May 4th – Alums Service Day with Boston Youth Fund

Join alums and current members for a great day of service with The Boston Youth Fund!  RSVP NOW

About The Boston Youth Fund (BYF): provides over 3,000 Boston teens between the ages of 15 and 17 with job opportunities during the summer months and also supports 500 positions throughout the school-year.  Each year, BYF participants work in a variety of jobs within community, faith-based, and government agencies and work as administrative assistants, mural painters, peer leaders and much more.

Service: 10 AM – 1 PM
Registration opens at 9:15 AM
Boston Youth Fund
125 Magazine Street, Roxbury (located across form 1010 Mass Ave.)
Available service slots:  30, first come, first serve.

Project Description: Volunteers will help to create a more inviting and vibrant area for the thousands of teens that will be visiting the Boston Youth Fund in May to be processed for their summer jobs.  Service will include painting the entrance area where youth are checked in as well as the hallway and the large central processing room where teens received photo id and fill out necessary paperwork and receive additional information regarding their employment.  Part of the painting will include a simple mural welcoming youth to the Boston Youth Fund.  In addition, both bathrooms will be painted.  All work will take place on the first floor where all youth activities take place.

For more information and to RSVP: http://alumsservicedaybyf2013.eventbrite.com/#

May 8th – RSVP for Networking and Info Session with SIT Graduate Institute

UPDATE: Our Event with SIT Graduate Institute, originally planned for April 17th, has been rescheduled for May 8th.
RSVP HERE

Join us on Wednesday April 17 for an exclusive event for AmeriCorps alumni and current members. SIT Graduate Institute will be presenting information on its internationally-focused master’s degree programs and the scholarship opportunities available to AmeriCorps alumni through this partnership. This event will be a great opportunity to network with other AmeriCorps alumni, learn more about graduate study and the different career paths and leadership roles that SIT prepares its alumni to succeed in.

Whitney Longnecker,  a current student in SIT’s MA in International Education shares, “I served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA from 2009 to 2010 for Iowa Campus Compact at AIB College of Business in Des Moines, Iowa. In my position, I assisted students as they completed a service learning requirement, planned an all-campus service day, and implemented a pre-service reflection session. My SIT graduate degree is preparing me for a career in international education where I plan to work on a university campus with study abroad or international students.”

When: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Time: 6:00-8:00pm
Where: City Year
287 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
(located right behind Back Bay train station on Orange Line)

RSVP NOW: http://acalumsbostonsit2013.eventbrite.com/#

SIT Graduate Institute equips students with theoretical knowledge, field experience, and professional skills to be interculturally effective leaders, professionals, and citizens. SIT’s on-campus and low-residency programs are based on an experiential learning model and a commitment to social justice and intercultural communication. SIT has over a decade of supporting AmeriCorps alumni through scholarships, recognition of service, and a shared commitment to responsible global citizenship.

SIT/AmeriCorps Partnership Benefits:

• SIT offers a tuition match of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $5,500 for AmeriCorps alumni who have completed at least one year of service.
• SIT students interested in the AmeriCorps VISTA program can complete VISTA service for their SIT practicum requirement.
• The application fee is waived for AmeriCorps alumni.
• Learn more about the partnership here

Serve with the Boston Chapter During AmeriCorps Week

Alums serve together at the Kenny School in March 2012. Click on the photo to see a recap of last year’s day of service!

UPDATE: SERVICE DAY CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER.

 

 

Join with fellow AmeriCorps Alums and Friends as AmeriCorps Week 2013 kicks off across the country and we return to get even more things done with last year’s service partner school – Thomas J Kenny School.

We will serve together to help revitalize the school with potential service including: painting walls and murals, building benches and exterior painting.

Saturday, March 9th
Thomas J. Kenny School in Dorchester
Registration: 8:30-9:00 AM

Reserve your spot today: http://acalumsboston2013serviceday.eventbrite.com/
Service: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PMPlease spread the word and invite your alum friends for a great day of service.

Time to Learn from and Support Work of Others

Diane Garcia, Recruitment Manager at Common Good Careers; YNPN Boston Board Member; and Guest Speaker for upcoming “Round-Robin”

AmeriCorps Alums Boston seeks to foster the potential of alumni as leaders in the workplace. On February 27th, AmeriCorps Alums Boston and Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Boston will deliver the result of a new partnership: a Professional Development “Round-Robin.”

At the Round-Robin, guests will have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in the field in a number of different topics: Alumni networks; Resume Writing & LinkedIn;  Transitioning from AmeriCorps (or other volunteer experience) to Full-Time Work; Managing up; Job search tips; Social Innovation; & Corporate Social Responsibility.

