National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps/Caring Counts Program

Team Carolina & Meals on Wheels

2010-09-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

On August 27th, 2010, the Americorps/National AIDS Fund/Caring Counts Team Carolina partnered with Meals on Wheels to prepare, pack, and deliver healthy food to Durham, NC area residents. Needless to say, it was very early in the morning and quite humid. Venturing outside in the 95-degree heat immediately made teamembers sticky and sweaty.

However, the mission at hand was too important. The mission at hand could not be abandoned because of heat or perspiration. The mission at hand was essential.

The Americorps Team split up into two groups. One group was led by stunt-car driver Geoffrey Horsfield, while the other group was led my Lil' Hawking, Susan Lou. As a result fo their combined eladership, the team was able to deliver essential sustinence to more than 15 different homes in the Triangle area.

Each recipient was ecstatic to see us and receive the food. Team Carolina even helped one elderly woman fix her cell phone so she could contact her daughter in California. The feelings of goodwill were abound and the mission was assuredly worth the work.

Team Carolina AmeriCorps Week

2010-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Team Carolina recognized AmeriCorps week by accomplishing 2 different projects. We started our day at the Durham County Urban Ministry Center where we worked along side 12 other AmeriCorps members from the Literacy Corps. We split up into teams and some volunteers went to work in the kitchen and some stayed in the clothing closet. After just 3 hours of service we had gone through over 20 bags of clothing. Some things were really fun to sort through, such as the bags full of baby clothes. Other bags were a bit more interesting as we had to sort unmentionable items into the throw away pile. We all also had some fun as we found many items of clothing that were much better kept in a different decade. Over all we were able to fully stock the closet and after much sorting many great items of clothing were on display for the Durham Urban Ministry patrons. Next we said good bye to the Literacy Corps group and met up as a team to put together a video show casing our “power of 5”. This video gave all of us an opportunity to gather thoughts about our service year and convey how we all have made an impact. It was a lot of fun and a great end to the day.

March Madness.

2010-04-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Before starting, I'd like to emphasize how amazing Michigan State Basketball is. March is where my team eats. Sparty on.

Alright, February was good, but as Jay-Z says, "It's on to the next one."

For our team, things continue to come together for our LTP. We are buying supplies for a housing program so people have such luxuries (sarcasm) as garbage cans, eating and cooking utensils, linen, shower curtains, hygiene products, etc.

The month of March was an amazing month of fifth days. The first Saturday was 'Chicago Takes Off'. CTO is a huge fundraiser for TPAN. It's a yearly burlesque show that is performed and organized through hundreds of volunteers. Team Chicago got there about 8 hours early to help set up the stage, decorations, and bring general cheer to everyone.

(The team taking a quick break from setting up...What's Kevin looking at? Probably a performer...)

After set up, we were lucky enough to score some free tickets to the show. The show's theme was 'TV Land'. Everything was based on old TV show favorites like 'I Love Lucy' and 'Gilligan's Island'. Simply put, it was mind blowing. Every member agreed that it was up there with some of the best fifth days. I personally fell in love with a beautiful girl in one of the dance troupes (is troupe the right word?), but didn't have the courage to talk to her after the show...I'm a wuss. The event raised about $170,000 for TPAN. So, our small hand in setting up reaped some huge rewards for infected and at risk communities around Chicago, allowing many TPAN programs to continue.

All the performers taking their bow at the end of the show, note the beautiful decorations.

The next Friday, the 12th, we actually took a team bonding fifth day. We drove out of the city to my parent's home, where I grew up, in the western suburbs. There, my mom was waiting with a feast of Indian food. We all just hung out, ate some great food and had a good time. We also watched some basketball together. Unfortunately, Davina's Wisconsin Badgers lost (sorry Day Day). Afterwords, we split up and solicited some businesses to raise funds for our LTP. A very relaxing fifth day.

We didn't take any pictures this fifth day, but here's a picture of my mom and I.

She cooks like a boss. And dresses like one too.

The third fifth day of the month was spent at the American Indian Health Services of Chicago (AIHSC) health fair. This was for National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. While at the fair, our team conducted testing and counseling. We had the opportunity network with an entirely new population that we can continue to help for the remainder of the service year. Props to Kevin on this, he organized everything and it went great. Hopefully we'll see more of this great organization in the near future, they really need us and we loved spending time with all of the staff and clients. No pictures from this event...sorry Maggie!

The last fifth day of March was spent at TPAN doing some odds and ends painting and making over 1,000 safe sex kits. The weather was pretty miserable that day, so we are saving all of the kits for a huge outreach fifth day in perhaps May. With over 1,000 kits already, excluding the thousands from other agencies, the day of outreach will prove a massive push for testing and awareness. Awesome.

Got safe sex?

Wow...as I read over this post I realize how rapid fire I wrote. I apologize, but it does pretty much sum up March for us. We had some great fifth days and it flew by. I hope all our teams are doing great and Team Chicago cannot wait for super fifth day with Team Indy and Team Detroit!

Also, Chicago started a twitter account: nafteamchi. Follow us!

Enjoy the beautiful weather and be well.

Best,

Team Chicago.

2010-04-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Members,
Exciting news in from Team DC. They are putting together a series of prevention videos. The first group of videos includes male and female condom demonstrations. Check them out at:

Team DC YouTube videos

Habitat For Humanity 5th Day in Westland, MI

2010-03-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

For the week's fifth day, Team Detroit undertook a genuinely meaningful service project sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Western Wayne County. Some members of Team Detroit spent the day painting away. Others spent the day digging, chopping, raking, and getting really dirty.

Team Detroit came together, leaned on each other for support, and worked till dusk. Everyone walked away from the event with a keen sense of what "giving back to the community" is and how tangible things, like homes, can truly make a difference in someone's life.

Many Americans have a distorted view of Habitat for Humanity. The homes are not free; each family receiving a built house must pay a full mortgage and contribute 500 hours of labor to the building process. Even though Team Detroit was only there for a relatively short period, we realized how important the work we did truly was - we contributed to the building of a home that will, in the very near future, house one very happy family. We were even invited to attend the dedication ceremony in June by the site's Crew Leader. A good and rewarding time was had by all.

If your team hasn't worked with Habitat yet, I strongly encourage you to get involved.

-Team D

MLK Day, Detroit-Style

2010-02-24T13:31:00.001-08:00

On MLK Day, Team Detroit partnered with CityYear Detroit and The United Way to give high-school students in the Detroit area a little bit more “style” when it came to their school’s appearance. A few members of Team Detroit helped remove old paint from doors and walls, while the rest put their painting skills to the test by applying thick coats of ocean-blue paint to the interior walls of Cody High School.

This is an excerpt of a letter penned by Randy J. Dillard, the Director of Volunteer Services for the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, to Team Detroit:

“I wanted to personally send you a thank you for being a part of the 16^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Your time and effort left an enormous impact on communities across Southeast Michigan. This was our area's largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service to date, and we couldn't have done it without your hard work!

Each day, United Way is developing lasting solutions to the critical issues we face. Issues like ensuring our children have the education they need to succeed, ensuring people can build an income to support themselves and their families, and helping people with basic needs, like food. These are the three things we all need for a good life and United Way is working hard to mobilize the people and resources needed to create change.

Your service is a large part of our work. Because of you, high school students at Cody and Osborn High School – two of United Way’s turnaround schools – are walking through the doors more motivated and ready to learn. Nonprofits across the community are better able to serve their clients and youth in our community will soon have mentors who care about their futures.

It will take our combined efforts to create a thriving community. That’s what it means to Live United, and we’re glad you’ve joined the movement to create a better life for Southeast Michigan residents.”

A good, rewarding time was had by all!!!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!!!!

2010-02-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Team Tulsa participated in Tulsa's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade. We distributed information for HOPE Testing Clinic and Tulsa CARES, agencies that provide testing and case management. The parade route went through downtown Tulsa including the historic Greenwood district. This was especially significant because of the history with the Tulsa Race Riot. The Tulsa Race Riot, also known as the 1921 race riot, was a massacre during a large-scale civil disorder confined mainly to the racially segregated Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 31, 1921. During the riot, hundreds of people were injured and 10,000 were left homeless because of fires that caused massive property damage.
While walking through the streets where such a devastating event occurred, it meant a lot to be a part of the biggest MLK parade in Tulsa to date. Seeing hundreds of people from different backgrounds marching in peace was a powerful experience. Although we still have a long way to go, events like these are inspirational and show us how far we have come.

Raleigh Rescue Mission

2010-02-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Prepared and ready TO SERVE AmeriCorps Style!

On January 29, 2010 Team NC went to the Raleigh Rescue Mission to help prepare and serve lunch to those in need staying at the shelter. The mission has overnight services that offers comfortable, safe refuge for single women and mothers with children. All of the guests are given clean clothing, warm showers, personal care items, nutritious meals, and cozy beds to sleep in. Those who are not in the emergency program, are in another branch of the Mission's services, including rehabilitation (getting a GED, substance abuse, transitions inbetween jobs ext), and have daily chores to help keep things at the Mission running smoothly.

Staci learning how to deep fry!

Getting some corn from the pantry! YUM!

Kim & Staci working hard to make some delicious salmon cakes!

