AmeriCorps

Now Accepting AmeriCorps VISTA Applications!

The Ingham County Health Department's AmeriCorps VISTA Program is now seeking host site applications for the 2020-2021 program year!

AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program that has been working to alleviate poverty in America since 1965. VISTA members serve as catalysts for change, living and working alongside community members to advance local solutions. Members in the VISTA program commit to a year-long, full-time position with a sponsor organization, often nonprofits, faith-based and community organizations, and public agencies and have the unique charge of helping build their sponsoring organization’s capacity through organizational, administrative, and financial capacity.

AmeriCorps VISTA members build capacity through activities like:

funding development campaigns.
building community partnerships.
creating marketing and outreach campaigns.
recruiting and managing volunteers.
developing trainings and curricula.

The Ingham County Health Department AmeriCorps VISTA Program places VISTA members at host organizations, or host sites, throughout Ingham County to focus on project goals related to economic opportunity, education, and healthy futures:

Education: K-12 Success
Education: Post-Secondary Education
Economic Opportunity: Employment/Workforce Development
Economic Opportunity: Housing
Healthy Futures: Access to Care

All AmeriCorps VISTA members serve full-time (36-40 hours per week)
from August 17, 2020 - August 16, 2021!

To cover the costs of the living stipend, training opportunities, and program and staff support, the host site fee for the 2020-2021 program year is $8,500 per VISTA member awarded.

Benefits of Service:
Living Allowance of $12,491 (distributed biweekly)
Education Award ($6,195) OR Cash Stipend ($1,803)
Non-Competitive Eligibility
Loan Forbearance for Qualified Student Loans
Professional Development and Training
Healthcare Benefit
Childcare Assistance
Paid Personal and Medical Leave

To learn more about the AmeriCorps VISTA program, review the requirements of hosting a member, and to access the application CLICK HERE. An editable word document for the VISTA Assignment Description can be found here.

Deadline to apply is Friday, February 28th by 5:00pm.

Questions about hosting an AmeriCorps VISTA member, our application process or to set up a technical assistance appointment contact:
Zekiye Salman
AmeriCorps VISTA Program Director
zsalman@ingham.org, 517-272-4147

Now Hiring Summer Corps Members - 6 Positions Available!

Now Accepting Applications for our Summer Corps!

ICHD AmeriCorps State Program

Commonly known as the “domestic Peace Corps,” AmeriCorps is a national service program governed by a federal agency – the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) – and administered in Michigan by the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC). AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connects Americans in intensive service to meet our country’s critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. AmeriCorps members serve with nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based and community organizations. Since 1994, AmeriCorps State members have provided needed assistance to millions of Americans across the nation.

The ICHD AmeriCorps State Program places members at non-profit organizations, government agencies, and faith based institutions to work directly with the community in areas of food access and healthy lifestyles programming.

Summer Corps Members will:
Serve 450 hours/term= 27-30 hours/week
Serve May 4th, 2020 - August 31st, 2020

Members Benefits:
Living stipend of $3,702
Loan forbearance for eligible student loans
Interest accrual repayment for eligible student loans
Education award of $1,612.43 upon successful completion of service
Continual professional and personal development!
First hand experience in local food systems work!

Community Garden Coordinator
This position will run through September 21st, 2020. Our Community Garden Coordinator will be housed at Ingham County Land Bank's Garden Program. The Ingham County Land Bank established its Garden Program in 2009 to serve as a liaison between the Land Bank, the City of Lansing, local residents, and potential gardeners in encouraging and supporting community-based agricultural projects on the Land Bank’s vacant lots. The Garden Program not only provides access to land, but also helps to match our gardeners with valuable resources such as soil testing, rotortilling, compost, tools, and other items in order to make their garden more successful. This position will support and expand community agriculture projects in many of Lansing's refugee gardens and/or refugee gardeners. To review the full position description CLICK HERE.

Garden Development Specialist
This position will run through September 21st, 2020. Our Community Garden Coordinator will be housed at Ingham County Land Bank's Garden Program. The Ingham County Land Bank established its Garden Program in 2009 to serve as a liaison between the Land Bank, the City of Lansing, local residents, and potential gardeners in encouraging and supporting community-based agricultural projects on the Land Bank’s vacant lots. The Garden Development Specialist will support and expand household gardens and community gardens in Lansing’s most at-risk neighborhoods. To review the full position description CLICK HERE.

Gardening Educator
Our Gardening Educator is housed at Allen Neighborhood Center (ANC). Established in 1999, Allen Neighborhood Center (ANC) is a non-profit hub for neighborhood revitalization. To learn more visit: http://allenneighborhoodcenter.org/. The Gardening Educator will help promote and maintain the Hunter Park GardenHouse, using it as an educational and growing space. The member will also assist with the center's gardening workshop series and healthy lifestyles programming with Youth Service Corps. To review the full position description CLICK HERE.

Parks and Recreation Nutrition Liaison - 2 positions open!
We're looking for 2 Parks and Recreation Nutrition Liaisons which will be housed with Lansing Parks & Recreation (LPR). LPR's mission is to enhance the quality of life through the preservation and maintenance of park lands, the provision of quality leisure time activities and the provision of special facilities which would otherwise not be available to the Lansing residents. To learn more about Lansing Parks & Recreation visit:www.lansingmi.gov/parks. Our Parks and Recreation Nutrition Liaison will work closely with Lansing Housing Commission (LHC) to provide an 8-week youth program to two of LHC's housing complexes. Member will create, use resources and implement youth programming based on community needs/wants. Members will have some opportunity to create curriculum together, but each will be at their respective LHC location to facilitate and lead their own youth program. One member will provide programming to Mt. Vernon complex and the other to Hildebrant complex. To review the full position description CLICK HERE.

School Garden Coordinator
Our School Garden Coordinator is housed at NorthWest Initiative within their Food Systems Project (FSP). FSP works to increase residents’ access to healthy, affordable food while educating residents about ways to eat healthy. To learn more about NorthWest Initiative and their FSP visit: http://nwlansing.org/. Our School Garden Coordinator will help manage and coordinate the care of four school gardens for educational purposes. Member will be responsible for the maintenance of said gardens, utilize the spaces for youth workshops and utilize volunteers to aid in programming. To review the full position description CLICK HERE.

Interested candidates must submit a COVER LETTER and RESUME indicating which position(s) they're interested in to Andrea Villanueva at avillanueva@ingham.org by 5:00pm March 16th.

About AmeriCorps State

The Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps State Program places AmeriCorps members throughout Ingham County to increase food security and reduce chronic disease in residents by focusing on two project goals:

1. Increase consumption of healthy foods and reduce food insecurity with gardening, food distribution and referrals.
2. Teach community members the importance of eating healthy foods and strategies to adopt better diets.

About AmeriCorps VISTA

AmeriCorps VISTA, or Volunteers in Service to America, is a national service program that was designed to eliminate poverty through capacity building in American communities. The VISTA program, created in 1965 and conceived by President John F. Kennedy, was formally incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993 and now governed by a federal agency – the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

The Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps VISTA Program began in 2006 and has placed VISTA members at multiple host sites, or sub-sites, at area non-profits, public agencies, and faith and community–based organizations. The VISTA members commit to one year of full-time service in InghamCounty in the areas of education and economic opportunity. They have the unique charge of building their host site’s organizational , administrative and financial capacity. To view The Power of We Consortium current Americorps VISTA team, visit the AmeriCorps VISTA Sites page.