What are you learning?

Indiana AmeriCorps members learn about leadership, about life, and about how to encourage others to become life long volunteers.  They give back to the community and learn a great deal in return.  Lindsey talked about the project focused on education, inclusion, and veterans that they organized at a local school for the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. 

"The MLK, Jr. Project was a great chance for me to utilize my leadership skills, especially when it came to planning the event.  The biggest strength in this project were the activities we provided, they were very age appropriate for the K-8 students and the kids really seemed to enjoy helping others.  The most rewarding part of this project was working with the Glenwood students and getting the opportunity to pass on my motivation to volunteer to the next generation." 

 Another member, Monica, introduced her fellow members to the community at an event that she helped to coordinate.  She was able to learn about event planning and get to know the people she would be assisting through her AmeriCorps service.  She noted,

"I myself was on the Planning Committee, where I was charged with registration, the layout of the event, coordinating the food and marketing committees, and ensuring overall success of the event. I thoroughly enjoyed a leadership role in planning the event. The event turned out well. It was lively, and the event was a great way to network! There was much laughter and sharing, as everyone enjoyed themselves and each other."

Finally, Teresa served at an AmeriCorps event that focused on safety awareness and assisted with creating home escape plans for community members.  Teresa said that while creating an individualized home fire escape plan a participant told her that they already had an evacuation plan and agreed to draw it out on paper as a reference.  She stated that this individual’s escape plan had a family meeting place in the living room of their house.  Teresa explained to the individual the importance of making the meeting place outside of the home to ensure safety in the event of a fire.  Not only was Teresa a proud member who served her community, she was also an individual who used her educational skills that could make a lifesaving difference in the lives of families.