While we were there we discussed how single dads are not given preferance at any shelters, and it is hard even on national levels for men with children to find housing. This is a form of reverse discrimination. What about the fathers? Why can't they be offerred housing/care when they have children, and meet the same criteria for entering a shelter as a women? How can this situation be resolved?

The food that we helped prepare was fresh and delicious. Local grocery stores such as Trader Joes, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods donate 50-60 lbs of food bi-weekly. The meal that we helped to prepare was food donated from RED LOBSTER! We helped serve crab, lobster, shrip and filet mignon. Let's just say the people staying at the mission are eating well! There was a salad and fresh fruit bar, ice tea, deserts, and bread a plenty. The kitchen was one of the cleanest and highly efficiently set up that we have had the pleasure to serve in this year. The staff in the kitchen was part hired, and partly those living at the mission. We all had a great time! It was a deliciously rewarding day of service.

After the Rescue Mission we went to Krupa's agency, the Alliance of AID Services and made safer sex kits for their upcoming events!

Cheers! -Alex

January and MLK

2010-02-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

First off, I apologize for the lateness of this post. I realize January is almost two weeks ago now, but here is what we did and I promise to not post February in the middle of May.

Our Fifth day for MLK day actually consisted of two days of service. The first was called Chicago Cares Celebration of Service. The day started with check-in and an opening ceremony at 7:45am in Union Station's Great Hall. The opening ceremony consisted mostly of some songs sung by a choir and several short speeches, from Governor Quinn, Mayor Daley, and Ed Gordon (Emmy award-wining journalist and former BET news anchor). At 9:30, all of the volunteers were dismissed to board their respective school buses and head to their project locations. Our site was Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School (a school next to former housing projects that were at the center of Alex Kotlowitz's book "There Are No Children Here"). Our assignment for the day was to paint pictures on large canvases to decorate the hallways of the second floor of the building. All of the projects at Suder were art-related and included repainting the cafeteria and making wall mosaics in other hallways.

Our second day of service we went to an elementary school on the southside of the city and worked to better the school conditions. We mainly repainted the hallways that needed a new coat of paint badly. While there, we volunteered with a hugely diverse group of people. There were middle schoolers there, other AmeriCorps groups, college kids, and even some families.

MLK day is a day of service that makes one think about your year with a wider lens. I think that one thing about being a part of an AmeriCorps program, particularly a relatively small one like NAF's, is that it can be easy to feel a certain amount of isolation in your service. From week to week at your host agency, you get used to the feeling of being the sole AmeriCorps member in a given environment. This isn't to say that you don't have a good relationship with your coworkers or feel a sense of community with your clients during your regular work week... I know I do, but I'm also aware of the fact that I have a very different role there from that of paid staff members. What's nice about Fifth Days in general is the feeling of being part of a team of individuals with the same or similar goals and experiences as you; what's even better about national service days like MLK Day is that you're able to feel connected to people in your host city and other communities across the country, people who are all like AmeriCorps members for a day. Also, at the Chicago Cares event, a large amount of the people who were volunteering were adolescents from Chicago public schools, some of whom asked us about ourselves (where we went to college, etc.) and our AmeriCorps service, so hopefully we encourage the growing interest in programs like our own and other AmeriCorps programs.
It sounds really cheesy, but there was something about being in the Great Hall of Union Station with 3,000 other people from across the state, people of all different backgrounds but with the same motivations. It was comforting and inspirational. It made me proud that volunteering to help the people of Chicago and honoring the lives of people like Martin Luther King, Jr. is something that our team does every day, not just when a holiday calls for it.

Our next fifth day was spent at Mallory's agency, The Night Ministry. We met in the afternoon before to make the meal that we would be serving on one of The Night Ministry's southside stops. Together, we made about 6 gallons of chicken chili and about 10 sheets of amazing corn bread (Kevin's own recipe, ask him about it...it's from his grandma). We served about 65 people that night. Personally, it was one of my favorite days. Everybody at the stop was super nice and there was just a community buzz around. For the situation, it was amazing to see so many smiles. And the food was amazing.

PS- Mallory accidentally cut herself while cooking. This just proves my theory that people should never cook. Just go out for dinner. Duh.

AmeriCorps Rocks Extreme Makevover Neighborhood Edition

2010-01-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

The blogpost below tells the behind-the-scenes story of AmeriCorps involvement and the extraordinary partnerships and compassion that transformed a neighborhood.

It all started with a text message to a friend. Kyle Kraus (from Buffalo, NY construction company David Homes) sent Joshua Randle (of WNY AmeriCorps) this text: "Extrm mkovr home edit comin 2 do house in buflo. u in?" "can u bring vols?" Randle's response, "Of course!...you want 10 or 10,000?"

David Stapleton of David Homes had been selected to build a home for a deserving family on Massachusetts Avenue in the City of Buffalo, by the hit ABC show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." David was looking to expand the project beyond the one house and into the community, but they only had two and a half weeks to make a plan and build a team. WNY AmeriCorps agreed to come on board to manage volunteers and further develop the community projects, and what started with the idea to assist a handful of homeowners quickly grew into what would be coined "Extreme Makeover: Neighborhood Edition."

"It was heartening to see David embrace a commitment to the community beyond the makeover house,” said WNY AmeriCorps CEO Mark Lazzara. "It really enabled WNY AmeriCorps to do the kind of service we do everyday, but with amazing resources at our finger tips. We didn't have to say no to anyone in need.”

Led by WNY AmeriCorps COO Joshua Randle, community meetings began and the scope of the projects expanded, with the staff of WNY AmeriCorps taking an active role in identifying and addressing community need while also maintaining the required confidentiality of the chosen house. Along with community partners, the scope of the project had more than tripled.

Meanwhile, something special started to happen online. The outreach was working. Western New Yorkers had begun to sign up to volunteer; hundreds the first day, hundreds the next, adding up into thousands. Word went out to WNY AmeriCorps members, offering them the unique opportunity to lead volunteers in the kind of large scale community change possible under the spotlight of national attention with passionate local interest.

On November 7, the day the Powell family finally found out they had been selected to receive an Extreme Makeover, over 1,000 volunteers came out to march to their front door as part of what the show calls the "Braveheart March.” While volunteers were marching, WNY AmeriCorps was working to prepare for the next five days of projects.

Through the work of David Homes, Delores Powell's family's new house was going to be "green;” super efficient with a minimal environmental impact. On the first project day, the deconstruction of the old house began, with local non-profit, and WNY AmeriCorps partner, Buffalo ReUse leading WNY AmeriCorps members and alumni as the house came down piece by piece for recycling. Many materials taken from the house were used in the neighborhood projects, including using the stone foundation to create a retaining wall in the community garden and lumber to reinforce other community projects.

Throughout the week community members began to come forward with their stories, opening up to WNY AmeriCorps members and staff, admitting that they had been living without some of the most basic necessities for years. Some had no hot water while others had been living with no running water at all. Roofs had been leaking while porches deteriorated, with little or no resources to correct the issues. As WNY AmeriCorps members began leading the projects to replace railings and roofs, reinforce porch floors, rebuild steps, paint houses, and hang siding on houses, staff reached out to local retailers and contractors, working with David Homes to receive donations to help fix the most urgent problems of neighborhood residents. Complete roofs were donated and installed, new security lights dotted the neighborhood and increased the sense of safety, all while a certified emerald-green home was built in the center of the City of Buffalo with volunteers serving around the clock to complete it. In the end, Buffalo had the largest amount of volunteers in the history of the show,yielded 6,336 volunteers who served 53,544 hours in service to 422 individuals from 164 families.

In the course of five days, an opportunity to create tremendous community changefroman impressive public-private partnership between David Homes and WNY AmeriCorps, creating confidence in the Massachusetts Avenue community and providing many low-income homeowners the encouragement, resources, and leadership they needed to move forward and build community. "I am proud that over 200 WNY AmeriCorps members and staff a significant role. We believe that service benefits both those who are being served, as well as those who are serving,” said Lazzara. "This was truly a transformational service project.”

The full statistics of the community projects are staggering:

6,336 Volunteers Mobilized
4,053 Community Revitalization and Transformation Volunteers
1,428 Skills and Trades Volunteers
855 Food Drive Helping Hands Volunteers
53,544 Volunteer Hours Served
32,424 Community Revitalization and Transformation
14,280 Skills and Trades
6,840 Food Drive Helping Hands
$1,516,511 Value of In-kind Volunteer Service
$909,169 Community Revitalization and Transformation
$415,548 Skills and Trades
$191,794 Food Drive Helping Hands
14,360 Meals Donated and Served to Volunteers
109 Individual Community Revitalization and Transformation Projects
33 Homes Equipped with New Security Lights
7 Full or Major Paint Projects
17 Minor Paint Projects
3 Full Siding Projects
3 Roofs Installations
5 Porch Renovations
5 Gutter Installations
4 New Fence Installations
2 Community Garden Projects
30 Properties Landscaped
164 Unique Households Served
412 Community Residents Served
119 New Trees Planted
388 Units of Blood Collected
85.1 Tons of Food Collected
$255,300 Value of Food Collected
1,207 People Fed Every Day for an Entire 10 days
Yours In Service,

The AmeriCorps Alums Team

MLK Day - New Mexico

2010-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Team New Mexico's MLK Day was pretty low key, as there wasn't much for us to do in the area, but we made work for ourselves. At the state capitol in Santa Fe there was a Day of Remembrance held in Dr. King's memory. This years turn out was more sparse than last, from what I understand, but it was memorable non-the less.