AmeriCorps Alum, Diane Garcia (09-10), will share her expertise in job searching at the event and we’ve asked her why she’s excited to share with Alums and others for this project.

When/Where did you do your AmeriCorps Year of Service?

I did my AmeriCorps year of service right after graduating college in 2009. I served as the National Development VISTA for Jumpstart in Boston. Jumpstart trains college students and community volunteers to serve preschool-age children in low-income neighborhoods. At Jumpstart my work was focused on developing strong systems for tracking our fundraising efforts , organizing large scale events for the National Board, and conducting donor research.

What is your favorite personal story from your year of service?

We set up monthly calls with the VISTAs both in the national office and working across the country. We used this time to learn more about each other’s projects and support each other’s work.  I think this was an excellent professional development opportunity for everyone involved and brought our group closer together during our year of service. 

How does your AmeriCorps experience benefit you in your current professional role at Commongood Careers?

At Jumpstart I started to really see first-hand the importance of developing a strong network. Networks are critically important in fundraising when creating strong donor relationships. They are also important for professional development and my network of VISTAS provided me with so much  support and guidance during my year of service. Successful work in this sector does not happen in silos. At Commongood my job is to build strong pipelines of talented candidates for our clients throughout the country.  I wouldn’t be able to do that without focusing on building and maintaining my network every single day.

Why should Alums be excited to learn together and with others at this professional development event?

I believe there is so much to learn from your peers, co-workers, and those in and outside of the sector to help create a well-rounded picture of how to chart a course to leadership in your career.  I think, as professionals in the nonprofit sector, we should be taking advantage of every opportunity to stretch ourselves outside of our 9-5 responsibilities and take a peek at the broader picture.  As a sector that embraces collaborations and as millennials, who are poised to be some of the most collaborative leaders the nonprofit sector has seen, we need to embrace every opportunity for both networking and further collaboration. 

What are you personally excited about with speaking at this upcoming event?

My topic is Job Search Tips – even if you’re not looking. If instead of “job searching” you think about further developing your passion and creating career champions, the work of exploring what’s next for you feels much less arduous .  Focus on building champions of your career both internally (people currently in your network) and externally (people you want to be in your network). An event like this is a great place to start! 

For more information about this opportunity and to sign up, please visit: http://pdtables.eventbrite.com/#.

Inspiration from Service

Fleece Scarves Activity

“We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” – Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream*

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., millions of Americans joined their communities in a National Day of Service over the weekend which also happened to be a historical inaugural weekend in Washington, DC as well. In Boston, over 500 volunteers connected through service at the Curley School in Jamaica Plain in partnership with Boston Cares and Mass Service Alliance. The event provided an opportunity for citizens to come together and offer their gifts and talents to create hundreds of items for people in need such as fleece scarves and blankets, hand-made bears, hand-written storybooks, letters to troops, valentines for seniors, and much more. Taking part in the day in the service, co-leading the fleece scarves project with a very dear friend from college, I left inspired not just by the work we had done together but through the connections that were made through serving together.

The day of service truly illustrates how King’s dream is alive today, that “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” People from various backgrounds and walks of life joined the event on Monday and what I found most exciting was the conversations I shared with participants. There was a 10 year old boy at my table wearing a Boys and Girls Clubs of America sweatshirt and I asked him if he enjoyed spending time at the Club. He shared that his favorite part is the basketball and fieldtrip opportunities. In the midst of the excitement of the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, he took part in a fieldtrip just a few days prior to Gillette Stadium and met Bob Craft. When asked if he wanted to go to college, he told me he aspires to attend MIT, Brown, or Yale. Without a doubt, he sees and embraces opportunity.

AmeriCorps Alums Boston Board Member, Melissa Horr with AmeriCorps Alums Boston Ambassador, Christina Clarke and Boston Cares Special Events Manager, Annie Latham at the Curley School #2013MLKday

The challenge leading the fleece scarf making was balancing the pre-cutting 4 foot by six inch pieces and the styling of the scarves with fringe. The pre-cutting was a little more involved of a process for the volunteers than the styling. It was great to watch families with older children take on the challenge of problem solving to cut a four foot straight line on black material without a guide to cut on. One father-daughter team nailed down a system right away and if I could’ve given a family award, it would have gone to them! It was also fun to watch families with young children help them use adult sized scissors to cut the fabric and make knots for styling the scarves with fringe. One creative mom did the cutting and knotting, working for her giggly twin five year old daughters who were the “Quality Assurance Managers” overseeing her missed knots!    

Overall it was an incredibly inspiring and productive day and a wonderful experience to share in with the Greater Boston community, knowing many others across the country were taking part in similar acts of service!

