Building Strong Foundations

Hi, I’m Stephen Phillips, a second-year AmeriCorps member serving with the Cherry Street Community HealthCorps team at Cherry Street Health Services in Grand Rapids. Although AmeriCorps members may be known more for their humility and humble commitment to service, I can’t stop myself from bragging about my team, the largest Community HealthCorps team in the country! Given the common misconception that the greater Grand Rapids is a rather well-to-do area of our state, it may come as a surprise that the National Association of Community Health Centers has decided to dedicate so much manpower here. Yet, the reality on our streets shows that Grand Rapidians too are in desperate need of a broad range of services, much of which is met by the incredible efforts of the various AmeriCorps teams in this area.

Among those needs, securing access to affordable and competent health care for all citizens remains an important challenge, and it is our primary focus. Last year alone, our members assisted 21,424 new individuals from historically underserved and marginalized populations in gaining access to health services. Whether serving as an interpreter, outreach specialist, case manager, or in another capacity, our members strive to eliminate the barriers that have kept so many from living at their healthiest and, in doing so, build healthier communities from the ground up.

The commitment that my fellow Cherry Street AmeriCorps members and I have made to strengthen our communities through service often takes us beyond the familiar setting of the health center. On April 27, we put our commitment to the test once again by assisting Habitat for Humanity of Kent County in preparation for one of their largest events ever. That event, which took place the following day, assembled more than 400 volunteers from a local church to take part in a massive collaborative effort to construct completed frames for multiple homes over the course of a few hours.

Our participation as the ‘backstage’ volunteers for the event, although maybe less exciting and attention grabbing than putting together the finished products, was vital to its success. Responsible for ensuring that all necessary components of the frames were ready for assembly, our members drilled, cut, ripped wood, chalked and rigged jigs, and more, all with the enthusiasm of a group that recognized its larger purpose and understood its role. Our purpose was not to garner attention for ourselves or perfect our carpentry skills—although it was fun to throw around that construction jargon—rather we were there to lay the foundation for a successful event which would strengthen our community by giving families what they need to be successful; in this case, quality, affordable housing.

After I had some time to reflect on this experience with Habitat, I came to the realization that the role we fulfilled as so-called ‘backstage’ volunteers truly mirrors the roles that we play in our day-to-day service positions. Just as we provided the Habitat volunteers with the materials and tools necessary for success, so too do we try to provide our patients with the tools and information they need to overcome their challenges and lead a healthier, more productive life. With little fanfare and lots of compassion and patience, we sit ‘backstage’ as our patients learn to lead their own lives.

The Cherry Street AmeriCorps team will continue to engage our communities in this way. By laying the foundations upon which success is built, we will make our communities healthier and stronger. I look forward to continuing my service year with such an exceptional program, and I’m excited to see what impact Cherry Street and other area AmeriCorps programs will have on our city and this region over the coming months. The sky’s the limit!

Mental Notes on Mentoring

 Mentoring. What is it, exactly? Is it to help one navigate through their life? Is it to encourage and help one to begin to see the ‘big picture?’ Or possibly, could it be to help make adjustments, change tendencies, break or make habits? Are there methods that work better than others? Can I get a handbook?! Hi, I’m Mark Haskin, and as you can tell, I have a few questions about what it truly means to mentor.

I suppose I can sift through these questions by taking a cross section of what I’ve learned through my experiences as an AmeriCorps member and a mentor to youth.

Here at the Neighbors Plus Alternative Suspension Program (ASP), mentoring seems to be only a piece of what we do although I’ve found that it’s fingerprints are found throughout all of the activities I’ve been involved in during my two years as an AmeriCorps member with the Faith in Youth Partnership in Holland. The Faith in Youth Partnership is an organization that partners AmeriCorps members with seven local community agencies that serve the disadvantaged youth who live in the greater Holland area. At the Alternative Suspension Program, we serve 6^th- 9^th grade students who are part of the West Ottawa School District on Holland’s north side and have been either suspended or expelled from school. This voluntary program is offered to students free-of-charge and is made known to each student and guardian at the time of suspension/expulsion.

