National Service News: The Kindness of Strangers

It's something we've always relied on ... [] Having trouble viewing this email? [View it as a Web page](. [AmeriCorps NCCC members tarp roofs to help survivors during the Hurricane Michael recovery.]( The Kindness of Strangers We've been scanning the archives of the National Service News issues from 2018, and it's safe to say this has been a very eventful year for our programs. In the process, we noticed one thing all the stories had in common -- kindness. We believe kindness is one of the essential components of the initiatives led by the [Corporation for]( and Community Service]( (CNCS). [AmeriCorps]( members and [Senior Corps]( volunteers demonstrate this quality wherever they go in the service field. If you're a regular reader or supporter of national service and volunteering, you know how this works. Service helps [children learn]( [seniors live independently]( and [disaster survivors recover from the worst days imaginable](. Our programs stand with [veterans and their families]( [underserved communities]( and the [stewards of our environment and public lands](. Kindness is contagious and is one reason why millions of Americans serve alongside our members as volunteers. And through this service, strangers build bonds that become friendships, [improve health]( and even [lead to job opportunities](. Service makes our nation a better place for all, and the people serving personify the kindness we love to see not just during the holidays but all year long. In service, Mike Cys Director, Office of External Affairs P.S. To learn more about how Americans are serving their communities across the country, check out the [2018 Volunteering in America report](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's note: By clicking the links below, you may be connecting to websites created by parties other than the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The CNCS Office of External Affairs provides links to these stories because they contain information that may be useful or interesting to the national service and volunteering community. These links are for reference only, and CNCS does not endorse the individuals or organizations associated with these links, and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided by websites outside of our control. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Impact of National Service [Former Foster Grandparent "Grandma Virginia" McLaurin shared a fun visit from the Harlem Globetrotters at the school where she used to volunteer.]( [Grandma Virginia' McLaurin, 109, Serenades the Globetrotters (Senior Corps)]( The Harlem Globetrotters and D.C.’s Virginia McLaurin, who turned 109 this year, rekindled their friendship at a D.C. public charter school on Tuesday — and this time, she serenaded them with a song of her own devising. McLaurin has celebrated with the Globetrotters on a regular basis for the past few years, and this time she joined players Zeus McClurkin and Bulldog Mack to pay a visit to the Roots public charter school. McLaurin volunteered with the Senior Corps Foster Grandparent program in Washington for more than 20 years. [Read more and watch video]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Stephen Yang joined Minnesota GreenCorps, an AmeriCorps initiative focused on environmental conservation and stewardship, after college.]( [The True Meaning of Volunteering and Service (AmeriCorps)]( Steven Yang grew up in Golden Valley, a quiet suburb on the edge of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The beige vinyl-sided home he shared with his parents, uncle and six siblings is much like others in his neighborhood: simple and sturdy. There is one difference — small but crucial — that you might miss if you’re not looking. The signatures of dozens of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity volunteers who helped build Yang’s family house adorn the walls of the garage. Each name stands as a testament to the individual compassion and collective effort it takes to turn blueprints and lumber into a home that both shelters and shapes the people within it. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Rachel Loden, resident at By Grace Transitional Women's Home in Middleburg. (Photo by Marcia Moore)]( [Shelter Helps Women Get Back on Their Feet (AmeriCorps)]( Rachel Loden will soon leave By Grace Transitional Women's Home after 13 months, but the 46-year-old won't be leaving the friends she's made while getting back on her feet. "I'm moving into an apartment in Middleburg, not far from here," she said from inside the 14-bedroom 8 E. Oak Ave. home in the borough's downtown. The home has served 56 women and 48 children since opening three years ago. The brainchild of Tammy Clinger and Catherine Flather, the pair pitched the idea of opening a place for young homeless women and helping them secure housing and jobs and received an outpouring of help from the community and By Grace Covenant Church. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AmeriCorps NCCC member Tyson Wadkins (left) speaks with Melissa Pilcher during a cooking session at the Brighton Center in Newport, KY.]