Member Experiences in AmeriCorps

"I've had such an awesome experience because of and with AmeriCorps this past year. AmeriCorps allowed me to get my foot in the door and into a position that I would have had a very hard time getting into otherwise. I started out as a volunteer, but AmeriCorps allowed me to get in as part of the Maine Women's Fund staff, as their Volunteer Coordinator. I've met so many incredible people in my community - through our staff, board of directors, supporters and other AmeriCorps members. I would highly recommend AmeriCorps, at a site you love. For me, it's been the best career starter I could have asked for."

Brianna was offered a full time position as the Community Outreach Coordinator with Maine Women's Fund following her AmeriCorps term and is thriving there!
Brianna McCabe, Maine Women's Fund Member 06-07, Portland

"My position at Mano En Mano as an Americorps volunteer has been professionally rewarding because it has given me the chance to work with the Latino population, particularly children, in a rural area. The Afterschool program is the primary program for Mano En Mano. As an Americorps volunteer I have been able to help lower the teacher/student ratio to 1:1, increase the number of hours the Afterschool Program is open, and provide more homework help to the students. The Afterschool Program is traditionally closed for the month of January but due to the increased number of staff we have been able to remain open. I have enjoyed working with Mano En Mano as an Americorps volunteer a great deal. The experience has given me new abilities for working with children. I intend to become a teacher and these new skills will prove invaluable to me in the future. I have reveled working in a rural area with a diverse population. I have enjoyed working for a small, community-based organization where I have been able to take on many different tasks and learn assorted skills."
Sasha Alsop, Mano en Mano Member 06-07, Milbridge


"I am currently serving an eleven month AmeriCorps term in Waldoboro, Maine, a small town in the Mid Coast region. I work as a volunteer, outreach, and stewardship project coordinator for the Medomak Valley Land Trust (MVLT) and the Medomak River Alewife Enhancement Project (AEP). With the alewife run quickly approaching, work with the Alewife Project has been getting pretty intense! I've been doing a lot of outreach and recruitment for volunteers to help count alewives. In fact, in the month of May I'll perform a total of nine outreach presentations at various schools, clubs, and non-profits, and an AmeriCorps-based stewardship project on one of the Medomak's tributaries."

"More than anything else, my service with AmeriCorps has helped me develop a better understanding of myself as an individual, as a citizen, as a student, as a friend, as a son, as a brother…"

Don decided to commit to a second year of AmeriCorps as a VISTA with Campus Compact in 07-08.
Don Austin, Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed Member, 06-07, Augusta


"During my AmeriCorps Service I am working hard to develop a strong volunteer base for a newly renovated now fully functioning Performing Arts Center. We are now also showing movies. Though recruitment is very important, retaining these volunteers and also offering orientation and training is very important in this process. I also enjoy the excitement of going into the surrounding communities in this rural area, doing presentations on the Center Theatre to a variety of different organization for recruitment of new volunteers.

One aspect of this service I find amazing is the dedication the community in this area is willing to give for this Theatre.We have a wide variety of Senior Citizens and High School Students that offer lots of community service. Finding the balance of what position works best for the volunteering needs in an ongoing process.

On the CHET service I have had opportunities to help develop after school programs with collaborations with several other groups, work with local Historical Societies and really become very involved with Piscataquis County and developing a strong volunteer base. Thank-you for this opportunity."

Pam decided to do a second term with the Community Resource Corps and continued to work on her programs with the Center Theatre in 07-08. She also expanded her horizons by adding to her term work with WomanCare, also in Dover-Foxcroft. Her knowledge of the program coming into her second year has been invaluable to the Center Theatre!
Pam Tower, Center Theatre Member, 06-07, Dover-Foxcroft

"I served my year-long Americorps term with the Portland Housing Authority. Having recently graduated from college, I wanted to return home and work within my own community, doing something that not only aligned with my own interests and training, but that was also valuable to the people being served. PHA ended up being a perfect fit. I coordinated an after-school education center in a public housing community for the majority of the term, and in the summer, organized a PHA soccer league for summer programming. I gained great experience in community development and organization working with the residents' tenant councils. Most rewarding were the relationships forged with families and students in several neighborhoods. The population of PHA housing is one of the most diverse and international in the state. I couldn't have imagined a more educational experience. After finishing my term, I eventually moved to Washington, D.C. and as a result of contacts made in public housing, and first hand experience gained solely from my Americorps term, I am now working as a consultant contracted for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Americorps presented many challenges and hardships, but in the end, turned out to be a wise career choice."
Jonathan Rogers, Portland Housing Authority, 06-07, Portland