When we arrived people were just starting to gather in their seats, and during the wait there was a traditional African drumming group, one of the members we talked to was from Nigeria. One of the drummers, we found out later was form Nigeria. Before the speeches started, everybody joined in singing "The Black National Anthem" Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing, By: James Weldon Johnson.

Lift ever voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,

Let it resounds loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of hope that the present has brought us;

Facing he rising sun of our new da begun,

Let us march till victory is won.

After that there were many key note speakers. Some from the NAACP, the mayor, and awards given out for children who entered the MLK Essay contest.

The most memorable speech, however, was given by a historian and genealogist by the name of George Geder. He talked about Dr. Kings "roots" more than he talked about Dr. King himself. Dating back to his great-grandparents, Dr. King had a long legacy of people who devoted themselves to the greater good of society. Most notably, are his parents: Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams, who were both social activist and pastors. Without this rich family life, George Geder argues, Dr. King would not of been the civil rights activist we celebrate today. This reminder of Dr. Kings history, served as a reminder of the importance of looking at the full picture. I think, Dr. King would agree that he is not the only person to be remembered, but the people who stood behind him, and the people we work hard to help everyday.

After the ceremony, we went to lunch with Robert and planned our long term project and gathered together what we had planned for the rest of the day. Those of us that had something to donate brought what we could, and we went around to local charities and donated goods to them. We went to Salvation Army, Open Hands, and St. Vincent de Paul.

All in all, while the day was low-key, it felt very productive. We helped out good charities, bonded as a team, and were reminded of why we celebrate MLK Day in the first place - to remember those who have made what we have today, and to look forward to those who we can help tomorrow.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."- MLK Jr.

2010-01-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

On MLK Day Team North Carolina started the day off with an awareness march through downtown Durham. Durham's Hayti Center (where the team also was for WAD), was the beginning point of the march. After a long wait trying to find a restroom for half of the team, the day began. We joined about 200 people with signs, jackets and a pure excitement for raising awareness about the issues Martin Luther King, Jr. was all about. There was a great mixture of diversity represented through the group. The march was led by a police escort- which was fun! People honked and waved at us as they drove by.

Team NC braving the cool air to march!

One sign of MANY that had quotes from MLK Jr!

The long line of marchers

Crowd gathered to listen to Attorney Larry Hall remarking on the significance of the day. He also spoke about how doing service should be a necessary part of life.

During the march songs were blasting from vocal pipes. One song that made repeated cameo performances was "We shall over come." The march ended at the First Baptist Church. The Church held a special ceremony with several pastors speaking, leading the congregation in remembrance prayers and speeches. There was also a youth choir from the Durham Community that sang several well pitched and well practiced songs about unity, faith and hope. This ceremony we had to leave a few minutes early to trek over to Duke University's campus to watch a special show.

Duke University's Martin Luther King Day Event Planning committee hosted the African Children's Choir. The African Children's Choir is a group of orphaned African children, that have been given the chance at a new life. Before the African Children's Choir performed, a local Durham High School choir regaled us with "We are the World," by a group of artists, and "It's the Climb" by Miley Cyrus. These songs really were perfect fit into the day, and a great way to have our team's thoughts transition from the march to a musical appreciation of love, friendship, and hope

A bit about the Choir's history: The first Choir was formed in 1984, selected from orphaned and vulnerable children in the Kampala and Luwero areas of Uganda. After the Choir was trained to perform and readied for living in new and different cultures, the children traveled from Uganda to tour amongst the North American Church communities. They immediately impressed audiences with their vibrancy and outstanding musical talent. They quickly became a mouthpiece for the plight of the many thousands of vulnerable children like them in Uganda. The funds they earned through donations provided for their own support and education and more!
The proceeds of the first African Children’s Choir tour also funded the building of an orphanage back in Kampala from which a second African Children’s Choir was selected. The proceeds of their tours and the sponsorship support they would attract funded a growing program of establishing literacy schools to enable the very neediest children to get a foot up into proper education.

Meanwhile, the continuing care, education and development of returning Choir children was assured through the proceeds of Choir tours and the generosity of sponsors and donors.
To date over seven hundred vulnerable children have been through the Choir program and the funds they have generated have provided the opportunity of education and hope for many thousands like them in some of the most desperate and needy areas of Africa.

This choir really was inspiring! There was a reception afterwards that promoted more opportunities to get involved with the organization, how to sponsor orphans in Uganda, and had craft tables where the proceeds went to help the children. A few members purchased items from the craft tables. The African Children's Choir was a moving way to end the day. The choir sang songs that were inspirational, and some that were religious. All had thankful messages about being saved and given a new chance at life. Hearing the children speak about what they wished to be when they grew up, really spoke volumes about the chance at a healthy future that these kids have.

The title of this post, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter," said by MLK Jr., is really the take home message from our day of remembrance and service. The march was helping promote awareness of equality, unity and peace within the Durham Community, and remembering the past but also helping the community to look to the future. The future is all about the youth within our communities. As we watched the choir, the fact that the youth of all over the world need a chance to be healthy, educated and given a chance to thrive (basic human rights), really was evident. We can not be silent about the way life is for others around the globe, we can not be silent about promoting equality. The African Children's choir is giving youth of Africa the dream of a better tomorrow, a thought and message MLK Jr. said and hoped for all of us.

It was a great day! Team NC must give kudos to Kim for planning an inspirational fifth day! :)

Cheers! Alex

Team Indy/MLK Day of Service 2010

2010-01-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

Each year the IUPUI (Indiana University, Purdue University, Indianapolis) Center for Service Learning puts on a day of service on Martin Luther King Day. Students, Faculty, Community Members, and Alumni gather for breakfast and a program honoring Dr. King. Participants are prepared for a productive day of service throughout the city of Indianapolis. After meeting in groups lead by a Service Leader from IUPUI, the groups disperse to work on projects off campus.

Year after year, Indianapolis tends to fall short in opportunities which are available to the community who want to volunteer. IUPUI Center for Service and Learning has been nationally recognized for their work in the community and always has a great role in creating opportunities for those interested in service.
The morning began at IUPUI where we gathered for breakfast with people who were to participate in the day with us. Shortly thereafter, we were presented the “I Have a Dream Speech” by a local high school student. The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Phi Chapter presented a short step-show in honor of their fraternity brother, King. We were given a brief synopsis of King’s work and life, encouraged to speak to the people at our table about why service was important, and mentally prepare for impact in the community. We were soon dismissed, with our yellow 2010 MLK t-shirts to nearby sites to serve.
This year our team was placed at the Indianapolis Senior Center. Located downtown, not too far from many of our offices, it was nice to get to know a little bit more about the fantastic perks hidden away in Downtown Indianapolis. It offers everything from exercise classes to computer classes. We helped to organize, clean, dust, and tour the center.
During the day of service, we got to work with other community members, IUPUI student leaders, and staff at the Senior Center. After service there was an opportunity to reflect by each person sharing what they got out of the day. It gave the opportunity to discuss service from several different perspectives.

One thing we discussed as a group was that next year members could attempt to coordinate volunteer opportunities for volunteers in our agencies etc. We all seemed to hear about somebody who wanted to serve but had no where to go because most places ran out of slots to have people participate in whatever opportunities were available. The obstacle here is finding things that can be done on a national holiday when offices are usually closed. Of course that is something for next year’s team to discuss. MLK Day 2010 was a success. Although many people were wondering how dusting and wiping down furniture can make any difference, small things add up to a lot and as a team and as a community we made a big difference. Team Indy is always eager to make the biggest impact possible, and this year it was nice to be able to do so collectively with other groups. We work as a collaborative group of six, group of the Indianapolis community, National AIDS Fund Caring Counts AmeriCorps group nationally, and hopefully as group globally to make real impact in the world. It starts with one person organizing one group who can change the world in one city at a time. And of course it doesn't hurt to have a little fun while you're at it!

30 seconds of your time will Change someones life!

2010-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
I hope your year is going well! I would love if you could take a few minutes of your time and VOTE for Think Impact, a non-profit organization that I am currently a Fellow with, and when we all first met had just spent the summer in Kenya with. Think Impact (formerly Student Movement for Real Change) has a chance at winning a MILLION DOLLARS! If you are a Facebook user please take 30 seconds to go to http://www.thinkimpact.org/chase and vote for us! You need to become a fan of Chase Giving Challenge, then just simply click on Student Movement for Real Change and you will have become a part of a huge movement to help thousands of people living in poverty in Africa. Voting ends Friday the 22nd! So Please vote and help your fellow AmeriCorps member out! I really appreciate it! Thank you for your help and support!

<3 Alex Team NC

*For more info on my project that this challenge will help fund please visit: www.thinkimpact.org/alex

World AIDS Day in the Southwest

2010-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

One day for AIDS work and recognition was not enough for us here in New Mexico, so we tested and partied all week long. Starting on WAD-eve, we headed over to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for a full day of testing from 10am-4pm, followed by a half hour presentation by the Department of Health on HIV/AIDS prevention. We ended up testing about 25 people. Thank you to Arika, the NM DOH, and Alpha Phi Alpha for setting it all up!

