From Strangers to Family

Hello – I’m Sierra Dunlap!

On August 17, 2010 a group of 30 strangers sat in a room in the basement of the American Red Cross building in Grand Rapids with feelings of anxiety, hope, and motivation to serve. This group of strangers comes from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles. Looking at the group one may think that there would be no possible way that each and every person could find something in one another to bond them, but little does one know that the very things that make them unique is what will end up bringing them together.

The program these 30 strangers are serving at is Cherry Street Community Health Corps. It is made up of members that serve in various health clinics and outside agencies to help the underserved gain access to healthcare. Services provided include case management, a patient assistance program which helps the un-insured have access to free prescription medications, interpretation so that patients and providers can communicate effectively, outreach services, as well as many others that help the community gain access to needed health care services in order to maintain a relatively good quality of life. Other than the service we provide at our sites, we have different projects members either have developed or been a part of that target certain benchmarks, such as Childhood Obesity. One new project that has taken off is called SPROUTS, which is an urban farm school to help children learn to grow healthy food that they can incorporate into their diets. This project focuses on reducing Childhood Obesity, but also gives the students something they can call their own and be proud of which, in turn, will help raise their self-esteem.

Because the team has so many members, with such different gifts, we have been blessed with many opportunities to provide great service to the community. Also, we have had the benefit of having weekly team meetings that have provided us with a place to learn, grow, and express our ideas and passions. Our Friday team meetings have been the greatest asset to the development of such a strong, well-bonded group of distinct individuals.

The team that started as 30 strangers has now, eight months later, grown into a family of irreplaceable friends. Although this team has gained and lost members, one thing has not changed; the common passion to serve and connect. It is remarkable to believe such a large group can have such a close bond. I am astounded by the willingness of each member to have compassion not only for those we serve, but also for team members in trying times. Every member on the team has offered their support to another member at one time or another and/or has reached out to others to help make a difference in the life of someone else. Although I may not be able to pinpoint an exact time I have been impacted by every member of my team, including the coordinators, I can tell you that I have grown as an individual thanks to each and every one of them and for that I am thankful. I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou that states, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Thank you to the 2010-2011 Cherry Street Community Health Corps members for making this time of service so memorable. I know that as a team we will continue to grow and that the community that we serve will continue to be impacted by the strength and commitment of our members.

Serving through the Inner City Neighborhood Project

Hello, my name is Bill Gast, and I am serving through the Inner City Neighborhood Project here in Benton Harbor. There are additional sites in Saginaw, Grand Rapids, and Detroit that are part of the Project.

Our focus is to assist citizens in their re-entry into society after they have been in prison, through 300 hours of community service and pro-social activities. In addition to doing 12 hours of community service each week, our minimum-time members are placed at job sites and can work for pay up to 28 hours a week.

Some community service activities completed include cleaning at the Benton Harbor City Public Works garage and buildings, assisting at the Benton Harbor Habitat store with sales and customer service, and working at the six- degree resale store. At the Orchard Grove nursing home members took bags of Christmas cookies to the residents there, and as they sat and spoke with the residents their reactions were great.

Work sites include Bridges to Digital Excellence in Benton Harbor and Gateway in Berrien Springs; both sites are involved in recycling. Bridges to Digital Excellence takes care of recycling electronics, anything electronic. Gateway is a major paper recycler. Both sites are teaching jobs skills and what an employer expects for an employee.

A major hope of the Inner City Neighborhood Project is to place people at jobs, and from our last group each job site has hired one of the workers that were placed there. Prospective employers after having the program explained all have agreed this is the best thing that Michigan has started in a long time, helping rather that housing.

From the start of this project I have been able to share in the excitement of our members as they learned new things, as they were able to trust again, as they grew as individuals and allowed others to take part in their life.

Saginaw Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership Excited about Their Service

Hello! My name is Ashlie Tillman and I serve with the Saginaw Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership. The program consists of a partnership between the United Way of Saginaw and nonprofits in the community (with demonstrated expertise in substance abuse prevention) that utilizes 20 half-time AmeriCorps Members engaged in educating youth, parents, and community members on substance abuse prevention. Members serve 5,950 youth and 1,290 parents.

Members address three areas a) Parenting - AmeriCorps members will work to enhance parents ability to set forth acceptable standards of behavior for their children with regard to substance use and abuse; b) Youth - AmeriCorps members will work to enhance the awareness of youth with regard to substance use and abuse; and c) Environmental - AmeriCorps members will work to raise community awareness of substance use and abuse so people do not become de-sensitized to the associated dangers.

The Saginaw Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership has been working on a lot of different projects in the past six months.

On Saturday, April 9, we went to Ricker Middle School where they had a "Just Stop - An Anti-Drug and Crime Summit." They had an author there and different Public Safety Officers with vehicles. We were able to talk with many different people of all ages about the great work AmeriCorps members do.

Also, this coming Saturday, April 16, there is a Children's Health Fair in two different places in Saginaw and we will have AmeriCorps members at both places. Our members are very excited for this Saturday because they are going to be able to mix with the children and parents, while giving out information on AmeriCorps and the various programs of the Saginaw Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership.