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’”*

Connecting for Peace and Nonviolence

Annie Latham (05-06) is Corporate Program & Special Events Manager at Boston Cares, leading the 2013 MLK Day of Service

Following our call for a Lifetime of Service, AmeriCorps Alums are encouraged to find a Service Opportunity on Monday, January 21st, 2013 to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spots are filling up fast for the MLK Day of Service 2013 with Boston Cares in partnership with Mass Service Alliance and the City of Boston at the Curley School in Jamaica Plain.

AmeriCorps Alum, Annie Latham (05-06), will lead volunteers in the Day of Service for Boston Cares and we’ve asked her why she’s excited to serve with Alums and others for this project.

When and where did you serve your AmeriCorps term?

In 2005, I started my VISTA year as a Pledge School Program Coordinator at the Children’s Peace Pavilion, a museum dedicated to peace and nonviolence in Independence, Missouri (near Kansas City).  The focus on peace education drew me to the position, combining my passion for civic engagement, nonviolence, and social change to start my nonprofit career. I worked as part of our museum’s outreach team, visiting schools to incorporate peacemaking skills into the students’ everyday lives.  The VISTA’s developed and delivered peace curriculum to elementary school students.  I partnered with 9 schools, visiting each K-5 classroom four times that year, developing a rapport with the kids and introducing a new concept of peace each time to build on the previous.

What is your favorite personal story from your year of service?

I’m sure every Alum would say their year was intense in the best of ways.  Independence was Harry Truman’s quaint hometown, but the New York Times and Rolling Stone had both unofficially deemed it the meth capital of the US.  Suffice it to say, the city had a serious need.  The way the Peace Pavilion addressed improving the community was to empower children with life skills, through instilling four concepts of peace: Peace for Me, Peace for Us, Peace for Everyone, and Peace for the Planet. 

After my first round of visits, I was inspired and overjoyed.  I had connected with hundreds of children to foster individuality and self-esteem, and encourage inner-reflection to acknowledge emotions in a healthy way.  The second visit focused on Peace for Us, which built on the first lesson to (foster) communication, collaboration, empathy and conflict resolution.  I was stunned at the memory of the children when I walked in; almost every child remembered me instantly, shouting “The Peace Lady!”   They were so excited to see me, and so excited to learn the next lesson, I knew I was making a positive impact in their lives, setting them up for success in the years to come.

How does your AmeriCorps experience benefit you in your current professional role at Boston Cares?

At Boston Cares, I’m our Corporate Program & Special Events Manager, and though it is a completely different type of role from my VISTA year, it’s built on the same foundation of broad-spectrum nonprofit skills combined with a passion for our mission.  As a VISTA, I developed expertise in a lot of areas, from conflict resolution and curriculum development to grant research and fundraising, from program and volunteer management to marketing and communications.   The year gave me insight into everything about nonprofit operations, and I knew at that point I wanted to work on helping organizations succeed. 

Being an AmeriCorps VISTA changed my life.  So much impact happened during my service year, but over time it has made me realize I (and probably all Alums) have a different perspective on service than other people.  Civic engagement has always been important to me, but my year as a VISTA helped me see I could work in a field that fosters growth and change for everyone.  Working on our corporate program and planning our special events allows me to foster corporate responsibility throughout Boston and bring a spirit of volunteerism to the community, something my VISTA-self dreamed I could one day do.

 Why should AmeriCorps Alums be excited to serve together and with others at this MLK Day event?

Aren’t AmeriCorps Alums always excited to serve together!?  AmeriCorps Alums are some of the most dedicated, passionate people I have met, and MLK Day is such an important day to serve and honor service. (This special event offers) lots of different project options, so there’s really something for everyone.  Are you crafty?  You can help make bedtime bears that will be given to homeless children.  Are you nerdy?  Add a dot of paint to one of the data murals.  Are you a wordsmith?  Write a letter of appreciation to an active military member. Maybe you’ll come with other Alums or meet new ones, but I guarantee there’s something powerful about volunteering as part of such a large community service effort.  With over 500 people, we’ll accomplish so much, and as MLK said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

What are you personally excited about with leading this upcoming project?

I think MLK was right: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”  To me, that’s the most exciting part of leading this event:  the commitment of 500 community members to help others. Well, Dr. King, I’m happy to say this is what we’re doing for others:  The impact of the day is huge; we’ll be creating hundreds of each item to give to other nonprofits and schools around the city.  They, in turn, will give them to someone who can really use them, whether that’s a set of flashcards to improve a child’s math skills to help them succeed, a quilt to warm a baby in a low-income family, a valentine to bring a smile to an adult in care.  Dr. King, we’re honoring your legacy by doing as much as we can for others; thank you for being our inspiration.

