A few years ago, I set out on my AmeriCorps adventure. Bright eyed and bushy haired, fresh out of college, I loaded up my new (to me) car with every winter coat and accessory I owned and moved to Montana to serve as an AmeriCorps*VISTA.

 

VISTA is one of the three branches of AmeriCorps, and while I was excited, I didn’t really know how cool VISTA was until I became one. AmeriCorps*VISTA began as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, a year after PeaceCorps was created. The focus of the VISTAs is to eradicate poverty by building strong and supportive communities. VISTAs do in-direct service to build the capacity and sustainability of existing organizations. VISTAS do things like write grants (what I did), design and implement health awareness campaigns, re-write policies and procedures, do environmental research and train and manage volunteers. While VISTAs may not be able to meet every person that benefits from their work, they are able to end their year of service knowing that their community is better able to address critical issues even after the VISTA is gone.

 

I loved grant-writing, but after a year, I was ready to dig in and get my hands dirty, so to speak, with some direct service. So I did a little perusing of the AmeriCorps website, and bam! I found this position with the Red Cross. My current position (and fellow Red Cross AmeriCorps Member, Katie’s) is part of the State and National branch, or sometimes called AmeriCorps Direct. The best way I can describe State and National branch is kind of a catch-all. Members in State and National programs serve the community in a variety of ways, such as tutoring children, working with disaster response, and doing environmental education in State Parks. And while this may be the broadest branch, all the programs involve service in which the member works directly with the community members they are serving, something that I have found very fulfilling.

 

The branch that really gets their hands dirty, though, is AmeriCorps NCCC. The NCCC, or National Civilian Community Corps, is similar to the Conservation Corps, and is designed for adults ages 18-24. NCCC members apply to regions, and travel from state to state within that region in teams of 8-12, so they are able to create strong bonds within the team and work cohesive as a unit. NCCC members do things like clear trails, build houses, assist with clean-up after natural disaster, and help communities make plans in case of disaster. For those who are interested in traveling the country and seeing first-hand the outcome of their work, NCCC offers spectacular opportunities.

 

So while the duties of AmeriCorps members varies significantly across the branches, it’s easy to see that whether it be indirect or direct, in an office or in a state park, AmeriCorps members are all about getting things done.

 

Until tomorrow…

 

Jillian