AmeriCorps week is a celebration of all things AmeriCorps — from the programs and organizations that make this national service initiative possible in thousands of locations to the members who have pledged to “Get Things Done” since the program’s inception in 1994. SSI has hosted AmeriCorps since 2007 through Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP), a program that places AmeriCorps throughout the Sierra.
So far this year, SSI’s current AmeriCorps members Wes and Dorothy have been digging their teeth into all areas of SSI–from stream monitoring to helping out with the latest CHIME project to writing curriculum. “AmeriCorps has been a great way to get some professional development and get to know a new part of the US”, says Dorothy, who is from Vermont.
Wes, who spent last year doing another AmeriCorps term with the Russian River Salmon and Steelhead Monitoring Program, agrees. “Between my two AmeriCorps terms I’ve really been able to delve into my interests and make some great connections and new friends around the state”, he says.
If you want to learn more about SNAP or AmeriCorps in general, you can check out their websites or ask Wes and Dorothy about the program. And don’t forget to give your local AmeriCorps members a high five next time you see them–they are out there getting things done!