Though the program offers each student the opportunity to remain on track with their schoolwork through collaboration between the ASP staff and their individual teachers, the underlying goal of the program is to shed a light on the options and choices each student has in regards to their future. While doing this, we’re constantly reminded through our discussions with our students of the importance of perspective. As a middle school student, all we know is what we’ve been taught through our own family’s practices and actions. A child who grows up in a home of all factory workers, police officers or musicians may see few other options than becoming an assembly line manager, bailiff or a harpist. A child who knows only one way of life will most likely view any another option as foreign, thought it may seem quite normal to adults/staff members.

I’ve learned that when mentoring youth it is important to value the student for who they are, right now. Not for who they have the potential to become or even who we as mentors hope they will become, but simply, for who they are. It is important to value and acknowledge the positive qualities and characteristics that each student possesses in the present. It is important to recognize and seek to understand the values that they hold onto so tightly, and learn to appreciate these, even if they are different than our own.

Through academic progress and assisting students in achieving more than they imagined possible, we at ASP encourage students to dream of what they could become someday. By helping to make the difficult become understandable, the stressful to become do-able, and the impossible to become possible, students begin to develop self-confidence, self-motivation, and self-pride. One student, who has a particularly difficult time concentrating on math, recently told me that he didn’t want to take a break with the rest of the students because he wanted to keep working on his assignment! Knowing this student for quite some time and knowing that his reputation as a tough guy was on the line, I waited until the other students left the class room to jokingly ask, “Geeze, ya nerd, giving up your break to do math? What's gotten into you?” He responded, “What!? I’m not a nerd! It's just fun now that it isn’t hard anymore.” I answered, “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” I continued, “And I guess you don’t have to be a nerd to be good at math, huh?” “Nope!” he fired back with a smile.

At ASP, we sometimes have students for only a few days, and others for the length of an entire academic year. Naturally, the depths of relationships vary from student to student. During my two years of AmeriCorps service, I’ve learned that when mentoring youth, the deeper you allow yourself to be known, the more weight your words and actions hold. It is important to empathize with their pain and genuinely celebrate in their joy.  I think to do this, the mentor needs to have something on the line. To have given part of themselves to the other. Not simply time, energy or other resources – but themselves.

Through my experience, I guess this is what I’ve found to be true. Mentoring isn’t changing another person, having a list of goals, or even simply giving time and resources. It is the giving of a piece of one’s self to another.

Schools of Hope Serves with Read n' Give Book Drive

I'm Dan Drust, a Michigan’s AmeriCorps member serving with United Way's Schools of Hope program. Located in Grand Rapids, Schools of Hope seeks to bring first through third grade students up to grade-level reading, bridging the reading gap between urban and higher performing schools in Kent County. We do this by offering in-school tutoring and after-school literacy programs for students, along with English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for parents to better prepare them to support their child’s learning. I am one of seven ESL teachers in the program, stationed at Grand Rapids Public School’s Burton Elementary School. You can go here for some more information about Schools of Hope.

Since most of our service is done in schools, the infectious air of the school-age students had us looking forward to spring break. My fellow AmeriCorps members and I were anxious for a change of pace and a break from our normal service. We didn't, however, look toward tropical locales to refuel - we engaged in a different type of service for the week, which also benefited our students.

Instead of enjoying afternoon hammock naps, we participated in a statewide book drive called Read n’ Give. Organized by Crowe Horwath, LLC and The LEAGUE Michigan, books were collected at over 90 locations across Michigan - everywhere from banks and bookstores to elementary classrooms where community service is integrated with learning. The book drive netted just over 25,000 volumes across the state, with more books still coming in to the tune of hundreds, even thousands, at a time.

Our Schools of Hope team was responsible for managing the books donated in West Michigan. We spent three days tagging each of the 9,000 books with a Read n’ Give sticker that serves as a sort of reader registry and encourages readers to do just as the name implies - read the book and pass it along to a new owner. After tagging, the books were organized based upon reading levels. So then, what does one do with thousands of books?

Put them in the hands of readers, of course! The books that were donated throughout West Michigan were brought to Grand Rapids to be given to local children who can use them as summer reading material. After sorting the avalanche of books, we packed 1,163 book bags with three books each, to be distributed to students who we see every day in our service. Each student who receives services through the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps program will take home three age-appropriate books. We are excited to be a part of the book drive and benefit from it in this way because research shows young readers have a better chance of increasing their literacy skills when reading materials are present in their homes.

