught attendees how to recognize someone in a mental health crisis and then get them the proper care they need. Lastly, all attendees, staff and members alike, had time to come together, converse, connect, and truly share in the AmeriCorps experience.

Attendees of the event walked away saying “It was SO nice to be able to meet everyone and get to know everyone on a more personal level!” and “It was awesome connecting in person pushing us out of our comfort zone.” All in all, it was a successful day that left everyone excited for the next opportunity to get together in person. With nearly 100 members enrolled across Community Corps and Recovery Corps combined, this event was a great kickoff to an even better year of service. 

Service story from AmeriCorps member with

Wisconsin DPI Farm to School

October episode of The S-Files podcast

This month on The S-Files, we explored the service story of AmeriCorps member Emily Stockinger, who is serving her second term with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program. Check out the episode below and access all the episodes on The S-Files podcast series website.

Reconnecting with a Passion for Healthy Foods while Serving with Farm to School

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Emily Stockinger, who is serving her second term with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program at the Arbor Vitae Woodruff School District. Emily discusses harvesting numerous items with students in their outdoor school garden this fall while the weather allows and how the students will continue growing lettuce throughout the year indoors with their hydroponic garden. She also describes how these foods are used in nutrition education lessons she has done with her students and additional activities they will do as they transition more into the classroom during the winter. Emily discusses the food tastings she has done with the students, including their schoolwide participation in the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch earlier this month, and how she communicates these recipes and other information to the parents. Listen to learn how Emily is reconnecting with a passion for healthy food through her service with Farm to School after a career in another field and the continued development of the activities she will be doing as she builds upon her experiences during her first term. (listen to the episode here) 

Register for informational session on November 16 about the Wisconsin AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team

The Wisconsin AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team is a group of AmeriCorps members from across the state of Wisconsin willing to help respond to disasters.  Members of the Disaster Response Team will receive training to effectively help respond and recover from disasters and participate in statewide exercises with other disaster response organizations. Throughout the year, team members will participate in monthly cohort meetings, and if needed, volunteer in response to a disaster. 

There will be an informational session on November 16 at 1:00 p.m. to provide an overview of the training this year and to answer questions for those interested in participating as part of the 2023-2024 Wisconsin AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team.  

If you’re interested in attending the session, please complete the registration form at https://forms.office.com/g/mLirbnLReB.

Deadline for NCCC AmeriCorps Concept Papers is January 4 for Projects in May-August 2024

The deadline for submitting a concept form is January 4 for nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team between either May 2 to June 25, 2024 or June 22 to August 2, 2024. Information on the application process for this upcoming period or for late spring, summer, and fall 2004 is available in their Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2024 service dates.

AmeriCorps NCCC teams are 18-26 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.

As an example, the Aspen 2 AmeriCorps NCCC team partnered with Pringle Nature Center and the Kenosha County Division of Parks in May-June 2023 to construct three new features in the nature playground and improve the accessibility of the nature playground and park trails to wheelchair users. Additionally, the Oak 2 AmeriCorps NCCC team partnered with Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department in May-June 2023

to assist with management and improvement needs within the Ozaukee County Park System and habitat restoration areas by planting trees, removing invasive species, trail construction and maintenance, native prairie and wetland seeding, and completing environmental monitoring projects.

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 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.

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