Green Economy: Does it include you?

Today is World Environment Day, established in 1973 by the United Nations Environment Programme. This year’s theme is “Green Economy: Does it include you?”

As the Nevada governor’s Commission on Service, we can say loud and clear that “yes, it does include us.” As as matter of fact, it includes three out of six of the AmeriCorps*State programs in Nevada that have an environmental component to their programs.

Only halfway through the current grant year, AmeriCorps members have impacted Nevada’s green economy in the following ways:

Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation

  • cleaning, improving, and/or creating 9.62 miles of trail or rivers
  • collecting and recycling 206.08 tons of materials

Great Basin Institute

  • restoring and improving 1131.88 acres of public land and waterways
  • building and maintaining 51.71 miles of trails
  • educating 475 youth on environmental issues

Nevada Outdoor School

  • giving 361 lessons on environmental stewardship to 6646 students

After completing their term of service, each AmeriCorps member receive an educational award to use in a higher education capacity, like pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree. While in service, members receive a monthly stipend on average $1,000 per month, a small subsidy compared to the amount of impact they have on their communities. (more…)

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Expressions of Homelessness

Nevada Volunteers’ higher-education initiative has worked on Nevada’s campuses for the past 2 ½ years to promote volunteering among college youth. One of the highlights of this effort has been the Expressions of Homelessness poetry project organized through the University of Nevada Reno’s Honors Program by our VISTA, Alexandra Ellison.
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We Have a Winner!

Nevada's Parasol Foundation AmeriCorps program has taken first place honors in the national 2010 AmeriCorps Getting Things Done Video Contest! We are so proud of them! We want to congratulate Jaime Olive, Vince Camiolo, Katy Washington of the PTCF AmeriCorps…

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Roadpost #9: The 2010 Nevada National Service Awards Recipients

Every year, Nevada Volunteers, the state commission on national and community service, honors outstanding National Service volunteers in Nevada. These awards are given in observance of National AmeriCorps Week, which runs May 8th to 15th this year. All of these award winners are great examples of the promise of National Service programs. “We are very proud of them all,” said Shawn Lecker-Pomaville, CEO of Nevada Volunteers. “Their service makes Nevada a better place for all of us.” Nevada Volunteers is pleased to announce the following winners and share a little of their story:

1) 2010 AmeriCorps Member of the Year: Dannyn Smith , Nevada Conservation Corps, from Sparks, Nevada

2) 2010 AmeriCorps VISTA of the Year: Natalie Minev, Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada, from Las Vegas, Nevada

3) 2010 AmeriCorps Program Director of the Year: Michelle Redmond, United Way of Southern Nevada AmeriCorps Program, from Las Vegas, Nevada (more…)

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Roadpost #4: Results

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LRsQY76avc]

I had meant to get there on Wednesday. I didn’t make it till Saturday. I missed all the action of volunteers stacking cans, building incredible CANstructions—a snake, a train, and the Empire State Building. I was sick in bed, and by the time I got there three days late, all I could photograph were the results. As incredible as they were, the results weren’t the story I was after.

I really wanted to see young people at work, volunteering to help the Food Bank of Northern Nevada by collecting cans of tuna, or corn, or beans, and then building something fantastic. I wanted to write about their excitement and energy. It didn’t work out. That happens. Still, I did find something to talk about—results.

Results are important, but results are my Achilles’ heel. I can get too focused on the goal, succeeding or failing, and lose touch with the value behind what I am doing. When it comes to volunteering, losing touch is a big sacrifice. I forsake the joy of giving and get all tense. (more…)

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MLK Day 2010, Las Vegas

National Service members joined together in Las Vegas to make Martin Luther King Day a Day On, not a Day Off by marching in the MLK Day Parade and doing a service project for Habitat for Humanity. AmeriCorps members from LUZ Community Coalition participated and provided this PowerPoint. Thank you Luis Calderon for creating the slideshow and organizing these inspiring quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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