We also have many fun outdoor service activities planned for the summer, now we just need the nice weather to arrive. We are very excited about the service we do here and are always excited to tell everyone about it.

Huron Pines AmeriCorps

Hello, my name is Rachel Koleda and I am a member of the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program. The Huron Pines program includes eight full-time members and eight seasonal members, all of whom are placed throughout northern Michigan and working with conservation organizations to increase environmental awareness through volunteer engagement, habitat restoration, environmental stewardship, and development of new conservation services.

For my term of service I have been placed with the Otsego Conservation District in Gaylord. The conservation district provides resources to assist landowners in managing their natural resources wisely and sustainably. Projects that I participate in include wildlife habitat enhancement and food plot cost-share programs, both of which aid county residents in development and implementation of sustainable and wildlife-friendly plantings on their property. These projects are funded by a local nonprofit environmental organization. I participate in the Otsego County recycling program, which includes weekly radio broadcasts and written press releases, and I also assist with volunteer engagement and educational outreach activities.

Huron Pines AmeriCorps members are currently serving with different conservation organizations throughout northern Michigan, including the Grand Traverse Conservation District, the Michigan Sea Grant, the Presque Isle Conservation District, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Crawford-Roscommon Conservation District/Roscommon County Road Commission, and the Huron Pines office in Grayling. Current member projects include creating management plans for area parks and bottomlands that will be exposed following dam removal; developing science-based curriculum for local schools, including programs that focus on tree identification and ecosystem health; coordinating activities for preschool programs focused on local environmental issues; providing invasive species education to local schools and environmental groups; evaluating and improving road/stream crossings and storm water management in several northern Michigan watersheds; planning volunteer events and education outreach for local school-children; designing and promoting recycling education programs; serving as liaison to help schools obtain grants for place-based science education; and at every opportunity, promoting awareness of environmental conservation efforts throughout northern Michigan.

Seasonal member projects include invasive species education, identification and removal; the restoration, enhancement and maintenance of prized northern Michigan watersheds; monitoring and assisting in the stewardship of conservation easement properties; conducting watershed resource inventories; developing environmental education based outreach materials for various audiences; data collection and monitoring of coldwater streams; and recruiting and engaging volunteers in hands-on environmental conservation events. Seasonal positions are open now and include volunteer positions with the HeadWaters Land Conservancy, Huron Pines, the Au Sable River Watershed Restoration Committee, Little Traverse Conservancy, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Michigan Trout Unlimited Headwaters Chapter.

If you would like to more information about available seasonal AmeriCorps positions with Huron Pines and all the exciting programs Huron Pines AmeriCorps members are involved with in Northern Michigan please visit http://www.huronpines.org/project/65.

Char-Em ISD Focuses on Service in Northern Michigan

Hi, I am Kristin Bates and I am a second year AmeriCorps member with the CharEm ISD. The CharEm AmeriCorps program, located in Northern Michigan, is made up of 10 members who are assigned to nine different elementary schools across the Intermediate School District. The main focus of the AmeriCorps program is to mentor at-risk students in literacy and to provide services that strengthen community responses to environmental and social issues.

Under the direction of a site supervisor, who assists in creating areas of focus within the school setting, our members work with a caseload of 15 to 20 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Our AmeriCorps members receive training and information on school protocol, classroom management, conflict resolution skills, reading assessment, as well as exercises in teaching fluency. All members have completed First Aid Training and CPR. During their 10 months of service, each member is encouraged to complete a community service project, give two outreach presentations about the AmeriCorps program, attend three governmental meetings, and enlist 25 volunteers.

This year, for community service projects we have completed a coat drive benefiting 80 elementary students, a food drive  that collected more than 2,700 items for a local pantry, and Santa for Soldiers – a program where 40 servicemen overseas will receive a package full of military supplies this holiday season. We aren’t done yet!

Currently, four of our members are involved with the Food 4 Kids Backpack program, which is sponsored by the Manna Food Project. This program allows children to take a backpack full of food home for the weekend. Between the four sites, we are serving more than 300 children each week.

Three of our members are involved with the Girls on the Run program. This is a program aimed at boosting self-esteem in third through fifth grade girls. The program runs for 10 weeks at each site and will finish with a 5K race between all participants/schools and their mentors.

Another member has incorporated a “peer to peer” program into her site by pairing up fourth graders with kindergarteners with disabilities. The fourth graders assist the kindergarteners in the morning and during their lunchtime routine.

Another new program was started by one of our members called “Morning Stars.” For two mornings a week, our member meets with a group of 10 girls ranging in age five to 11 where she provides proper hygiene information as well as encouraging them to take responsibility for getting themselves ready for school.

For our signature service project, we will be cleaning up Camp Daggett, an outdoor adventure camp located on Walloon Lake.

The 2010-2011 CharEm AmeriCorps members are: Kristin Bates, Boyne City elementary; Jennifer Bergmann, Charlevoix elementary; Ann Chatterson, Sheridan elementary; Mark Forton, Alanson elementary; Tina Holm, Ellsworth elementary; Catherine Keck, Pellston elementary; Rebecca Mathers, Central elementary; Molly Preston, Lincoln elementary; and Tara Palmer and Amanda Stanek, East Jordan Elementary.