The following day we switched it up and instead of testing students in Albuquerque we went over to Santa Fe Community College and held an event there (thanks to the awesome help from their Student Nursing Club). Being that SFCC is a smaller school, we did not test as many people, but we still managed to inform nine individuals of their status. We also were able to hand out some free condoms and literature, so there are a couple more people out there practicing safe sex because of us!

The testing event went from 9am-4pm, and afterwards we grabbed some dinner at Bumblebee’s and then headed to Railway Park for a candlelight vigil for those who have died of AIDS. The vigil was hosted by Trey’s agency, Southwest Care Center, which is a high tech HIV/AIDS clinic, and was a sad but good experience. They lined the park with “farolitos”, a local decoration that is simply a brown paper lunch bag with a candle inside. There was a bunch lining the pathways and in the shape of a big AIDS ribbon in the middle of the park. It was simple but scenic, gently lighting up the park. After a brief speech by the Medical Director of SWCC, Trevor Hawkins, and a few melodies sung by SWCC staff, anyone who wanted to could tell their and their loved ones story. It was a good way to hear how people other than those who are positive are affected by the disease.

Unfortunately, we had to go back to our agencies and work after Tuesday, but that did not stop us from finishing off the week with a party! That Friday our city supervisor, Robert Sturm, and the agency he works at, New Mexico Community AIDS Partnership, held a get together for WAD and the various HIV/AIDS agencies and projects they help fund. There was a whole bunch of interesting people there, as well as free soda and food, so obviously us Americorps members flocked to the event. It was a fun and relaxing way to finish up a busy week.

World AIDS Day with Team Detroit

2010-01-04T19:37:00.001-08:00

Team Detroit worked tirelessly all day to do its part for a very significant cause. The Team decided to spread itself around in hopes of contributing to the success of several different programs. Team Detroit aimed to get things done.

Team D was split into 4 overlapping groups. The first group was extremely excited to be a part of the Detroit Health Department's WAD Testing Event. Two team members offered their services to the community via the Detroit Health Departments Mobile Testing Unit.

The second group participated in the University of Detroit Mercy's all-day WAD event. A few team members helped with testing, while the others participated in a HIV/AIDS Panel Discussion. A good and rewarding time was had by all.

The third group helped set-up and take down the Detroit Red Ribbon Collaborative's Health Fair. Additionally, one team member provided rapid testing to persons attending the fair, while the others participated in HIV/AIDS outreach, engaging community members in important discussions.

Finally, the last group staffed the Detroit Red Ribbon Collaborative's Detroit Red Fundraiser. The event proved to be an awesome success. For Team Detroit, WAD represented an exciting opportunity to collaborate with different organizations in hopes of providing as much assistance, direct or indirect, to the community.

We hope all teams did everything in their power to help the communities they serve on WAD. We wish all teams a successful and rewarding remainder of the service year.

2010-01-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

Team Indy celebrated the winter holidays by decorating cookies, which we then delivered to a local domestic violence shelter.

Happy New Year, from your friendly neighborhood reindeer impersonators!

Holidays

2009-12-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Holidays everybody, from Team Indianapolis!

Amanda, Chloe, Ebony, Katie, Kyle, and Oliver

midwest swing.

2009-12-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Dearest comrades,
Let me tell you about Team Chicago's November. A time filled with first snows and Guy Fawkes' masks. With Bears' and Bulls' losses. Oh, and Blackhawk wins. They play hockey. Or something.

Our first Fifth day was on November the sixth. We met in the morning and put together safe sex kits. Then we broke up into three teams, covering the north, south, and west sides of the city. There, we handed out our 'awesome night in a bag' kits. According to Kevin's estimate, as a team we reached out to 2,000 individuals and handed out approximately 500 safe sex kits. After this, we went to the Humboldt Park Soup Kitchen where we thought we'd just be serving the meal and chatting with the people there, but it turned out that the cooks weren't going to be coming that evening, so we made and served the entire meal for about 60 people. It was a great day for the team as we reached a huge population in Chicago.

The next week, Mallory and I planned the fifth day. We spent a few hours unloading supplies for a food pantry. In all, we unloaded about 3,000 pounds of food! Later on, we went to my agency, TPAN, and painted the entire staff area (which now looks phenomenal). We did however, sadly, lose one AmeriCorps sweatshirt to paint that day. RIP Katrece's sweatshirt.

(Katrece, happy, before the destruction of her sweatshirt)

(Davina, getting stuff done)

Next, we volunteered and attended the Chicago Youth Against AIDS conference. It was a forum that discussed HIV in the context of young adults. We discussed how kids can be comfortable in their skin, how to reach out to youth, and why we think young people are so complacent towards the disease.

The next week we ate a lot of turkey.

And then finally, for World AIDS Day, we had the honor of attending and volunteering at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's 'World of Chocolate' fundraiser. Taking place in the Hilton Chicago, this testament to AFC's prowess in the community redefined my concept of class. The Governor of Illinois, along with hundreds of others, enjoyed a huge variety of chocolate vendors as the AFC raised over $200,000 that evening.

And then Team Chicago, all dressed up, cleaned up the Hilton.

November was an exciting time for us. It seemed all of our fifth days took shape quickly and had a very real effect on the Chicago community. Our fifth days are a chance to reach out to communities we don't see Monday-Thursday. A chance to see Chicago from a new perspective and tackle problems you didn't know existed. A chance to help a larger community than you see at your agency and a time to see where your friends work everyday. Also, sometimes, you get free food.

I'll post again in January! From Team Chicago, Enjoy the holidays. And here's a holiday food tip:
Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

World AIDS Day Team Tulsa

2009-12-14T08:29:00.001-08:00

on world aids day, lauren and i went to the university of tulsa (my alma mater) and provided testing for the students for five hours during the day. the event was well advertised and we had a great response. we did about thirty tests and even more individual counseling and risk assessment sessions. i love working at TU because i got my start in social justice work while i was attending school there. i'm so glad lauren got to share the day with me as well. i know the students appreciate the time we spend there. the night before world aids day, haley and i also did an education session to a group of TU students before they watched "and the band played on."

here's a little description of what sara and haley did:

Haley and I attended the Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. World Aids Day Symposium. It was a fantastic day; we had about 80 people show up for the event. We had pieces of the quilt and made our own poster with messages about people that we have lost to AIDS. We had vendors and speakers. Vendors from places like: HOPE testing, Red Cross, Tulsa Public Library, and Mac Cosmetics. The speakers spoke on topics such as women and sexuality, men and sexuality, legal issues, work force and job corps, and Hep C. It was a great turn out and will only grow larger each year. I was very proud to be a part of such a great event!!!

after spending the day split up, the team came together for our city's world aids day service at all souls unitarian church. the americorps team help to provide and set up refreshments for after the service. there were speakers, candle lighting, and a collection for the tulsa community aids project. it was a beautiful, touching ceremony.

Update from the District!

2009-12-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow Awesomes,

It's finally time for team D.C. to update y'all on what we've been up to. We've been having so much fun at national days of service that we forgot to update the blog!

In honor of make a difference day, team D.C. booked it to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown Washington. We collaborated with a former NAF Team DC AmeriCorps member to help update library collections and facilitate the upcoming move that many DC library branches are undergoing.

The team was assigned to go down to "the cage". The cage is exactly that -- a dusty, dingy metal cage in the basement of the library that houses thousands of not-quite-shelf-ready articles. We spent hours in the cage re-labeling books and chatting it up with each other and some library employees. While the work was a tad mundane, it was awesome to be able to help the library out while conversing and bonding with team members!

We thought our Make A Difference Day Service was fun... but we had no idea how much fun was in store for us on World AIDS Day! The team traveled to Fairfax, VA -- the home of George Mason University -- to assist NOVAM (Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry) with their HIV testing event.

Some of us planted signs across campus, some of us heckled embarrassed college students into grabbing a few condoms, and some of us got to test and counsel George Mason University students. It was awesome! We helped NOVAM test a record number of people in one day.

Many panels of the AIDS quilt were on display. It was hard to see the memories that victims of AIDS have left behind; especially when I noticed on one panel, the person had been born the same year as me, but her life had been cut short in 1998. Even after one full year of service, acknowledging the full impact of this virus is very difficult.

Until next time,

xx

Team DC

WADIndy

2009-12-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Team Indianapolis came together on World AIDS Day 2009 to take part and assist with events that were already organized around the community. A choice was made to take part in these events and help with whatever was needed instead of putting together our own event or plan something separate on our own. The team's first task of the day was to help the Indiana State Department of Health publicly launch their new HIV testing campaign entitled, "One Test, Two Lives." The statewide campaign, put together by the ISDH and other local health organizations, was launched on December 1st, in order to curb the transmission of perinatal HIV transmission. The One Test, Two Lives campaign goals are to encourage all pregnant mothers in Indiana to be tested for HIV, no matter what, in order to prevent any more children in the state from catching HIV from their mothers during pregnancy and/or childbirth.

We spent out morning assisting One Test, Two Lives campaign staff, from the ISDH, set up their presentation forum, in the North Atrium of the Indiana State House. This venue placed The One Test, Two Lives campaign, as well as World AIDS Day literally right in the center of the state's arena for policy, law, and government. We were surrounded by the offices of state house and senate representations, state supreme court judges, and the governor and lieutenant governor.

