| America's Volunteers By: Gesina A. Phillips “I will get things done for America.” So begins the pledge to which every AmeriCorps member is expected to adhere in all areas of their life. People often refer to AmeriCorps as the “domestic Peace Corps,” a description which is not far from the truth. Like the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps focuses on bringing aid to people in need through volunteer workers. Unlike the Peace Corps, though, AmeriCorps assignments are located within the United States and require about half as many months of service. However, the 10 month to one year requirement is a serious commitment. You might ask yourself if such a long period of time is worth it—Tiffiny Mills, a former AmeriCorps member, offers a resounding “yes!” The different AmeriCorps initiatives place volunteers with nonprofit organizations and other local agencies across the country. AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers fight poverty alongside local institutions, while AmeriCorps NCCC members travel to regional campuses to complete service projects as part of a team. There are many other ways to participate through AmeriCorps’ State and National program. Though joining the AmeriCorps team won’t make you rich, members may receive a living stipend and a grant for tuition costs or student loans. The other benefits of working with AmeriCorps, however, include the opportunity to touch literally hundreds of lives and meet other volunteers with similar ideals. At the age of 18, Tiffiny Mills decided to join the legions of AmeriCorps members making a difference in American communities. The president of a volunteer group at her high school, Tiffiny hadn’t thought too much about college. However, when an advisor recommended the AmeriCorps NCCC program, she applied right away. A few months later, she was on her way to AmeriCorps’ Colorado campus to begin the first of her five service projects. Over the next ten months, Tiffiny volunteered all over the country. She began by tutoring high school students in Indiana for exams that would determine their future. “It was their last chance,” she explained, “and you could see when they finally got it.” Tiffiny was enthusiastic about her second project, in which she worked in Montana with Habitat for Humanity: “I learned to build a house,” she says. She later provided disaster relief for refugees of Colorado wildfires and flooding in Louisiana, worked as a YMCA camp counselor in Oklahoma—which was “more fun than work” Tiffiny explains—and helped second graders in Denver learn English as a second language. She was able to see the results of her work firsthand when the student she was tutoring suddenly figured out a difficult concept or when her team presented a family with a completed home. Tiffiny describes such experiences as “very gratifying” due to the time and energy spent on every project. These memories, as well as the enduring friendships that she formed with her team members, form the core of Tiffiny’s AmeriCorps experience. Now a member of the working world, a student, and a mother, Tiffiny recalls her time of service as “the best ten months ever” (pre-daughter, of course). Most AmeriCorps programs require applicants to be above the age of 17, but AmeriCorps NCCC is the exception in that it only accepts volunteers between the ages of 18 and 24. Regarding the experience, Tiffiny recommends it without reservation: “anyone, if you are able to do it, should do it.” To find more information or apply to an AmeriCorps program, go to www.americorps.org. |
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