Beyond Your Service Year

Beyond Your Service Year: AmeriCorps Alums Networking Social and Leadership Forum Featuring a Partnership Announcement from the Heller School at Brandeis

Join us on Thursday, November 5th for an exciting night of meeting and networking with fellow AmeriCorps Alums! Come to learn more about the $1M in scholarships at the Heller School available EXCLUSIVELY for AmeriCorps Alums. You will have the chance to hear from some great AmeriCorps Alums and current and former Heller School students. Enjoy complimentary beer, wine, and snacks and consider the possibilities of your next steps!

When: Thursday, November 5^th 6:30-9:00pm

Who: Current Corps Members and AmeriCorps Alums interested in continuing their commitment to service

Where: WorkBar Boston -129 South St Boston MA 02111

Please RSVP at americorpsalumsboston@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

October 2009 Meeting

It’s time for our next Chapter Meeting! Our next meeting is Monday, October 5th from 6:30-8:00pm at ACCESS Boston. Access Boston is located at 31 St. James Ave -Suite 520 and is accessible by the Green Line (Arlington) or the Orange Line (Back Bay). We have been doing some really exciting things in the past few months, and we want YOU to come learn more and JOIN US!

Many people participated in a great service project for September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance and we want to tell you about it. And, we have several upcoming opportunities that we don’t want you to miss out on.

We will also be hearing from some AmeriCorps members and staff at ACCESS. We have decided to hold our meetings at different service locations each month so that we can learn about various AmeriCorps programs and find out how we can support current members.

Finally, come to hear more about an amazing networking and social event that we are planning. This is an event that you won’t want to miss out on in early November!

We look forward to seeing you Monday!


If you cannot attend the meeting, but are interested in a service project, here are two great events that are coming up:

Environmental Project – We will be serving on October 17th from 10am-1pm at Olmstead Park in Jamaica Plain. We will grab lunch afterwards at a local JP eatery. If you are interested, please email Kathryn Hencir at Kathryn.hencir@gmail.com. Space is limited so sign up soon!

Bioneers by the Bay – Connecting for Change Conference – Volunteer alongside a current NCCC team and other Alums at this great conference in New Bedford on October 22nd-25th. They are looking for a committed group of volunteers to help out, as well as one or two volunteer coordinator (small stipend available) to lead the volunteers for all four days!! If you are interested, please email Desa VanLaarHoven at desa@marioninstitute.org

Chapter Meeting and Service Project

The next meeting of the Boston AmeriCorps Alums is this Tuesday, September 1st from 6:30-8:00pm at City Year Headquarters. Come to learn more about our upcoming events (including a great service opportunity), the results of our member survey, and to participate in a fun activity to support incoming AmeriCorps members. We hope to see you there!

Additionally, as part of the United We Serve campaign, we will be volunteering on the first annual ‘Day of Service and Remembrance’ this year on Friday, September 11th and Saturday, September 12th. We will volunteer at the Boston Heart Walk to support the work of the American Heart Association. We are looking for volunteers to serve Friday the 11th from 10am-2pm, or Saturday the 12th from 7am-12noon. Lunch will be provided on both days, and your support will contribute to a great cause. On Saturday evening, we plan to reconvene for some drinks to celebrate the work that we completed, and new friendships that we have made. More details to follow on that.

Space is limited for this service project, so if you are interested, please email us at americorpsalumsboston@gmail.com and let us know which day you are able to serve. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to “carry your commitment this year and beyond”

Service Challenge & Survey Reminder

Hi Boston Alums,

After looking at the preliminary results of the Boston Alums survey, we are on a mission to bring you more opportunities to serve and the chance to socialize with fellow Alums!

As you’ve probably heard by now, Americorps Week is coming up on May 9^th- 16^th. So here in Boston we are challenging all of the Alums to take the Americorps Week Challenge, and volunteer at least 1 hour between now and May 16^th.

Listed below are volunteer opportunities to help you find a place to complete your hour! Boston Shines is THIS Saturday and we are looking for alums to volunteer with the Americorps Alums group.

We’ll conclude Americorps Week by having a social at An Tain in the Financial District. That will be May 16^th at 7pm. The address is 31 India St (between Commercial St and Custom House Street) Boston, MA 02110.

Finally, if you have not yet filled out the Boston Alums survey, please take 10 minutes to give us your opinions and thoughts on the Chapter. You can take the survey here at: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228X447Q2G5

We hope to see you there!

Scheduled Volunteer Opportunities:

Boston Shines

April 25^th from 10am to 2pm. Boston Shines is the Mayor’s annual neighborhood cleanup. A group of alums will all be assigned to the same project and will be meeting at the visitor center at Boston Common at 9:45am. To sign up email mohms2389@yahoo.com or call 816-203-9716. Afterwards, drinks at The Beantown Pub.

