AmeriCorps Works: National AmeriCorps Week

By Kristina Mageau

It is that time of year again, when the annual National AmeriCorps Week pops into the reality of the nation.  Every year there is a theme so that the American people can better understand AmeriCorps.  According to the AmeriCorps website,

The theme this year, AmeriCorps Works, communicates the value and effectiveness of AmeriCorps…. It provides an overarching framework to communicate AmeriCorps triple bottom line return on investment – for the recipients of service, the people who serve, and the larger community and nation.

In honor of National AmeriCorps Week, which is March 10^th through March 18^th, this reporter is bringing you more information about one of the Thurston County AmeriCorps programs, namely the Youth in Service program.  The AmeriCorps: Youth in Service Team Coordinator, Allen Stanton, shared what the Youth in Service team has been up to this year, and what is happening in the future.

Right now, Allen said that the Youth in Service team is ending a 3-year grant cycle. “So we’re going to have a lot of new positions.  I’m super excited about the chance to re-evaluate the program.  This’ll be my fourth year as the team coordinator.”

Every year, the AmeriCorps Youth in Service team does work that is “meaningful,” according to Allen. One example is the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteer projects.

“We just did our MLK Day projects,” Allen elaborates, “and those were super super cool.  MLK was right in the middle of the crazy snow day that we got…  It was a big challenge for members.  Everyone was still super successful, and it was really encouraging to see… people pull off these really big projects.  One of our projects was a homeless outreach coat drive…  They set up in the… Family Support Center, and had people in and out all day, and they served a ton of people.  They gave out thousands of dollars worth of goods.  Because it was super snowy and cold that day, it made it more relevant… The project was called Project W.A.R.M.T.H.”

If you are wondering how many team members are on the Youth in Service team, Allen says, “We’re at 24 right now.”

The number varies a little bit each year, and next year Allen says, “It’ll be roughly the same amount.”

To apply, please contact the Program Assistant, Katharine Swilley, at (360) 943-0780 x125, or by phone at kswilley@communityyouthservices.org. Applications will be available in April.

To learn more about the Youth in Service program in general, contact Allen Stanton at 360-943-0780 x161 or: astanton@communityyouthservices.org.