( [UK Cooperative Extension Service Supports AmeriCorps Team with Valuable Lessons in Cooking]( The 10 AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps members got a little something extra from their two-month stay in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area when they met University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service’s Melissa Pilcher. They not only got some good eating, they learned how to do it themselves. Pilcher, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education assistant for the Campbell County Extension office, met weekly with the team of young volunteers from around the country who were volunteering with the Brighton Center in Newport as part of the AmeriCorps network of national service programs. During each session, she taught them strategies for healthy eating and gave them a few cooking lessons at the same time. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Watch: CNN Honors AmeriCorps Member, 87 [AmeriCorps member Florence Phillips was named a 2019 CNN Hero for her work helping immigrants learn English]( ]( Each week, we provide a social media shareable to use on your networks. This week we are highlighting the service of a [CNN Hero and 87-year-old AmeriCorps alumna]( who followed a calling to serve others in her late 50s. Florence Phillips was born in New York to Jewish parents who escaped Europe before the Holocaust, and she grew up translating English for her parents. That experience inspired her to help immigrants with their American journey through a nonprofit that provides free ESL (English as a Second Language), citizenship, GED and computer classes in northern Nevada. Take a few minutes to learn more about Phillips and help us spread the word about this story by sharing it with friends and followers on your social media networks. --------------------------------------------------------------- National Service in the News [Sisters Act as 'Foster Grannies,' Giving Extra Hands, Hugs at School (Senior Corps)]( Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee After a lifetime of caring for children, sisters Hattie Crockett and Lena Morrison can often just look at a child and see what that child doesn’t have. Sometimes it’s a shoelace tied tightly enough. Sometimes it’s the attention span to sit still in class on a certain day. Often, it’s the stability, attention and love children ideally get at home. So, five days a week, Crockett, 74, and Morrison, 70, provide all of that in the kindergarten classes at Green Magnet Academy. There, they’re “foster grannies”: extra hands for teachers, extra hugs for children. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [SHU Sophomore Helping to Prevent Opioid Abuse (AmeriCorps)]( Fairfield's HamletHub, Connecticut Sacred Heart University’s Maureen Hamilton Wellness Center has its first AmeriCorps Member from the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP) Prevention Corps in Bridgeport. Adrianna Perugini, a sophomore at SHU, began her 10-month term as an AmeriCorps member in October. Perugini is serving with Janice Kessler, alcohol and other drug intervention and prevention specialist; Psychology Professor Jessica Samuolis; and Stephanie Trelli, coordinator of safety and security programs, to implement seven opioid use awareness and prevention activities on campus. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Elks and RSVP Work Together to Bring a Little Comfort to Servicemen (Senior Corps)]( Perry County Tribune, Ohio The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and members of the New Lexington Elks #509 filled holiday gift packages on Dec. 10 for servicemen currently serving overseas in the military. The gift boxes are sent out for major holidays each year to help bring a little cheer to the men and women who are away from their families and serving the country. Nine boxes were sent out for Christmas this year. Each box contains a variety of items including snacks, personal hygiene products, socks, and current issues of The Perry County Tribune. The boxes are filled with donated items or items purchased with donations. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Amanda Young: How a Service Year Changed My Life (AmeriCorps)]( Charleston Gazette-Mail, West Virginia Graduating from West Virginia University in Dec. 2014 was a thrill. I thought the world was my oyster and I eagerly anticipated the next phase of my life. I had no idea, however, that life after the safe bubble of college was going to be so difficult. Upon graduation, I could barely afford a room in an unfurnished apartment. I spent half of my time working as a waitress and the other half of my time in coffee shops sending my resume to employers because I couldn’t afford internet at home. Then the restaurant closed and my roommate left. At the age of 24, I found myself jobless and homeless. This certainly wasn’t the path I envisioned for myself. I had no income and no prospects. I was near rock bottom when a friend told me that a local literacy nonprofit wanted to hire an AmeriCorps VISTA member. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Pekin Second Graders Use Pillows to Prepare for Natural Disasters (AmeriCorps)]( Pekin Daily Times, Illinois Recent visits from the AmeriCorps last month taught L.E. Starke Primary School second graders how to use pillowcases for disaster and emergency preparedness. On Nov. 29 and Dec. 11, Julie Crutcher, safety instructor for The Safe Family Programs with AmeriCorps, visited Marj Oesch and Megan Lystila’s second grade classes at Starke School to teach them about The Pillowcase Project. AmeriCorps teamed up with the American Red Cross for The Pillow Project, an educational program sponsored by Disney to teach students about personal and family preparedness and safety skills, local hazards and basic coping skills. After filling the pillowcases at home, items needed in a natural disaster are in one location. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Breakfast with Santa Draws Hundreds (Senior Corps)]( My Plainview, Texas A merry crowd gathered Saturday morning at the Ollie Liner Center for the annual "Breakfast with Santa." Santa and Mrs. Claus, the guests of honor, attracted long lines of children while parents took photos. The pair are said to be dear friends of Rodney Watson and Inez Hillman. The event drew an estimate of just under 1,000 people from around the region that RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) serves. RSVP volunteers, 4-H members and the Girl Scouts were on-hand to help with the different activities like face painting, animal balloons, a scratch ornament, pipe cleaner candy canes, a coloring booth and a bean bag toss. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [4-H Gets Grant to Engage Youth in Sciences (AmeriCorps)]( Shoreline Media Group, Michigan Michigan State University Extension’s 4-H Youth Development has received a grant of nearly $450,000 to involve more young people in science through its 4-H STEAM Corps program. The grant will help support more than 30 AmeriCorps members serving in communities across Michigan to grow youth participation and interest in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM). The grant was provided by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the AmeriCorps national service program. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Post Cemetery Will Join More Than 1,400 Participating Locations Across the U.S. on Saturday, Dec. 15 (AmeriCorps)]( Oswego News, New York The Post Cemetery at Fort Ontario will join in the effort to support the mission to “Remember, Honor and Teach” as an official location for Wreaths Across America on Saturday, Dec. 15. Under the coordination of AmeriCorps member Corey King, this will be the first year that Fort Ontario will participate in this national event. “Every December, thousands of wreaths are escorted from Columbia Falls, Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. for National Wreaths Across America Day by way of volunteer tractor trailer trucks,” said King. “Along the way these trucks make dozens of stops, which will now include Fort Ontario." [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Palermo School Workers Keep Families Toasty Warm This Winter (AmeriCorps)]( Oswego News, New York Two workers with AmeriCorps recently held a winter coat and book drive at Palermo Elementary School. Danielle Sperato and Shannon Weaver are working with AmeriCorps at the school this year and decided to hold the drive. Letters were sent home to families at the school and coats, hats, mittens, scarves and boots were donated. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Want to Add Volunteering to Your 2019 Resolutions? Here’s Where to Start]( Centre Daily Times, Pennsylvania The start of a new year is a great time to get more involved in the community. The following are just a few ideas to help you achieve some of your resolutions you may have set for yourself, such as building relationships, losing weight or spending more time with friends and family. Why not add volunteering to your 2019 resolutions? By volunteering, you will stay active, healthier and connected to our community. Also, volunteering will brighten your day, and brighten those lives you touch. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- News You Can Use [Register your 2019 MLK Day projects at MLK.gov]( [Register Your 2019 MLK Day Projects (CNCS)]( The 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday arrives during the 25th anniversary year of the day being declared a national day of service. Help us promote your 2019 MLK Day of Service projects by registering your events in our volunteer database at [MLK.gov]( where you can also find new assets to help you promote you projects. Let's honor this great American leader through service, and start your quest to volunteer all year on the right foot. [Learn more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Service Year Alliance Launches New Service+Tech Initiative to Increase Underrepresented Groups in Technology Sector]( Service Year Alliance announced today the launch of Service+Tech, an initiative aimed at increasing diversity within the technology industry and equipping the next generation of civic and political leaders with entrepreneurial and technical skills. Service+Tech was developed with the support of Schmidt Futures, a venture facility for public benefit founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt. Cisco and SAP have also signed on as founding sponsors. Through this program, service year participants will have the opportunity to develop essential technology skills, discover pathways into tech careers, and leverage technology to solve society's most pressing challenges. 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