The ceremony went without a hitch. Various doctors in the pediatric HIV field spoke, as well as the presentation of awards to supporters, and the reading of a piece written by an HIV-positive mother of two HIV-negative children. Press was invited to attend the event, to further assist with getting the message out that all mothers should be tested.

The evening of World AIDS Day had many events going on around the city, so the team divided the events in order to have a broader reach throughout the community. A local church, The Church Within, in downtown Indianapolis held a ceremony to honor those living with and those affected by HIV. The team helped with parking before the event and then with the event itself, which included performances by the men's and women's choirs, panels of the AIDS Quilt on display, as well as lots of cookies and punch! One local woman played the guitar while singing an original piece. Those wanting to participate in the memorial service were encouraged to light a candle and say the name of the person who they were remembering.

A second World AIDS Day event attended by team members, going on at the same time as The Church Within's event, was hosted by the Indiana Minority AIDS Coalition. This event, titled "The Courage To Live," commemorated World AIDS Day and honored champions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The event was held at the Skyline club, on the 36th floor of Indianapolis' One America Building, the second-tallest building in the city. The event's keynote speaker was a consumer and client from one of the team's host agencies, the LifeCare Program of Clarian Health. Key players in the HIV community (individuals and organizations) were honored for their continued commitment to the fight against HIV.

Do you know your status?

2009-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

On World AIDS Day the focus was on awareness and education for all within the Triangle area.

According to the CDC, HIV/AIDS has claimed the lives of over 550,000 Americans. Today about 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and 1/5 of those infected are unaware of their infection. North Carolina reported 17,127 AIDS cases to the CDC in 2007. North Carolina ranked 13th among the 50 states in cumulative reported AIDS cases.

World AIDS Day started in December 1988. World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of measurable goals for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental, degradation and discrimination against women. These are the Millennium Development Goals. One of these goals is to stop the spread of AIDS around the world by 2015. Our leaders made this promise. It is now up to them and us to keep it.

Team North Carolina spent this WAD on Decemeber 1st, at the Durham Hyati Heritage Center where 100+ Durham community members, local CBOs, friends, and family came together to remember those lost, those living and those preventing HIV/AIDS. Many of our team's agency's helped to sponsor the event. Before the event officially started there was testing offered upstairs at the Center where many locals were tested. Our team assisted with the ushering of people to their seats, anwsering of questions and passing out ribbons, information and light up AIDS ribbons for the remembrance ceremony. There were many different community groups that participated in the entertainment for the night highlights included a mime, youth chorus, solo vocalist and a dance troop. It was a memorable event for all.

New Years Resolution for Team NC: blog on time and all the time! :) Hope you all enjoyed your holidays!

Gay Rodeo - Team NM

2009-12-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

The New Mexico team was split up between two agencies, South West Cares (Trey's host site) and Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (my host site) to do HIV testing, so Trey and I decided to both write a portion of the blog.

The day started out kind of slow for the first few hours, but somewhat entertaining what with the transexual women (many of whom had sashes indicating awards formally won), the many gay men who were working for other agencies, Alex the nurse who often works with Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless there doing Hepatitis vaccines, and last but not least my wonderful co-worker David and AmeriCorps team member Arika. There was also a very nice woman from Whole Foods there who was providing free organic fruit and health bars to people.

The day started to pick up about an hour and a half in, and I'm happy to say out of the 16 test we were trying to get done, we got twelve and spoke to many people about Health Care for the Homeless and general healthy sexual preferences.

Once our time was over, I had to take off and sadly didn't get to explore Gay Rodeo to much, but I had a wonderful time while there and left feeling quite accomplished, hough a little disappointed we didn't get to do any condom demonstrations despite our brand new wood dildos (I don't even know where the jokes begin and end with that) and my frequent offerings to show them off.

Making a Difference in the South!

2009-11-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

During our Make a Difference Weekend, of October 23, 2009, Team North Carolina started off the weekend with a lovely day at a park in Durham, NC partnered with the Vista AmeriCorps Literacy Program members. We helped to dig, fill and repair a disc golf course with park rangers from Durham Nature and Park Preservation. This disc golf course is used to help teach local youth a new game, build self esteem and have a great time while enjoying Mother Nature!

There were many dead and diseased trees which were removed from the park's forest system to keep the other trees healthy. The park rangers turned the deceased trees into mulch, which was then used by the AmeriCorps power team to move up the hill both ways to fill in the tees of the course. We made trips up and down, up and down the hill, shoveling and spreading mulch to help keep the erosion of the tees to a minimum. Since the course is built into the slope of a hill, during the rains the soil gets washed out not only ruining some of the holes, but complicating the wildlife's survival. The course needs to be ready for the ultimate disc golf tournament happening in mid-November.

While Kim and Erik were not able to be with us this day, they were with us in spirit, muscle, and sweat! We were able to get through 2 of the 18 holes before rain started to sprinkle down, and the next shift of Literacy AmeriCorps Members reported for duty! Our blood from blisters, sweat and tears of joy were left within that park, making our mark for the day!

Staci, Krupa and I spread the good word for AmeriCorps by rocking our amazing tees at the North Carolina State Fair! We were asked by several people about our exemplary work, and how to become a part of the team! Staci and Krupa indulged in true fair food by trying Fried Pickles. Other options included fried pie, fried chocolate bacon, fried cookies, oreos, fried ice cream, fried EVERYTHING! We watched the death defying carnival rides from a safe distance, sampled ice cream, and watched as kids with Superman balloons terrorized their siblings! All in good fair fun!

Saturday, October 24, 2009 Team North Carolina headed to Durant Nature Park to help with crafts during their annual fall festival. Batty Bats, and Friendly Bugs were crafted by children in costume. Princesses, Superman, Power Rangers, Witches, Storm Troopers, Yoda, Darth Vadar, Dinosaurs, Flowers, Kittens, and other characters crafted with the AmeriCorp team, as well as the Jesuit Volunteers from the Raleigh Area. The Jesuit Volunteers are a group of 6 gals who do similar work to AmeriCorp but their program also has a faith componenet to it. They all live simply and together in a house in Raleigh. Each one of them is vibrant and has a unique story. Earlier this year we had a mixer barbecue with them, and they will be joining us on other events throughout the year! The locals in search of fun and festivities entered the park starting around dusk, and were carried to the pumpkin patch where crafts took place by hay ride. Young and old enjoyed the fun!

After enjoying crafts and games, the next part of the fun was a nature trail. The trail was lite by carved friendly pumpkins and candles creating a scenic atmosphere. To the left of the trail was a man made lake surrounded by the yellow, orange and red leaves of fall. Throughout the trail were stations about local animals, a spider, a butterfly, a wolf. Very appropriate for the Halloween weekend looming just ahead in the future. At the end of the trail was a magician and CANDY!!! A rewarding part of this event was watching how the kids really enjoyed themselves, and were very respectful and eager to learn about nature.

Our Make a Difference Weekend was full of joint efforts with other volunteer groups from the Raleigh, and greater Triangle area. New friends were made. Laughs were had, as well as candy, fried food, and good times. It was really great to work specifically with issues that affect youth within the triangle area. While this event wasn't about health specifically, it had a focus on environmental health and how the world really belongs to all of us, especially our future leaders, our youth. It was a break from the health field, and from the norm. Working with youth is a fantastically rewarding experience. The comments that come out of their mouths are so silly and random that you just can't help but smile, and SMILE we did!!

More pictures and fun from Team NC to come! - Alexandra C.

A World of Difference: Team Detroit MADD Reporting

2009-11-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

Picking up trash is a relaxing activity...

Okay, maybe not, but it does give you time to think. Below are some of the thoughts that passed through my head on Make A Difference Day.

Setting: It was 9am on a rainy Saturday and Team Detroit had made its way to a local park ready to make a difference by cleaning up the area.

…Make a difference, huh, what does that really mean? -Difference

…Out of the mandatory service days this one has the broadest title-"Make a Difference".

…Is it suppose to be a positive change?, and if so why isn't it called Make a Positive Impact Day, aside from the fact that MAPID is not as good of an abbreviation as MADD.

…Difference? I mean a lot of people have made a difference in our world, but not all of it good.

…Today on the 38th parallel where North and South Korea are divided, the 2 mile-wide Demilitarized Zone is one of Asia's premiere preserves for rare birds and other species. Does that mean that Kim Jong Il has made a difference for his role in creating a habitat for endangered animals? Never mind the millions of starving North Koreans, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, or the wanton human rights violations"

...no I'm sure that's not what NAF had in mind for AmeriCorps’ Make a Difference Day.

Aside from the wide array of thoughts that come to mind while picking up trash, often you make observations about your surroundings. In a way you become a forensic detective combing the grass, the play structures, and the basketball court for the next clue; like piecing together a puzzle..."why is there a lighter next to this New England Patriots football bib?...I must continue to investigate".

The real prizes of course are the condoms. Picking up discarded condoms also drew me back into thought. The overarching moral quandary I had regarding these condoms was this; should I be mad that someone didn't properly dispose of their condom (see HIV 101 training ala Santa Fe), or should I be happy that they were at least practicing safer sex? After thinking about this issue some more I realized that the same type of question could be applied to our entire clean up effort: should I be mad at people for disposing of trash and lude items so cavalierly, or should I appreciate that someone had been here utilizing this space?

