Justice Talks Opening Day, Friday 01/20

Looking forward to our kickoff of the annual Justice Talks series tomorrow, Friday, January 20th from 8:30-11 at Providence College.  The morning will start with registration and announcements, a welcome from Feinstein Institute for Public and Community Service’s Nick Longo and Serve Rhode Island’s Bernie Beaudreau, and a light breakfast.

Breakout groups will follow from 9-11am with members being dismissed from their group.

Come ready to discuss our “Week 1″ readings, Boy Without A Flag and You Get Proud By Practicing!

Other JT dates are : Jan 20 and 27, Feb 3 and 17, March 2 and 9.

AS220 Youth Exhibit at Atrium Gallery at One Capital Hill

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Check out the latest AS220 Youth showcase that was curated in part by  Gaby Molenado, part of AS220′s AmeriCorps*VISTA team! The many artistic talents of young Rhode Islanders are on display including photography and painting in the Second Annual Youth … Continue reading →

Events at Institute for Nonviolence

Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence has a loaded calendar of events each month.  Check out the current programming and feel free to spread the word! Questions about programming can be directed to jill [at] nonviolenceinstitute [dot] org.

January calendar

The 2012 AmeriCorps Week: Saturday, March 10 -18

Every day, AmeriCorps members across the country are making a powerful difference in communities and their own lives. Each year during AmeriCorps Week, we recognize the commitment of AmeriCorps members and alums and highlight the extraordinary value AmeriCorps brings to our nation. We are pleased to share the dates, goals, and theme of 2012 AmeriCorps Week.

The 2012 AmeriCorps Week will take place from Saturday, March 10 through Sunday, March 18….

….Our two main goals for 2012 AmeriCorps Week are to:

1. Help make AmeriCorps members and alums feel part of something larger than themselves and their projects; and to connect AmeriCorps members and alums with each other and a nationwide effort.
2. Communicate the powerful impact AmeriCorps has on critical national and community challenges and on the lives of members and alums.

Our theme this year is “AmeriCorps Works.” This theme communicates the value and effectiveness of AmeriCorps while providing flexibility to be used in many different contexts. It provides an overarching framework to communicate AmeriCorps triple bottom line return on investment — for the recipients of service, the people who serve, and the larger community and nation. For example:

AmeriCorps Works…
· To meet pressing community needs

· To make our communities safer, stronger, and healthier

· To improve the lives of vulnerable Americans

· To build the next generation of nonprofit leaders

· To develop innovative community solutions

· To mobilize volunteers and resources to strengthen America’s voluntary sector

· To expand economic and educational opportunity for those who serve

The theme can be tailored to connect to specific individuals, locations, issues, and communities. For example:

AmeriCorps Works….
· To give me the skills I need to succeed in life (individual member)

· To increase childhood literacy in Minnesota (state commission)

· To help veterans adjust to civilian life through a new service mission (focus area)

· To rebuild Joplin better than it was before (community)

· To expand the reach and impact of my nonprofit (grantee)

· To jumpstart my career in education (alumni)

We will be sharing more resources about ways that commissions, grantees, sponsors, members, and alums can participate in 2012 AmeriCorps Week, so stay tuned. We hope you will forward this email to others in your network and join us in celebrating the extraordinary commitment of AmeriCorps members and alums during 2012 AmeriCorps Week.

All the best,

John Gomperts Mary Strasser Kate Raftery
AmeriCorps Director, AmeriCorps VISTA Director, AmeriCorps NCCC

EBCAP Thankgiving Basket Assembly!

As part of an annual tradition, the organization East Bay Community Action Program has made it an initiative to provide Thanksgiving baskets for clients who the agency has tried to determine who might need the extra help the most this holiday season. The agency tries to give everyone a chance to receive a basket, and not duplicate the service for the same family each year as much as the agency would love to provide a basket for everyone. Our goal this year was to assemble a minimum of 150 baskets for the upper east bay area families. The goal was met and exceeded, with more than 200 baskets assebled. Donations were taken in from local schools and also from other various locations which held food drives as well as the federal SNAP agency providing us with the reusable cloth bags to put the food into. The response was overwelming in the amount of food which was donated for this event and the process of assembling them as an AmeriCorps group really brought us together to do something great.

Call for Christmas/Holiday Decorations

The Ocean State Environmental Education Collaborative is partnering with South Providence Neighborhood Ministries again this year for our annual Children’s Christmas Party. If you (or anyone you know) have any extra Christmas decorations you would be willing to donate for the party on December 16th we would be happy to have them. There will be a collection box at Serve Rhode Island (655 Broad St., Suite 202), or you can bring them to Save The Bay (100 Save The Bay Dr.) and ask for Sam. Thanks!

Beginning Spanish Language Intensive for AmeriCorps members.

 8-10 sessions beginning in January. Cost: $50(wow!)

• A wonderful opportunity for members working in Providence public schools to get a quick Spanish immersion course under their belts.

• Andrea Nate, a graduate student in Brown’s Hispanic Studies Department has offered to teach a January Spanish Intensive of 8-10 sessions. She teaches beginning Spanish courses in Brown’s Continuing Ed. program.

•  Those interested, please email with your evening preferences, ideally we’d like to meet two evenings per week during the month of January.

Interested? Contact Alesandra: alesandra.zsiba [at] gmail [dot] com

If you know of anyone else who might be interested please pass the word along!

 

Thanks to Nika Gorini at CityArts for sharing this info.

Service Saturday! Presented by Scholarships for Service: AmeriCorps Student Civic Fellows

Check out the latest Rhode Island Campus Compact event at Neutacankanut Park organized by our Scholarships for Service: AmeriCorps Student Civic Fellows at Providence College and Rhode Island College!

RSVP by Wednesday November 16 to Kiley Leduc (kleduc1@friars.providence.edu) or BreYanna Miller (bmiller_6431@ric.edu)

Here’s the flyer in case you want to share with others:
November 19 Service Saturday Flyer

2011 AmeriCorps Opening Day

THANKS TO ALL WHO ATTENDED! Over 250 people gathered at the State House to kick off the service year.

Check out the video and pictures from Opening Day:

AmeriCorps’ Got Talent!

AmeriCorps’ Got Talent Flyer

Click on the link to check out the flyer for AmeriCorps’ Got Talent!