National Service in Wisconsin

Dear Journal, I had such a great time visiting the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project!  They have had AmeriCorps members serving as tutor coordinators in elementary schools since 1998 and have gotten A LOT done in the past 18 years.  I was able to meet most of the 21 members that serve in elementary schools in Madison, Middleton, and Sun Prairie. It was a busy week at SOH.  In addition to the usual tutoring and volunteer support that the AmeriCorps members are responsible for it was AmeriCorps Week and the kick-off to the Books of Hope Program (more on that later).  I visited schools, got a tour of Centro Hispano, and met lots and lots of awesome people. We kicked off the week with Books of Hope.  In less than 4 hours we packed over 700 bags with books, school supplies and activities for students and their families. I wanted to read all the books, but the team kept reminding me that the books are for the kids and that we had A LOT of work to do. On Tuesd...

"Dear Diary, It’s me again, Corey the Servie Badger!  I have been spending the week in beautiful Waukesha, WI!  Interfaith Senior Programs opened their doors to me.  I learned a lot and had fun doing so!  Some of my adventures included attending a staff meeting, meeting with a funder during an important site visit, and meeting and shadowing Interfaith’s AmeriCorps Public Ally, Ponyu.  I also got to help out during a Readers’ Café event at a local school where I worked with students and senior volunteers!  And just yesterday, I got to attend Interfaith’s Festival of Flowers event at Waukesha Floral and Greenhouse and boy were the flowers beautiful.  This sure has been an exciting week for this little Badger! Until next time, Corey"

"Eli ServieBadger, I’m glad you got to join the Wisconsin HealthCorps for our mid-year retreat because with all the travel you’ve been doing, nobody needs the R&R more than you! Hopefully your time in the Dells allowed you the opportunity to reflect on all the places you’ve been, the breadth of service taking place across Wisconsin, and chance to tally up the frequent flyer miles you’ve accumulated. Amidst the fun and games in the Dells, you joined our team in learning about the importance of citizenship and organizing to affect positive community change. You also take with you a model to build and lead effective teams. Add these to your service arsenal and pass them along to the next group of AmeriCorps members that are impacting the lives of others in our state. Really hoping you serve a second term!" Andrew Hoyer-Booth Wisconsin HealthCorps