What’s In A Name?

What is this AmeriCorps? Why is my friend so proud of finishing a year in it? Is it something I might want to do, too? I had many questions running through my mind when a couple of people I know began talking about their year in AmeriCorps. So I began to ask questions. I learned this is a volunteer organization, affiliated with Marshfield Clinic. That it is a way to get excellent training for working with young people. That there was an education award on completion of a one-year term.

Never, never show your friends you’re interested! The next thing I knew, my friends were walking me through an on-line registration, and I not only knew a little about AmeriCorps, I was in it! Next I found myself reporting to a military base! What had I done? I’m over fifty, what was I doing in early morning classes, playing games to learn more about the U.S. Constitution, then thinking I had drawn K.P. duty, but instead finding myself on a crew cutting brush in overpowering heat? My poor body was telling me things that were not nice! Making it through this was well worth it, though. All of us new AmeriCorps members were pretty pleased with ourselves when the great day came and we could be sent back out into our communities. We had forged a strong bond by holding ourselves up and making it through tough times together.

Now I must try to work out a plan of action for my worksite. All sorts of new experiences awaited me here! Getting started was the hardest, followed by finding out who controlled what parts of the community machinery I needed. Through my years of life, I have always worked with young people of all ages. Here came an opportunity to really do what I always wanted to do: open doors for our young people to get what they needed. This is to get help with problems relating to the biggest issues facing our young people: Alcohol, Drugs, and Gangs. I could combine my hard-earned life experience (Thank you, my seven children and all your friends!) with training provided by Marshfield Clinic, and try to implement some positive decision-making programming that would make a difference.

Working in a school setting provided a natural starting place. Teaching in a native language program allowed me to adapt the school’s stated values to interface with the values in Ojibwe culture’s seven teachings: respect, bravery, honesty, wisdom, love, truth, and humility. Including and welcoming non-native children into our language classes has dispelled a great deal of fear and anger which has been a constant problem in this whole area. Easing in a little anti-bullying activity, providing a time to discuss alcohol and drugs safely, and making home visits all help students make better choices. Making available accurate information on the effects of substance abuse on the student, home, and community has also helped with getting young people to feel comfortable in saying “no” to things they are pressured to try by their peers.

Making the school’s faculty more aware of the ways the reservation’s size and structure affects the students was a real challenge. I’ve always felt that “seeing is believing” so several of us worked together to lobby for a way to sensitize the faculty to the long distances students travel, economic conditions, and the sheer beauty of the reservation. This year the administration ok’ed a bus trip so the Middle school faculty could take a tour of the ‘Rez” during an in-service which led to so many favorable comments that we are now making plans for a wild-ricing trip next fall for both the Middle and High school faculty.

So, what’s in a name? Now I believe some people will remember that I was named as an AmeriCorps member, as well as being Doris, as well as being an elder, as well as being me, and as well as being a person that has made a difference.

Shawn Wang is a Senior Database Administrator with AOL.  Sean wanted his children and his children’s children to have a way to connect with his Chinese heritage. Since 1996, Shawn has worked with a network of people to build a community education center that enables just that. He has served on the board for 5 years and has served as principal to the school for 3 where he volunteers an average of 10 hours a week. The Hope Chinese School serves 600 children from 500 families in the northern Virginia community. In addition to preserving Chinese heritage, the school works to represent the Chinese culture in the greater Washington area seeking providing cross cultural education and understanding. Shawn also participates in AOL corporate sponsored volunteer programs including AOL Aspires, an education grant program that supports the elevation of student aspirations.

Kevin Bailey is a Technical Project Manager with AOL. Kevin has been involved with serving the poor in the Tijuana - Tecate, Mexico area for nearly 10 years through a house building ministry. He began going on these trips in March 1996 when he was on sabbatical from his job. The conditions in which the people of this area were living prompted Kevin to become a leader with the organization leading 200 high school kids annually on a building trip.Even though both of Kevin's children have long since graduated from the high school, he continues to serve on the planning committee and leads a team of adults and students in building a home year after year. The 2005 trip will consist of nearly 500 people building 21 homes in 4 days for families that are desperately in need. Kevin became a Director of ULBC (Unless the Lord Builds the Casa) which is an organization serving the poor of Mexico through house building and support of an orphanage, City of Angels. In the last 3 years, the organization has build nearly a dozen homes and 2 churches among other smaller projects in serving the Mexican people. Kevin serves on these trips 3 to 4 times a year and loves every second of it.

John is Chief Counsel, Corporate Legal Department, with AOL.  Four years ago, John brought in a newspaper article that discussed the increasing need for a hot meals delivery service to the elderly shut-in. He approached AOL’s Community Investment team and within days was recruiting volunteers for a Loudoun County route. Today, thanks to John’s initiative and passion, AOL has two teams of volunteers who deliver hot meals Monday through Friday to residents in Ashburn and Sterling. Starting a partnership and sticking with it is all in a day’s work for John. A catalyst and key broker of AOL’s longstanding relationship with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), John played a crucial role in the development of the nation’s Cyber Tipline and the first online Amber Alert system. He also serves on the NCMEC board of directors.