For more information about this opportunity and to sign up, please visit: http://www.bostoncares.org/special_events.

This Thursday, December 6th, more than 150 AmeriCorps Alums, current
members and Heller faculty/students will come together for a great night of networking and learning about how graduate school with Heller is a great place to accelerate community impact.

RSVP here:
http://gettingthingsdonehellernetworkingsocial.eventbrite.com

At the event, you will have a chance to meet AmeriCorps Alums who are currently attending or recently graduated from a Heller MBA or MPP program.

You can meet two alums right now who leveraged their service year experience and took advantage of the National Service Scholarship Program, at the Heller School.

1.)    What made you decide to join AmeriCorps? In which program did you serve? Where?

Andrea Shaye, City Year Washington DC ‘04, Heller School MBA in Nonprofit Management ’10, Program Officer, Massachusetts Service Alliance

• Andrea – I always strive to live life based on my values, and I knew my career would need to involve helping others in some way. After completing an internship at City Year, I hoped to get a job leading others in service or recruiting AmeriCorps participant, but I knew I would be most effective in those roles if I had the corps member experience first. After college graduation, I completed my service year at City Year Washington, DC in 2003-2004. I remained at the site for five more years as a program and service staff member.

• Jamie - I joined AmeriCorps partially because I needed an internship my senior year at Flagler College, and partially because I really missed working with students. I began my service as a St Johns County Reads! AmeriCorps volunteer with Communities in Schools in St. Augustine, FL, then immediately joined AmeriCorps VISTA upon my first completed year of service and worked at Title One schools throughout St Johns County.

2.)    What did you learn (about yourself) through your service year(s) in AmeriCorps?

Jamie Minton, AmeriCorps VISTA ‘10, currently attending the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, intern, Homes for Families

• Andrea -My time at City Year shaped me as a person by providing a supportive environment in which I could build and hone new skills. As a corps member, I was selected to guide a team of other members as a director for our spring break camp. Prior to this experience, I never had the confidence to take on a leadership role in any other setting. At City Year, I learned to become more assertive and make attempts even if the possibility of great success was uncertain.

• Jamie - I learned that I can ball on a budget, and that no matter what, you will be provided with exactly what you need at exactly the right moment so long as you stay on top of your game and keep fighting for what’s right.

3.)    Why did you decide to go to grad school at the Heller School? Which program did you do?

• Andrea – Although I’ve known about Brandeis for quite a while, I only learned about Heller when it became a “Give a Year” partner with City Year. The scholarship offered through this partnership was compelling. More importantly, the MBA coursework covered many topics I felt would provide a practical and theoretical foundation for the nonprofit work I had already done and hoped to continue in the future. Additionally, the culture at Heller – supportive, collaborative – felt very comfortable and reminiscent of my national service experience.

• Jamie – I decided to go to the Heller School for many reasons.  It was a perfect fit for me.  However, I was directed towards Heller because of their partnership with AmeriCorps and the scholarship they offer is definitely not a deterrent! I really liked that Heller looked at your accomplishments, merit and intentions rather than just your grades or GRE scores, and that Heller was a tight knit community that supports its students to the fullest.

4.)    How did your experience as an AmeriCorps member prepare you for grad school?

• Andrea – My ‘pre-AmeriCorps self’ wouldn’t have made it through (or even applied to!) an MBA program. So much of my City Year experience prepared me to be an engaged graduate student. In some instances, I am still timid now, but prior to AmeriCorps I wasn’t comfortable speaking up and defending my opinions in class. This skill was necessary for success in the MBA program. During my time at Heller, I also volunteered to lead an alternative spring break trip for a group of graduate students. Again, I never would have conceived of this thought prior to AmeriCorps.

• Jamie – Again, I can ball on a budget.  Being a poor college student (again) is cake compared to the low-income AmeriCorps years!  Joking aside, experience revealed real problems of poverty, effective ways to combat it.  My experience as an AmeriCorps member uncovered and instilled a passion within me that I would not have had the opportunity to foster without my years as a VISTA.  Those years gave me the knowledge and courage I needed to go back to school and affect poverty on a grander scale.

5.)    What are your next steps post-grad school?

• Andrea – I completed the Heller MBA in Nonprofit Management in December 2010, and I began working as a program officer at the Massachusetts Service Alliance in March 2011. In my current role, I use my combined skills from my graduate school and program management experiences to support AmeriCorps programs across the state of Massachusetts.

• Jamie – I am currently working for Homes for Families, a nonprofit family homeless policy advocacy organization.  I would not have made this connection without the help of the wonderful Heller faculty, and I will be staying on board with them immediately after graduation.  My long term goal is to start a non-profit that provides enriched education with a focus on other cultures and national service and community involvement.