AmeriCorps Steps Up
They belong to different generations. They come from different backgrounds. They all have different dreams for the future. But one thing unites them all: willing hands and a heart for service. They are AmeriCorps volunteers.
AmeriCorps is part of a large, national program designed to connect volunteers with the people who need their help. Volunteers, ranging in age from 18-year-olds to senior citizens, usually sign on for a one-year term but can extend it up to two years. They receive a living allowance based on the number of hours they serve and are eligible for an educational grant at the end of their service.
"In the state of Pennsylvania, there are 16 AmeriCorps programs," said Karen Zapp of Family Services of Butler Memorial Hospital. "We're lucky in that in Butler County, we have two."
Zapp coordinates the Family Service Corps/AmeriCorps for BMH, located at the Family First Resource Center on North Washington Street.
The other Butler area program is Connector Corps at Slippery Rock University, where students might serve by staffing youth summer programs or by helping with weatherization projects.
As the Family Service Corps coordinator, Zapp interviews potential volunteers, assesses their skills and needs and then matches them with a community service organization, which also conducts an interview.
Full-time assignments begin in August or September. Students can also work on short-term summer assignments.The program was expanded last year and received an influx of funding from the federal government's economic stimulus package.Zapp oversees 30 volunteers. The SRU program was expanded to 200, according to Brad Kovaleski, director of Student Involvement and Leadership, and Community, Service Learning and Non-Profit Leadership at SRU.While the Family Services program focuses on Butler County, SRU's program branches out into several surrounding counties and includes both on-campus students and community volunteers."The university really wants the students to develop as active citizens in their community," Kovaleski said, "and this is part of knowing that after you graduate you're not done ... that you can go on to actively work to make your community better."All the local volunteers agreed their primary motivation is a desire to help.Holly Fleischer, 58, had worked for Butler County for 30 years in the business office at Sunnyview Home. When she retired three years ago, she still wanted to contribute. So at the urging of a friend, Fleischer signed on with AmeriCorps, hoping to work in the medical field.Her AmeriCorps assignment landed her at Butler Community Health Clinic, where she works three days a week as a patient care coordinator, helping to provide free health services to those who need them."I love it here," Fleischer said. "This is my second year. Almost everyone here is a volunteer. They're all here because they want to be here."
Chris Hodgkiss, 46, of Butler agreed. She also is in her second year of service at the clinic. She volunteers part time while also holding down a full-time job."On my days off from my full-time job, I'm at the clinic," Hodgkiss said.She sees her volunteer work as a benefit to the community and a chance to expand her skills. She completed Butler County Community College's medical coding program in 1996 and does data entry and patient records at the free clinic. She hopes to further her education and pursue a career as a medical records technician.Meanwhile, both Hodgkiss and Fleischer said they'll stay on at the clinic even when their AmeriCorps terms end."I still want to volunteer," Fleischer said. "Even if it's not through AmeriCorps, I still want to be involved here."That's excellent news for Rachel Kelley-Lore, director of clinical operations at the center. The program has been "a huge benefit to us," she said. "The dependability and reliability of the volunteers that go through AmeriCorps is a tremendous benefit."Zapp said AmeriCorps is also a good option not only for retirees or those looking to change careers, but for students who might want a real-life taste of their chosen field.Recent graduates who have not immediately found a job can defer their student loans during their AmeriCorps service, she explained."Then when they're done volunteering, they'll have an educational grant that can help pay their loan," Zapp said."It's an interesting option for folks," said Leslie Osche of the United Way of Butler County. "When the market crashed, a lot of people who had saved college money for their kids lost it. So now we've got a lot of people rolling around right now not sure what to do with themselves."
AmeriCorps gives them the chance to gain valuable experience, she said.That's what drew SRU graduate Stephanie Stewart, 25, of Meridian to AmeriCorps. Stewart earned a master's degree in secondary education in social studies in July.She's serving at Irene Stacy Community Mental Health Center, delivering services to children in the center's Children's Acute Partial Hospitalization program. She works full-time in the primary classroom with children in kindergarten through sixth grade."I wanted to find something that allowed me to use my teaching degree, which is my passion, and also give back to the community," Stewart said. "I get to work with all sorts of students, which is great.""When I do get a teaching job someday, I can definitely apply what I've learned here," she added.Sharing knowledge is what Keith Wright, 59, of Butler is specializing in during his service with Catholic Charities. Wright mentors in the PATH program, helping young adults who are struggling with issues like homelessness or addiction."Me, I am in recovery myself, and that's one of the things I talk about with them," Wright said. "I basically share my experience with them. Usually, they'll check in here and we'll just talk. On Wednesdays, we have a group meeting."Wright said he relishes the chance to help people "put their lives back together.""That's what makes this job worth coming to every day," he said.An Army veteran, Wright served in combat with the 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam. He said when his AmeriCorps work is done in August, he wants to continue helping those in need. He plans to attend BC3 to study social work.Volunteers Kay Fitzwater, 63, of Mars and Sheila Powers, 35, of Butler also help people get on track through Suit Yourself. The shop, located at Deshon Place, Building 5, on the VA Butler Healthcare campus, provides professional clothing to those in need. Clients receive a voucher from a service agency, then redeem that voucher for clothing."It's for people who have jobs or job interviews or court dates," said Fitzwater. "Or maybe they're homeless, and in that case we also have other types of clothing.""We're almost like image consultants. We want to make sure they leave here looking confident and ready for their job or interview."Now in her second year of AmeriCorps, Fitzwater said when her assignment is done in August she plans to go back to school at age 63 to study medical coding."It will be something to keep me moving and keep me going," she said.Powers said she had been looking for employment when AmeriCorps was suggested. "I thought it would be a good experience," she said. "I like working with people. I was a secretary."As a psychology major, Powers said she hopes to eventually counsel teens.At Suit Yourself, it is much more than handing out clothes."It is so much different when you can sit down with a client after they are done," she said."You can pass on interview tips and skills. You are encouraging them. Someone may come in and maybe they're a battered woman or have a bad situation. We have tons of flyers here for different needs that we can give to them," she said."You see they're more confident when they walk out, not just with a bag of clothes but with a different attitude."Powers expressed what all the volunteers said about their tasks, be it helping someone land a much needed job, teaching a child or encouraging a homeless youth."It's very satisfying," she said, "knowing that you've made a difference in their life."
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs formally launched in 1993, when President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act.The newly created network incorporated two existing programs: Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA; and the National Civilian Community Corps, or NCCC.Characteristics of today's AmeriCorps programs include:• AmeriCorps State and National provides grants to faith-based and community organizations, higher education institutions and public agencies. The grants allow agencies to train and pay volunteers to work in education, public safety, health and the environment.• VISTA was founded in 1965 as a domestic version of the Peace Corps. It provides full-time members to public agencies as well as nonprofit, faith-based and other community groups that focus on reducing poverty.• NCCC is a full-time, residential program for men and women between ages 18 to 24. Members work on service projects at one of five regional campuses. They are trained in first aid and public safety and also may travel in response to national crisis.For more information about local AmeriCorps opportunities, contact Karen Zapp at 724-284-4894. To learn about statewide programs, visit www.pennserve.state.pa.us. For information about a wider array of national volunteer programs, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
