Service Archives - Nevada Volunteers

Meet the Rural Nevada Finalists for the 2013 Governor’s Points of Light Awards!

Each year, Nevada Volunteers is overwhelmed by the amount of nominations and the inspiring stories submitted for the Governor’s Points of Light Awards. Our distinguished panel of judges selected the following three finalists for this year. These three individuals will be honored at the awards luncheon on January 18, 2013, and the recipient of the category will be announced. Congratulations to the finalists and thank you for your service to our communities!

Rural Nevada Individual Finalists for the

2013 Governor’s Points of Light Awards

Nancy Barrett (Incline Village)

Nancy Barrett has served with the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross for two years, and it constantly working to make the community safer. During the Caughlin and Washoe Drive fires, she helped manage the shelters and ensured that hundreds of evacuees had a safe place to go. Along with the rest of the mass care team, Nancy helped to conduct shelter surveys in all of Washoe County, Douglas County, and Carson City. She became the DSAC (Disaster Services Advisory Committee) Co-Chair, where she leads the Red Cross chapter’s disaster services and advises volunteers on how we can be better prepared. Nancy is also the Mass Care Co-Lead, which is responsible for our sheltering, feeding, and reunification services during a disaster. Nancy recently traveled to New Jersey to help Red Cross respond to Super Storm Sandy. She was also recently recognized as one of Glamour’s women of the year in New York City. Nancy works tirelessly every day to ensure to safety of everyone around her, whether she is home in Nevada or on disaster assignment in New Jersey. Her passion for the mission of the Red Cross motivates everyone around her. (more…)

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…)

Volunteering for VITA!

April 15^th has always been just a normal calendar day for me. My family hires a CPA to take care of our taxes every year, so they have never been much more than a passing thought in my daily life. But as I have grown up and taken on more “adult” responsibilities, I have looked at my own taxes and realized that they are incredibly difficult! It is confusing language, difficult math, and lines leading to more lines. It’s nearly impossible to make heads or tails out of any of it. But as I have branched away from relying on my family and done more of my own taxes each year, I have come to learn how to file basic taxes. I have had the chance to learn because I am surrounded by people who know how to help me, but I also know that I am lucky in that and not everyone has those same people around them. I found myself wondering how others learn how to correctly file their own taxes. (more…)

MLK Day 2011: A Day On, Not A Day Off

“Service above self will be the cornerstone of my administration as Governor,” Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval proclaimed. He joined approximately 70 AmeriCorps members bright and early in Las Vegas, Nevada on Martin Luther King Jr. Day morning to celebrate the Day of Service.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Nevada Volunteers’ AmeriCorps members gathered together to build three special homes in honor of the 25^th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America’s great heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 40 years after his death, Dr. King’s example continues to guide Nevadans in addressing the state’s most critical issues.

The event in southern Nevada brought together AmeriCorps State members from Great Basin Institute’s Nevada Conservation Corps, Luz Community Development Coalition, and the United Way of Southern Nevada, along with AmeriCorps VISTA members serving southern Nevada nonprofit agencies. The Governor jumped in to lend a hand with the AmeriCorps members, at one point even aiding them on the roof by nailing on shingles. (more…)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM NEVADA VOLUNTEERS!

“Amass for AmeriCorps” has struck a chord in our hearts, reminding us that the true spirit of the holidays comes from people who continue to give of themselves to improve communities throughout Nevada.

As the State Commission that promotes volunteerism, Nevada Volunteers sees the variety of avenues to contribute to our communities. This made us wonder, what are you doing this holiday season to give back? How are you giving of your time, talent, or treasure to those in your community?

This holiday season, Nevada Volunteers is grateful for all the volunteers in our great state. Without these everyday heroes, our communities would no longer continue to prosper and grow. And because of these individuals, our communities are able to offer those in need a special holiday.

From all us at Nevada Volunteers, we thank the great volunteers in Nevada and wish you a happy Holiday! We look forward to hearing of your wonderful contributions to our communities! (more…)

Roadpost #13: A Web Journey

My VISTA journey is almost done and something wonderful has happened. I have finally completed one of my primary goals of my VISTA year. It is a simple thing, a website update, but it has pushed me far beyond what I expected when I began as a VISTA last August. I was not a technical person. I knew virtually nothing about websites, Facebook, videos, blogs, Photoshop. I am a storyteller, though, and this was a new medium for me to explore. I was game for it.

And so I kept learning, figuring things out, making slow progress. Every webinar that seemed to apply, I was on it. Every Google link that might provide useful information, I went there. I kept what Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, calls a growth mindset (as opposed to a fixed mindset). I understood that success would be built on lots of failures as part of the learning experience, but eventually I would become technically savvy. With each new thing I accomplished, I amazed my kids… How did Mom do that? I am not a wizard at any of this to be sure. Often I resort to muddling through, but I want so much to tell the story of volunteering and service that I’ve kept going. (more…)

The Volunteer Road

Hello. I’m Arlene Williams. I’m a VISTA volunteer, serving with Nevada Volunteers, Nevada’s Commission on National and Community Service.

Being a VISTA is a year-long journey of service, and I’m having quite a ride down this road I am traveling. One of the highlights so far has been doing interviews with local volunteers from wide-ranging backgrounds. I’ve come away from these conversations inspired by their insights. I’ve also become more certain than ever that volunteering is vital, not only for the community and those in need, but for those who serve.

Volunteering… it’s a diverse experience as varied as the people who do it. Each person travels their own unique ‘volunteer road.’ Some are on highways of accomplishment, straight, sure—they know where they are headed. Some are on expeditions of discovery, hiking unmarked trails, exploring new ways to serve. Some ramble down country lanes of giving, savoring the joyfulness of their trek. There are so many ways to make this journey, but whether you march, slog, saunter, or race down your own particular road, it’s a journey that is worthwhile to make. (more…)