The second part of our day gave me another perspective on my internal struggle. Team Detroit dedicated the afternoon to working at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Most of the items from chairs to brick pavers were items that had been discarded by their previous owners, but here these supplies would be reused to hopefully improve someone else's life...giving credence to the adage "one man’s trash, is someone else's treasure".

If picking trash up gives you time to reflect, then lifting pallets of bricks and pieces of lumber instills the value of teamwork. Throughout the day shouts of "come on guys, make a difference" could be heard from team members buoying the spirits of the group as we lifted, shifted, and hauled everything from soggy drywall to a swing set. One unintended benefit to all this human debris was the opportunity for seven people to come together as a team to improve their community. Actually, this is an important pivot on which service rests; working together for the purpose of renewing the "commons".

This idea of the "commons" got back to my original question about those condoms and the bigger question of how we view our society; and here are some more thoughts (sorry):

Too often has the theory that individuals act in their own self interest when utilizing shared resources, been used to justify the individualization of previously held common resources -Thanks Garrett Hardin! Doing service, however, we must recognize that this concept of poisoning the well is not an explanation of how we interact with society, but merely a negative view of reality. I deny that we ever saw the tragedy of the commons play out to its maximum, but that the conception of what should be held "common" has shifted with time and place; from land in the middle ages, to a commons of consciousness, seen in the democratization of countries, to today and the new push for greater social responsibility.

This burgeoning idea of increasing our responsibility to one another will be tested on issues such as the impending health care legislation. When a public health option is presented to us we have to ask ourselves the same question I faced while staring at that mangled piece of latex. Are we as a society going to be angry that other people get sick, or will we be proud that it is because of the collective that everyone has access to affordable treatment?

It is how we answer this question that truly makes a difference. To be sure, Team Detroit made its difference by beatifying a park, but the measurement of Difference is whether or not we captured the spirit of giving back to our "commons". I’m not advocating that we tolerate people dumping garbage into our parks, but what I’m insisting is that we look for the good in the things that connect our society. And when its time to put in the work necessary to maintain or improve what we hold collectively that we do so, not with contempt for others, but with an enthusiasm that captures the positive essence of community service.

It was October. This is Chicago.

2009-11-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
This is Team Chicago's first post! Very exciting. In fact, almost as exciting as the hugely fun and helpful events we have planned and been a part of.

First off though, let me start with my agency and tell you how much better we are than your agency. Test Positive Aware Network, or TPAN, is based on the northside of Chicago. Our staff and volunteers form the most diverse team I have ever been a part of. Most are HIV positive and identify as sexual or ethnic minorities. Though this is unsurprising, the amount of effort and genuine passion each and every member of the team have for our client base is inspiring. Every day I come into work is another day I discover new lengths that they will go for our clients, new problems that they will overcome, and new venues that we can use. Not to mention that hilarity ensues everyday from coworkers who enjoy working together. TPAN is like Voltron. Together, we make a huge difference. If you have never watched Voltron, reassess your priorities.

On to Team Chicago's October.

1. Team Chicago got a new city supervisor in addition to Cynthia! Melissa has come into her job and become a part of our team in no time at all. She is our go to lady and we all appreciate her very much.

2. Our October started with AIDS Walk Chicago on the 3rd.
The race is a 5k held every year by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and is a major fundraiser for the city. Our team woke up bright and early to help out with the race which has raised over $2 million since 2001.

3. For Make a Difference Day, Team Chicago headed over to Regina's host agency, the Southside Help Center, where we spent the day making thousands of safe sex kits, which the Help Center uses for outreach and prevention. The Help Center was very grateful and we were happy because nothing builds strong teams like stuffing condoms into plastic baggies as demonstrated by the pictures below.

4. Proving that we are indeed the best Team, Maggie paid us a visit this past weekend, and our fifth day was spent with her. We spent time talking about our Team and what the NAF can do to support all of their AmeriCorps members. As always, she was helpful and we had an awesome time. She got to have a site visit and meet with our city supervisors. Moreover, she guided us with early planning of our long term project. Melissa, our new city supervisor, is also in the picture below. And Maggie's hot new hair.

Overall, our October went very well. As a team we have definitely gotten closer and more effective. Our Fifth Days are becoming more helpful as well. This Friday will consist of street outreach and education. I think I can speak for my team when I say that so far, my AmeriCorps experience has consisted of physically exhausting hours and emotionally taxing situations, and I don't care because it is awesome.

Update soon.

Best,
Arun.

Make a Difference Weekend

2009-10-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

Make a Difference Day has been observed on the 4th Saturday of October since 1992. It is a national service day, created to encourage people to spend the day volunteering in their communities.

As AmeriCorps members committed to full-time community service, we want every day to be a “make a difference” day! The 4th weekend of October happened to be a weekend when two major events to benefit the HIV+ community of Indianapolis were taking place. So Team Indy decided to celebrate Make a Difference WEEKEND, offering service at both the Grande Masquerade benefit for the Damien Center on Saturday, and the AIDS Quilt Memorial service on Sunday.

The Grande Masquerade is an annual event held by the Damien Center, which is the largest organization serving HIV/AIDS infected and affected persons in Indianapolis and is the service agency where 2 of our members are placed. Over 600 guests were expected, each paying $135-175 for their ticket. A silent auction is held, as well as a costume contest, and of course food, drinks, and dancing. We had our work cut out for us!

The team met up at the downtown Marriott bright and early Saturday morning, where we were joined by an eager group of staff and volunteers all psyched to set up for this event. It’s so exciting how many people are willing to give their time to an event like this just because they CARE so much! We had fun setting up decorations, matching auction items with bidding sheets, and getting everything ready for the big event.

Hard at work!

Around 3pm, we broke to go home and get dressed up. We re-convened at the Marriott a few hours later, having changed out of our AmeriCorps gear and into our finest formal-wear!

All dressed up.

After a wonderful time Saturday night, the team pressed on for another day of service on Sunday. We met up Sunday morning at the Indiana AIDS Fund building to haul out the memorial quilts and transport them to the Crown Hill Cemetary. The weather was beautiful, which we were thrilled about. We set up the quilts for display on the cemetary grounds. We carefully laid each quilt upon a tarp, reflecting as we did this on the lives of those memorialized on the quilts. The rest of the day was spent directing traffic, offering information and support to those attending the event, and cleaning up afterward.The team then took some photos of ourselves enjoying the beautiful fall day.

Setting up the memorial quilts.

The team stands together at Crown Hill Cemetery, atop the highest point in Indianapolis with our city skyline behind us.

Playing in the leaves!

We had a wonderful time making a difference this weekend, and are excited to continue making a difference every day by serving others and inspiring others to serve too.

2009-10-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Indianapolis AIDS Walk took place on Saturday October 10th. Team Indy (minus Oliver :( who was sick) was up before the sun setting up tents, blowing up balloons, testing the bounce house, and making sure the park looked spectacular for the Health Fair.

We had a great day of team bonding and doing whatever we could to make the day a success! Tons of people came out for the event and participated in the 5k walk. One of our many roles for the day was to watch over the four panels of the Names Quilt that were on display. Many of the former Indianapolis Americorps volunteers showed up and almost all of our host agencies participated in the Health Fair! It was a wonderful day and the walk raised over $150,000 for the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance Fund. We wrapped up our 12 hour day at the Indianapolis Expo where we played around with giant parade floats and decorations. Here is a picture of our team in a giant red high heel!

On October 15, Team Indianapolis celebrated National Latino HIV Testing Day by attending Casa Mateo's Health Fair. We partnered with Planned Parenthood and passed out information in both Spanish and English. When we had down time, we put together some bilingual safer sex kits and discussed ideas for our long term project. The event had a nice crowd, and it felt good to be a part of the community!

Team Indy!

youth outreach in Indianapolis

2009-10-03T02:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, world! My name is Oliver Danni Green and I'm a member of Team Indianapolis. My service placement is at the Damien Center, the largest HIV/AIDS service agency in Indiana. My job as Prevention Outreach Coordinator gives me the freedom to partner with allied community organizations and offer prevention services to them. Since I’m always excited about finding creative ways to offer services, this is great for me because each organization has different needs and I get to work with them to figure out how I can serve them best, rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach and trying to do the exact same thing for everybody.

One of the organizations I have begun partnering with is the Indiana Youth Group. This organization has been around since 1987, providing services and a safe space for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities. IYG has been stepping up their efforts to provide HIV and STD prevention information to the youth they serve, and they are doing an excellent job of it! I’ve been so impressed by how much information the youth at IYG already know, and unfortunately they are not learning it in their schools – when I ask them where they learned about this, they always tell me they learned it at IYG and that nobody is talking to them about it in school.

Recently, IYG held a benefit concert featuring the Athens Boys Choir – a one-transman hip-hop/spoken-word artist named Katz from Athens, GA – and an open mike for the IYG youth. Katz is one of my favorite performers, and he did a wonderful job of making the show about celebrating the youth and the work of IYG. Everyone involved with this event was just incredible – the youth who performed, the staff who put the event together, the folks who donated space for the event, and the community members who came out to support the benefit.

