Guest posting by the Michigan’s AmeriCorps Team
The 2009-2010 program year looks to be an exciting time for Michigan’s AmeriCorps! We are welcoming back 17 veteran programs that are “Getting Things Done” in our communities and two brand-new programs that are looking to kick things off.
During this coming year there will be more than 1,100 Michigan’s AmeriCorps members across the state to address our communities toughest challenges, including education, environment, public safety, and disaster preparedness. Twenty of those members will be serving with Michigan’s AmeriCorps’ newest grantees: the Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps Project and the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Program.
The Ingham County Health Department’s Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps Project will enroll 10 full-time members to focus on two key project goals: creating, expanding, and/or maintaining trails, greenways, parks, and non-motorized transportation options; and creating, expanding, and/or maintaining community gardens, sustainable food systems, and access to healthy foods. Members will provide direct service to their host sites and the community in three focus areas: recruitment and mobilization of community volunteers; community education; and training, supporting, and modeling direct service work for community volunteers.
The Literacy Center of West Michigan’s Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Program will enroll 10 full-time members in service at Grand Rapids-area elementary schools to improve the reading ability of children, increase the capacity of parents to support their children, and increase the capacity of parents to compete more effectively in the workplace. Students will be paired with an adult to receive weekly tutoring in reading skills in order to increase their grades and MEAP scores. Michigan’s AmeriCorps members will also provide weekly literacy enrichment activities for parents in order to help them better assist their children and reach their own educational and/or employment goals.
These program’s service sites will be confirmed soon with members beginning service in early November. The Michigan Community Service Commission’s AmeriCorps team is also looking forward to the next year.
“We’re always excited to welcome new initiatives into the Michigan’s AmeriCorps network of programs,” said Michigan’s AmeriCorps Program Officer Marcy Bishop Kates. “Each of these new programs will address critical needs in their respective communities.”
For more information on AmeriCorps in Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/mcsc.
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