Charles River Cleanup

April 25^th from 9am-12pm. They have both drop-in sites, and sites where you need to sign up in advance. Go to http://www.crwa.org/cleanup.html for more information.

Walk for Hunger

May 3^rd –There will be a group of Alums volunteering at this event in the afternoon. If you are interested in joining us, please email us at americorpsalumsboston@gmail.com

Union Square Cleanup (through Single Volunteers Boston)

May 9^th from 10am to 2pm. Revitalize Union Square in Somerville by planting flowers and picking up trash. To signup email svbcleanup@yahoo.com. Note: You must be single to attend this event.

Walk in Volunteer Opportunities:

Bikes Not Bombs

Bikes Not Bombs works to recycle bikes and promote bicycle transportation as an alternative to environmental destruction. Every Wednesday drop in between 7pm and 10pm to help out. No experience required. For more info contact Jeremy Hanson at jeremy@bikesnotbombs.org or 617-522-0222.

Cradles to Crayons

Located in Quincy, this organization provides kids with the necessities to be safe and ready to learn. Sign up online and then show up and volunteer. Volunteers will help sort donations, and put together specific kits for individual children. Available times are Tuesday- Friday 10am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 3 pm, 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday Nights 5:30-8:30pm

http://cradlestocrayons.org/2/component/option,com_performs/Itemid,113/

Greater Boston Food Bank

Help sort food for the hungry. Fill out the volunteer application form online (http://www.gbfb.org/volunteer/INDapply.cfm and then you can volunteer as an individual on any of their Saturday shifts. Sat Mornings: 9:30-12 and Sat Afternoons 1-3:30.

Community Servings

Community Servings puts together hot, healthy meals for people suffering from AIDS. Volunteers will help prepare meals. Volunteer Orientation every Wednesday night at 6pm. For more information contact Rebecca Ober, Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator, at rober@servings.org or (617) 522-7777.

TAKE OUR SURVEY

Calling All AmeriCorps Alums in the Greater Boston Area,

We want to know what YOU want from our chapter. Please take our zoomerang survey to give us your ideas and opinions! It will only take 10 minutes of your time!

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228X447Q2G5

We look forward to hearing from you!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

In honor of its 10 year anniversary, the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship is coordinating its first annual statewide day of service- Opportunity to Serve. Taking place on Saturday, April 25th, in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day, Opportunity to Serve will bring together current Fellows, community partners, alumni and youth to serve at 6 designated service projects across the state. This project is supported by Youth Service America and the Massachusetts Service Alliance. The projects will take place in Adams, Lowell, Brockton, as well as three located in Boston. You can register for any of the projects here: http://www.formspring.com/forms/?574022-HupjlbEHHU

The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship believes that all young people in the Commonwealth have a right to the resources that they need to be successful in life, including a caring adult, a safe place, a healthy start, an effective education, and an opportunity to serve. We deliver these 5 promises to youth by training emerging leaders who commit one year of service to support and provide these needed resources to youth throughout the Commonwealth. For more information about the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, please visit www.masspromisefellows.org, or contact Kori Redepenning at k.redepenning@neu.edu.

Community Meeting and Paid Volunteer Opportunity

UPCOMING BOSTON ALUMS EVENTS

Calling all Boston AmeriCorps Alums:

We will be having an all Alums community meeting on April 15, 2009 from 6:30-8:00 pm at Northeastern’s Curry Student Center, Room 322. Whether you're an active member or a newcomer, this gathering is a great opportunity to connect with other area alums and get involved with social events, service projects, professional development, and however you want to make the most of your lifetime of service.

Email us at americorpsalumsboston@gmail.com for more information!

Paid ($$) Volunteer Opportunity:

A fellow Alum is managing volunteers for a great event called the Green Apple Music Festival, taking place between April 17 and 19^th. The Festival runs environmental service projects in 10 cities that weekend and each city hosts a free celebration concert at the end of the weekend!

Our fellow Alum, Jody Wilhelm, needs to recruit 25 Volunteer Coordinators, and AmeriCorps alums are perfect because of our service project experience. VC's serve as the service project hosts, greeting people, speaking about the music festival, etc. In exchange, VC's receive $50 and free admission into the celebration concert at the Paradise Rock Club on April 19. And, you can volunteer to coordinate more than one project, receiving an additional $50! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. For more information, contact Jody at jody.wilhelm@gmail.com. You can also check out more about the festival at www.greenapplemusicfestival.com

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2231449160

AMERICORPS ALUMS: www.americorpsalums.org