Michigan's AmeriCorps Member Council - Posting #23

Hey Everyone…it’s AmeriCorps Week and we are getting things done! I hope you all are having a successful week and are getting ready to heat things up this weekend in Flint.

At Char-Em ISD AmeriCorps we started our week with a BANG! Saturday May 9th we began to celebrate AmeriCorps Week with our first “Spring Into Action” event. The weather report was against us and challenges were abound but with some quick, on the fly adjustments we were ready to go. Thankfully the rain held off and many events were able to stay outside in the wonderful, but cold, Northern Michigan air.

Altogether 187 students from Charlevoix, Emmet, and Northern Antrim counties were given the opportunity to participate in a free day of physical activity and nutritional education. Those in attendance participated in three of the various 13 workshops that included football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, Martial Arts, Pilates, running, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, yoga, and zumba. The enthusiasm was high and students were elated to learn new sports.

One of the most inspiring parts of the event is that we received a vast amount of assistance from many area business owners who attended the event as volunteers. These highly qualified individuals led workshops and taught our students the wonderful skills and opportunities their individual expertise could offer. The feedback from our leaders was wonderful; they loved the opportunity to share their skills and abilities while giving back to the community. Many commented they could not wait to participate again next year and asked many questions about AmeriCorps and our accomplishments.

We created many great relationships with community organizations and businesses through this project, bringing together AmeriCorps Alums, Charlevoix Public School Learn and Serve Students, MSU Extension, United Way, The First Tee of Boyne Highlands, 4-H, and the Rotary Club of Charlevoix, along with numerous area businesses. The relationships built through this community event have proven to be highly educational and beneficial to us all. By reaching out and joining hands we were able to accomplish something great, something enormous, and touch hundreds of children’s lives in the process.

Here are two of the day’s outcomes…

Student Success
Carter Johnson, a 4th grade student in the Char-Em School District attended a lacrosse workshop and was given a business card from the high school lacrosse coach. Carter is too young to participate on any of the teams, but this coach recruited him regardless of age requirements and was enthusiastic about fostering this student’s talent. When Carter’s father came to pick him up he was so excited to tell him the wonderful news and share the business card with him.

This was just the beginning!

Monday morning Carter walked in the doors to the school with a huge smile on his face and two lacrosse sticks in his hand. After some conversation he told me how excited he was to practice on the playground and that he and his parents were calling the coach that night.

Community Collaboration
Megan Johnson, a swimming instructor for the Charlevoix Community Pool led our swimming workshop. At the end of the day she and one of our AmeriCorps members were discussing how the rate of drowning in our area reached a record high the previous year. With further conversation they decided we should get her in the schools to teach water safety. On Monday, Char-Em ISD AmeriCorps members went back to their school sites where they shared this wonderful opportunity and agreed to coordinate visits. By the end of the day, 14 schoolteachers had already agreed to have Megan present to their students in an effort to keep our students safe at the beaches and pools over the summer.


This half day event touched not only students, but also volunteers and the community as a whole. Carter and Megan are only two examples of how the event motivated individuals to get up, get moving, and make a difference.

Our community organizations and volunteers came together to create a wonderful opportunity for the children, but what they did not realize is that they were creating a wonderful opportunity for themselves to grow, to learn, and to share their knowledge with the future leaders of America. The future volunteers who will continue to make this a strong nation full of pride, care, and compassion. We lead the future, we teach the values, we share our skill, but most of all we learn from everyone, both young and old!