The books allotted for Schools of Hope only account for about half of the West Michigan Read n’ Give books. The remaining books were given to the Salvation Army, serving clients pre-kindergarten through adult, and Camp Blodgett, a local camp for low income campers.

Though we may have missed out on tan lines and sunburns during our spring break, we’re fortunate to have been a part of such an successful book drive. Undoubtedly, the students we work with will be pleased to take home reading materials at the end of the school year, and we are pleased that the motivation we’ve helped build in these young readers will not wane due to a scarcity of books in the home.

An Absolutely, Incredible, Memorable Day!

Greetings AmeriCorps community! My name is Ellen Hensel and I am currently serving as an AmeriCorps member with Camp Fire USA West Michigan Council in Grand Rapids. Camp Fire USA is a nonprofit that’s been around for more than 100 years. Since the beginning, Camp Fire has always been dedicated to youth development. We strive to create caring, confident, youth and leaders through after school and summer programs. At the West Michigan Council, we do that through several programs including ten after-school sites where Grand Rapids youth receive academic support, participate in activities, and have opportunities to be leaders.

I am currently serving at Burton Elementary in the Schools of Hope literacy class. We have 20 students who begin at least one grade level below their peers in reading and work tirelessly after school, reading independently and continuing to improve daily. Our students have already had a full day of academics, and their perseverance to continue after school always motivates me and keeps me trying my best.

Being able to work with kids everyday can be a tiring experience, but incredibly rewarding. One of the great activities that Camp Fire USA hosts is Absolutely Incredible Kid Day (AIKD). I think sometimes we forget that kids get stressed too, they have bad days and they forget how they make a difference in this world. AIKD is a day when every kid gets to feel special and every kid has a tangible reminder of what they mean to us. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

To reinforce this positive message, the main goal of AIKD is to provide every student with a letter from a family member, friend, neighbor, educator, or even a volunteer, that reminds them of their positive qualities. At the West Michigan Council, every student in the after school program gets a letter from their activity leader, totaling over 1300 letters. In addition to that, two sites are picked for an assembly on the day and every student from the school gets a hand-written letter. This year it fell on Thursday, March 15. Palmer and Brookside Elementary Schools were chosen for the assembly.

My AmeriCorps program assisted in gathering volunteers to write letters, wrote personal letters for students themselves, and some even got a chance to attend the assembly. I was lucky enough to participate in every part of the process and it was the most rewarding and surprising activity I’ve been involved in thus far in my year of service. As the Volunteer Team Leader, I reached out to our volunteer groups for writing letters. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Although these volunteers had never met the students, they wrote beautiful, inspiring letters. At a library letter drive, one high school student wrote in his letter to a third grader, “Did you know that the world is a better place because you are in it?” I can’t imagine the impact his words had on a child.

The day of the event was a day filled with positivity. Camp Fire USA has built a partnership with our local news celebrity, WWOTV-4’s Maranda, who hosted the assemblies along with some local mascots. As she told each student how special they were, how hard they worked and how much they meant to the adults in their lives, you could see them puffing up with pride. At a certain point, she directed teachers to hand out the letters. Students ripped open the envelopes to find words of encouragement and truth. Five-hundred and sixty-seven students at two different schools opened letters that day and an additional 700 after-school students received them from a trusted adult.

I had the opportunity to go to Palmer Elementary, one of my former service sites. Ismail, one of my previous students, came up to me and showed me his letter. It was written to him from Ms. Jamie. She wrote that he should work hard, and always remember that he makes a difference to others. She wrote about his leadership. He looked at me and asked, “Is everything she said true? But she doesn’t even know me.” I told him, I know you and everything in there is true. He clutched the letter happily as he walked out.

When students get stressed or when their day doesn’t go how they wanted it to, we hope they can look at the letters they received on AIKD and know that someone out there believes in them. At the end of the assemblies, Maranda led the students in a chant, where they shout “I’m Incredible!” and the sound of that positive message resonates with them today.

For more information about Camp Fire USA West Michigan Council visit www.campfireusawmc.org.