Wednesday, January 18, 2012

MLK Day Service in Many Colors

By Michael Matthis
Second Year Mentor Michigan College Coaching Corps AmeriCorps Member Serving at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Detroit

This past Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. How did you spend it? Well, this guy along with many other volunteers around the Detroit area, spent his time giving back! In collaboration with such organizations as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit, the United Way of Southeast Michigan, and City Year Detroit, a service project was convened.

The project took place at Harper Woods High School moments away from Detroit proper. Volunteers painted over 20 murals for the school. They coordinated a huge overhaul of the school library which included taking inventory of more than 3,000 books. I myself got the chance to help sort over 750 hygiene kits to be distributed later to the homeless. To top it all off, we spent time writing letters and creating Valentine’s Day cards for our troops and veterans in the Armed Forces.

The most eye opening observation for me was the colors of the volunteers. This was not a service project where people got lost in a sea of red and black City Year jackets. Nor was it a project where volunteers were swallowed by AmeriCorps greys and A’s. I noticed a more comprehensive collage that included the green shirts of Starbucks employees, the black and white of Big Brother Big Sister volunteers, and rainbows of everyday people with only the tie of living in the community. Yes, I watched as massive amounts of volunteers poured into the school site’s doors.

When I asked volunteers how they came to know about the project, the message was always the same: “I heard from a friend of a friend to go register online.” Well folks, this should serve well to remind us that there are few things in life stronger than the heart of a volunteer. It tells us there are many out there still willing to seek out and give their time to make their communities a better place.

I couldn’t help but be inspired by it. I couldn’t help but be encouraged by the notion that people who aren’t already connected to service, still desire to serve! I could not help but reflect on the words of Dr. King…

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

Community service was such a perfect way to honor his legacy. I do it not only because am I am AmeriCorps member, but because I’m also addicted to it. Now what’s your excuse? Why do you serve?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Continuing My Education

If I were to choose one word to describe the past few months of my life, I would pick, “NEW!” My name is Liz Hand and I have recently had the pleasure of encountering many new experiences. I was born and raised in Vermont, went to college in Vermont, and taught in high schools in Vermont since graduating in January of 2010. Needless to say, it was time for a change, and time to challenge myself to move – figuratively and literally – outside of my comfort zone.

In August of 2011, I packed all my belongings into my car and drove across the country to the shores of Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan. I applied for an AmeriCorps position before leaving Vermont, and while en route – somewhere near Buffalo, N.Y. – I got a call from my future site supervisors, interviewing me for a Marquette-based AmeriCorps position. Luckily, I was offered a position at the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency (MARESA), and it has been a whirlwind ever since.

I serve in an education program, but I can honestly say that I am learning as much, if not more, than the students I work with. My days are filled with novel experiences and variety. I have a Vermont teaching license in middle and secondary social studies, but at MARESA I am learning about the ways that structured education occurs outside of the traditional classroom. Growing up I was considered a “traditional” student, and was an outsider to vocational and special education programs. My understanding and appreciation of the benefits and difficulties of non-traditional programs was lacking, to say the least.

Through my service at MARESA, I directly serve these non-traditional students. I am strengthening my grasp on what these programs mean to individuals and communities. I continually see the benefits to individuals in these programs and am learning about the advantages that special education and career and technical education (CTE) programs provide to businesses and the community as a whole. And, as is the case with many great programs these days, I am learning about the difficulty of maintaining funding and support for non-traditional education programs.

I am able to broaden my understanding of non-traditional education through my wide array of daily and weekly activities. To give you a snapshot of just how diverse the tasks I perform are… last week I tutored a high school student in a college-level culinary class, updated the MARESA CTE program website, volunteered with transition students to provide food to the needy at the Salvation Army, mock interviewed high school students for career preparation, secured speakers to educate CTE students on MLK Day, created a brochure for one of our drafting programs, and took part in a cookie-making fundraiser for the culinary program. Pretty expansive, huh?

Not only do I participate in education at the micro level, but recently I was chosen to take part in Michigan’s LeaderCorps, in which we think and talk about education and service from a micro- and macro-level. As part of LeaderCorps I joined the ranks of Kathleen Egan and others on the Diversity and Inclusion Team. I’m excited to work with the LeaderCorps members because of the range of perspectives and experience these people have to offer. Many LeaderCorps members are in their second year of service, and their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable to me as I try to make the most out of my year of service in the education field. I hope to use their ideas and inspiration to do great things for the students and community members in the Marquette area!