This was exciting for me because it was my first opportunity to do outreach at a community event as a representative of AmeriCorps and the Damien Center! I brought a big rolly-bucket of condom kits, lube, dental dams, female condoms, awareness pendants, and lots of pamphlets. They gave me a table to sit at with all the supplies, and when people came to my table I would offer them free stuff and answer any questions they had. I got to talk with lots of youth that night and, interestingly enough, the most frequent response to my presence was something like “Thank you so much for being here; it’s really great what you’re doing...but, personally, I’ve chosen not to have sex yet, I’m not ready.” These are youth who, because of their involvement at IYG, have learned enough accurate information about sexual activity to make the decision to postpone it without judgment. Of those who did help themselves to the free supplies, the most popular item was the dental dams – and, knowing that oral sex is the activity people are most likely to engage in without protection since it’s perceived as a lower risk, I’m always THRILLED to see people so excited about supplies specifically for the purpose of safer oral sex!

Overall, it was a great experience. I look forward to many more opportunities to serve with the Indiana Youth Group and to work with other organizations to offer this kind of prevention outreach in ways that best support the populations they serve!

On behalf of a fellow member...

2009-10-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

"As an AmeriCorps service member who receives a living stipend for the work I do at my agency, I am always blown away by the abundant generosity of the many people who volunteer their time at our agency without being paid a cent. One in particular really touched me today and I wanted to share this experience while preserving the confidentiality of those mentioned, so I have asked Maggie to post this story so that it will not be traceable to the agency I work at.

I had a stressful day at work yesterday, as surely most AmeriCorps members have experienced. I was pretty upset by an interaction I had with someone and I really didn't want to go back in today. But as soon as I walked in the office, I was greeted with a huge smile by one of our regular volunteers. She told me how glad she was to see me today and I could tell that she really meant it. I smiled back and told her I was really glad to see her too, and after talking with her for a few minutes I knew today was going to be MUCH better than yesterday.

People volunteer at our agency for all different reasons. Many of our volunteers are HIV-positive or have family members who are positive.
This particular volunteer has an adult son who is HIV-positive. What makes this person's story so powerful for me is that her son also volunteers at our agency, and he speaks very openly about the risk behaviors he used to engage in (commercial sex work and IV drug use).
Unlike many parents who reject their kids when they contract HIV, or when they find out about the behaviors their child has engaged in regardless of whether those activities led to HIV infection, this woman told her son that she loves him no matter what. He has long since quit working the streets and using drugs, and she has stuck by him all through his recovery. The two of them volunteer several days a week each at our agency, and the work they do is in areas that truly have the greatest impact on the ability of the center to function -- we simply could not run this show without them. Every time I see them I am filled with hope.

You don't have to be a superhero or a saint to make a difference in someone's life. The people in this field who are making a difference are the ones who bring their hearts with them. It's the people who show up and "love no matter what" who are transforming the world we live in. It's the people who take a few minutes out of their day to let someone know how glad they are to see them, even without knowing what a difference those few words have made in the heart of a person who was afraid today would be an awful one. Yesterday I left work feeling like nothing I did would ever really make a difference. Today I knew as soon as I came in that I really AM making a difference, just by showing up...and it felt so good to be able to share that feeling with someone whose service I admire so profoundly!"

--2009-2010 National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps member

Team Detroit AIDS Walk Fundraiser

2009-09-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Detroit!

One week ago Team Detroit spent Team Day raising money for AIDS Walk Michigan, which will take place on October 3rd.

Our team set up at a busy Kroger's grocery store. We set up a table with information on the walk as well as pamphlets on HIV/AIDS, STD's and condoms. The night before Team Day we asked the youth at a members agency to help by making posters, which we hung in and around Kroger's. Throughout the day we split up in teams of 2 with one team manning the table and entrance and exits. The other teams walked the mall surrounding Kroger.

In just 7 hours we raised $310! Just as important, we were able to increase awareness and engage in very important conversations with members of our community! We're really excited and proud of our efforts that day. We're looking forward to walking in the AIDS Walk Michigan on Belle Isle October 3rd.

Welcome 2009-2010 NAF AmeriCorps/Caring Counts Members!

2009-09-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Now that you have been on and local for a full month, what thoughts would you like to share with other teams regarding your service activities to date? Please don't wait--start the fun today!

Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in Santa Fe

2009-06-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hard work paid off for AmeriCorps/National AIDS Fund Team New Mexico! In January we decided our LTP would include a Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt display. Becky served as liaison with the Names Project and on Wednesday morning, June 24 under the engineering guidance of Martin Walker, our City Supervisor, the team hung eight panels of the AIDS Quilt. Some months ago, we had selected two panels that had special significance for us and invited others from the community to select some. When the quilt was hung, we were overwhelmed with emotion at the panels we had chosen, as well as those selected for us by the Names Project. But this was only the beginning!
On Thursday evening and with the quilt as a backdrop, a local theater group, directed by a friend of Bo's, presented a play called "The Yellow Boat" written by David Saar about his son who died at age 5 from AIDS, having contracted the virus from contaminated Factor 8. The play was attended by about 50 people who joined the cast and team for refreshments following.
The piece de resistance, however, was presented on Friday evening: The Red Ribbon Fashion Show. Stephen Roussel, our Team Coordinator and show producer, had previously recruited local designers to create fashions for this event. Becky, Ben and Stephen, along with community friends, modeled the outfits while Pauly served as stage manager and Bo as caterer. Following the show, the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus serenaded while folks enjoyed the spread!
Saturday afternoon during Santa Fe PRIDE, over 130 people came to view the quilt in silence. During the entire four days the quilt was on display close to 350 people came to honor those memorialized by the quilts made by friends, lovers, parents, children, siblings, husbands, wives. Team New Mexico honored them as well by reading the names before dismantling the display, folding the panels and boxing them for return to the Names Project.
Two hundred and fifty dollars was collected during the display and will be donated to the Santa Fe Mountain Center's Meditation Garden in honor of Kahlo Benevides.
Mounting an AIDS Memorial Quilt display is an intensely moving experience, one which deeply reinforces the significance of the work we do as AmeriCorps/National AIDS Fund members.
Submitted by Bo Keppel

We're so excited and we just can't hide how much we love our LTP!

2009-06-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Team Charlotte, an all female team, embraced our lack of testosterone and decided to form a women’s service group with clients from the different areas that we serve. It has been named “positive women doing positive things” and that is exactly what we have been doing for the past month alongside our new friends. Every Friday we meet and do a service project in one of the four counties that we serve. We have been getting our hands quite literally dirty, but not without lack of laughter and forging new relationships.
Our group has clicked better than we ever thought it would. Even at the first meeting our women were open and talking so much we had to bring it to an end so we could get instructions for our service project. That day we painted flower pots and potted plants to give to a local crisis center. While we were working we were surprised to hear that one of our women has a beautiful singing voice. We convinced her to sing for us while we worked, and she has been singing while serving ever since.
A different woman from our group shared with us her talents for our next service day. She is a cake decorator and she came with cupcakes and multicolored icing to teach us a few techniques. We had a great time decorating cupcakes to give to the House of Mercy, a local living facility for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, our group was pleasantly surprised when there were multiple extras and soon we were enjoying our creations.
Next, we headed down to Rock Hill to give back to the Catawba Care Coalition, an AIDS service organization that resides in South Carolina. Our members that are placed there realized that there was a need for a new bench so clients can have a comfortable place to sit and wait for their transportation. With tools and bench pieces in hand we constructed a bench to be placed outside. Also, that day served as an educational day as we listed to Dr. Wess give a presentation about drug adherence before lunch. We all learned something new from the presentation, not to mention the chili and baked potato bar they brought was amazing.
We then met in the great state of Mecklenburg County and worked pulling weeds for the local day shelter’s organic garden. Even though it was ninety degrees and the air was thick the group pulled through, and literally pulled hundreds of weeds in a matter of an hour. Moving into the AC the group then made an art project for RAIN, an agency that serves thirteen counties and has in some way touched the lives of all the women in our group. We each painted small canvases, putting them together to form a modern version of a quilt that will hang in the RAIN waiting room as thanks for all the men and women they serve.
In just a few days we will sadly have our final meeting with the women. We are all very sad to see the group end. It also makes it harder when the women say comments about how this has been such a great thing and they don’t want it to stop. We hope to at least end it on a high note with a nice lunch and activities to reflect on all we have accomplished. Our hopes for this group are that through this experience they will realize the importance of service and do more in their communities. We feel like the women of the group have given gifts to us, and we hope we have given some to them in return. We know for sure that we brought together a strong group of fourteen women who will always be connected from here on out.

2009-06-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Thought this was worthy of sharing with the collective. The need for the work we do continues...

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Opinion

'Complacency,' 'Stigma' Hindering Efforts To Reduce HIV/AIDS in Black Communities, Opinion Piece Says

"Nearly 30 years after the discovery of HIV and AIDS, the epidemic is still ravaging black neighborhoods in Baltimore and across the nation," Kevin Fenton -- director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention -- writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece. Fenton writes that "complacency about HIV and the continued stigma associated with the disease are hindering progress by preventing too many African-Americans from seeking either HIV testing and treatment or support from their friends and family," adding that "this is a challenge that can be overcome."

