Members of Governor Evers's Cabinet and staff participate in 9/11 Day of Service Project organized by DOA and Serve Wisconsin at Governor Nelson State Park

In honor of those who were lost and those who helped others on 9/11, Serve Wisconsin joined with the Wisconsin Department of Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to organize a September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance service project at Governor Nelson State Park.  

Over 50 state employees and volunteers participated in the project, including four members of Governor Evers’s Cabinet: Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Blumenfeld Kathy Blumenfeld, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Adam Payne, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Kristen Johnson, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson. They were joined by staff from Governor Evers's office, staff from multiple departments, Serve Wisconsin, and volunteers from the Governor Nelson State Park Friends Group.

Throughout the morning, volunteers transported and spread woodchips along the park's wooded section of the Morningside Trail. They also collected seeds from native plants for later redistribution and removed invasive species from prairie sections of the Morningside Trail.

This project was one of many that volunteers participated in throughout the state as part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance in Wisconsin. In recognition of the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, Governor Evers issued Executive Order #212 declaring the day to be a state Day of Service and Remembrance and encouraged “Wisconsinites across our state to come together and participate in a statewide day of service as we honor and remember that fateful day.”

For more information on Executive Order #212, please visit the following

• Executive Order #212
• Press Release: Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of 9/11 and State Day of Service and Remembrance

Dane County area AmeriCorps programs join together for 9/11 Day of Service project at Madison School Forest

In recognition of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, AmeriCorps members from multiple programs joined with other organizations and volunteers to clear out invasive plant species as part of a habitat restoration project at Madison School Forest

Partners for After School Success (PASS AmeriCorps) organized the 9/11 Day service project with the Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) Outdoors team. They were joined by AmeriCorps members and staff from United Way of Dane County - Achievement Connections, United Way of Dane County - Schools of Hope, and Easterseals Wisconsin, as well as staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Serve Wisconsin.

MCHS Recovery Corps

September is National Recovery Month, which focuses on how recovery from substance abuse disorders is a possibility for all who may struggle with them. One of the events in Wisconsin promoting this goal, Oneida County’s Light Up the Night for Recovery at Hodag Park in Rhinelander, focused on spreading awareness of resources that can assist people on a path to recovery. The event was supported by three AmeriCorps members with Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) AmeriCorps - Recovery Corps, including Erika Brigham and Shirlee Knox, who are serving at Oneida County Social Services, as well as Brock Boyd, who is placed with the Rhinelander Police Department.

The Light Up the Night for Recovery event brought the recovery community together to share recovery stories, break down stigmas and labels around substance use and recovery, and build support for the recovery community. Shirlee Knox explained, "By doing this in the community, we are trying to break the stigma. So if we can do this together, we can overcome the stigma of addiction.” Erika Brigham expanded on this, describing that “throwing an event like this opens up that stigma and kind of breaks that down so that everybody knows that we are here to help…The agencies represented here thrive on that and want to help the individuals in our community.”

Highlighting the need to help others either facing or impacted by substance abuse disorders, Shirlee reflected on her own experiences, describing that “everybody that meant anything to me is gone because of addiction.” She continued by elaborating on the importance of the event, explaining that “it means everything to me. It brings the community together. It gives them resources to know that they are not alone.”

Erika echoed these thoughts and why she is supporting the event and serving with MCHS Recovery Corps through her own personal connections, detailing that “my mom is in recovery, both of my brothers are in recovery, and just knowing that there are so many agencies out here willing to help people is amazing, and it's something that I'm very passionate about.”

This National Recovery Month, MCHS Recovery Corps had 24 AmeriCorps members start their year of service on September 11. The members began their service by receiving training through the Recovery Coach Academy organized by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery to prepare for their service as recovery coaches for their host sites and to make a positive impact on their communities.

Media coverage of Light Up the Night for Recovery

• WJFW NBC 12 - “Light Up the Night

United Way of Dane County promotes service at Community Kickoff event supported by AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund

United Way of Dane County held its annual Community Kickoff event on September 18 at Breese Stevens Field in Madison. Serve Wisconsin supported the event with funding from our AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund grant and staff volunteered at the event. This annual event helps kickstart several of their volunteer and organizational efforts and includes multiple ways community members can support individuals in need.

Attendees at the event packed 4,000 "Impacks" of toilet paper and paper towels and donated numerous feminine hygiene products that will be given to individuals in need. Food and nutrition assistance programs do not typically cover these essential items and they are not commonly donated.

The attendees visited numerous tables at the Explore United carnival, where they learned about numerous programs that United Way of Dane County operates to assist the community and sign up to volunteer to help support these efforts. Additionally, children attending the event received free books from the Madison Reading Project Book Bus.

Deadline for NCCC AmeriCorps Concept Papers is November 1 for Projects in February-April 2024

The deadline for submitting a concept form is November 1 for nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team between February 29 and April 25, 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 18-24 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.

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
• A service program representative between the ages of 16 and 25

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.

FOLLOW US