According to Fenton, the Obama administration last month "took an important step in confronting the United States' HIV epidemic" when CDC and White House officials announced a five-year campaign called Act Against AIDS, which is "designed to refocus the nation's attention on the HIV crisis here at home." Fenton notes that 14 black civic organizations -- including NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Council of Negro Women -- are "joining the CDC to increase knowledge, awareness and action within black communities across the country." He adds that the campaign "will harness the strength and reach of these organizations by enhancing their ability to make HIV prevention a core component of their daily activities."

"By raising the visibility of HIV and AIDS, the new campaign also aims to confront and overcome the fear and stigma that help keep HIV alive in black communities," Fenton says. He adds that he has "been encouraged in recent years to see black leaders, including black faith leaders, speak out more openly across the nation about the need to confront HIV and the stigma that persists surrounding this disease." Fenton writes that "[e]nding this epidemic will require not only frank and difficult discussions about HIV but also a shared sense of responsibility and commitment," concluding, "All of us can and must be part of the solution" (Fenton, Baltimore Sun, 5/27).

Team Charlotte goes to Raleigh

2009-05-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

With the AmeriCorps caring counts team moving from Charlotte to Raleigh, we took the opportunity of AmeriCorps week to promote what AmeriCorps has meant in Charlotte. We as a team took a short road trip to Raleigh and met with the new operating site, The Center for Health Policy at Duke University. We were really excited to offer whatever help that we could while the new city supervisor is taking on the hard task of establishing a team. For the afternoon we answered many questions ranging from what activities are best for 5th days, to the different projects that are being undertaken for the Long Term Project. To add some further insight, we were accompanied by our city supervisor Patty and last year’s team coordinator, Katie. It was a great day of reflection and collaboration of ideas. The next day Team Charlotte along with Katie and Patty enjoyed doing what we as AmeriCorps members do best, hands on service. We began the day splitting up in three groups and delivering meals for the Raleigh branch of Meal on Wheels. Afterwards, we regrouped and headed over to the Raleigh food bank, where we inspected over 9,000 eggs to ensure quality for distribution. At this point our trip came to a close as we drove back home after an eventful two days.

2009-05-27T06:07:00.001-07:00

The Better Way Foundation has introduced the First National HIV/AIDS Online Support Group run by positive individuals who care to help those with HIV live longer, better, healthier lives.

www.livingwithhiv.ning.com

National AmeriCorps Week / Team Indy

2009-05-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

May the child in us never go away!

National AmeriCorps Week in Indianapolis was observed by Team Indy along with the Boys & Girls Club and Grow Indiana, two State sanctioned AmeriCorps programs. Working with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. forty-six members convened at Washington Park (the original site of the Indianapolis Zoo) to help facilitate the ultimate plan of planting 2,000 adolescent aged trees in various locations in the Indianapolis vicinity.

Working in tandem with members from the other two Americorps teams, we unloaded and sorted every tree according to its species.....there sure is a lot more to a tree's name than what most of us grew up learning. Probably the highlight of the day for Team Indy was being assigned to fill the landscape truck's water supply.....from a fire hydrant! Here's where the little boy and girl in each of us came out.

Whether it was thoughts of firemen and their hoses or perhaps just playing in the powerful stream of water that an open hydrant produces, this was pretty exciting. After being instructed on the "how to", we proceeded to "get 'er done". A funky looking tool, a fifty foot hose and a fire hydrant lay waiting for us to tackle. Needless to say, as has been the case all year long, each of us simply assumed a place somewhere in the project and proceeded to facilitate the transfer of water from the hydrant to the huge reservoir inside the Keep Indianapolis Beautiful truck. We had already had an opportunity to work with these folks just a little over a month ago in the neighborhood clean-up project which was part of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition master plan.

Once all the water was transferred to individual buckets, all of the AmeriCorps members began the tedious job of watering hundreds of growing trees that we had just sorted by species. About half-way into the watering project Mother Nature decided she wanted in on this Beautification project and began to bless us with beautiful but cold rain. (Editor's Note: The truth is Mother Nature's contribution was in response to Jamie's incredible rain dance she performed when a mouse scampered out of the high grasses while we were transferring the water from the hydrant and headed straight for her feet.)

Once the work we were asked to do was complete everyone journeyed to a local city park where, under a shelter we shivered, ate lunch provided by the State Office of Faith Based & Community Initiatives, and had an AmeriCorps Recognition service that the Team Coordinators facilitated. Not only did we have another super Fifth Day kind of moment with one another, we were able to meet others who simply want to give back to our community in a tangible way that will make a positive difference!

AmeriCorps Week Team Tulsa!!!!!!

2009-05-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

For AmeriCorps week, Team Tulsa went to Tulsa Community College and spoke to a Developmental Psychology class about AmeriCorps. We discussed our team, host sites, and duties. We addressed the education award, what we have done for 5th days, and our long term project. We also told them about other AmeriCorps programs in Oklahoma that we knew about. We passed our general AC information that included fact sheets, bookmarks, and stickers. The class was very responsive. A few people asked general question, but most of them were curious about HIV/AIDS statistics in Tulsa and where they could get tested.
During the week when Cory went to schools with the Red Cross, she passed out information about AmeriCorps to her classes. They were mostly high schoolers and a few younger kids.

AmeriCorps Week in New Mexico

2009-05-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 11th Team New Mexico conducted a recruiting effort on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The day was bright and sunny with highs around 95, but the wind never stopped and we had found trees under which to set up our table so we were not uncomfortable. Once Stephen and Bo, the two white, really white, non-burn-proof Anglos, doused themelves with 45 SPF sun screen, we were ready for business.

Unfortunately, UNM students were not ready for us, despite the great AmeriCorps "Getting Things Done" poster and the eye-catching signs Becky made announcing we had JOBS and listing some salient statistics from the website. The students seemed much more interested in getting to their exams (duh!)

Undeterred, Bo set out to accost students where they sat at lunch, studying in groups, running across the quad. She distributed about 50 information sheets made up from the website and answered questions from “Can I do dental hygiene as part of AmeriCorps?” (“Probably not “) to “Do they really pay for graduate school?” (“Partially.”) She also spoke with several folks whose sister, brother, aunt, daughter, grandson, boyfriend, etc. was currently, had been, plans to, etc. I get involved in AmeriCorps.

Stephen and Pauly in the meantime, posted another 50 info sheets on all the kiosks they could find in their 45 minute tour of the campus while Becky and Ben staffed the table, just in case someone stopped by – and about ten folks did. As we were leaving we were stopped by a student on a bike who asked us “Are you guys AmeriCorps?” (It amazed Bo that he had recognized us until Ben pointed out that our AmeriCorps tee shirts had probably clued him in!) He said he had signed up for one of the forest programs and was having his phone interview the next day. What he really wanted to know was if it was fun and if we thought he could survive it for 10 months. We told him, Hey, we were surviving it for 11 months and loving it and we were sure he would too. He seemed cool with that, thanked us and rode off!

We all then went to an Italian restaurant for lunch to talk once again about what a great team we are, how much we have accomplished (well maybe not so much that day!) and how much we love being together. Ben and Bo left early to get Ben to his exams in Santa Fe (!) by 5PM!

Overall, another great effort by Team New Mexico to spread the word on what terrific work AmeriCorps can do.

By Bo Keppel

Team New Mexico

Team New Mexico Youth Service Day (part 2)

2009-05-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Our Youth Service Day started out with the team meeting at Bo’s house at eleven in the morning on Friday, April 24. We helped out at an Earth Day fair that was being hosted in Taos with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. The five of us squeezed into her Forrester like contortionists and took off on the hour and a half drive up north. When we arrived, one of the first things we noticed was the wind; Taos was surprisingly windy that day.
When we got to Taos Charter School, we saw that almost everything was being held outside. There were maybe twenty people within view, most of them volunteers, so we weren’t necessarily impressed by the amount of people in the beginning. We walked around a bit looking at all of the projects being presented by the students and volunteers. The things that they had been doing to save the planet were very interesting and the children were more than willing to demonstrate their designs and ideas to us. There were five main stations of projects that were to be done: mulching, composting, tree planting, weed recognition, and reusable bags.
The first boy we talked to had a lot to say about palm oil and the effects harvesting it has on the environment. After his presentation, it was time to learn how to lay mulch. We shoveled wood chips onto newspaper for about half an hour; with all the helping hands of other volunteers and kids, this task was easily completed. We wanted to help with building a compost bin but there were more than enough hands there as well. We decided to take a look at the newly-built greenhouse; its opening was one of the biggest events happening that day. There were just a few seedlings around but it looked like they were on a great start. After that, we walked over to where some people were digging holes for new trees so we saw that as an opportunity to get our hands dirty, literally.
While we were planting a fruit tree, out of nowhere a small tornado flew over the parking lot and around the wooden fence that secluded the garden from the world. It was incredibly breath-taking, scary, and exciting all at the same time, we had a good laugh about it afterwards. We then walked into a classroom full of children learning about local weeds and how they reproduce, grow, and if they’re dangerous. A sixth-grade boy taught us how to compost using nothing more than egg cartons, fruit peels, and earthworms. He said that his class had started their own composting bin, making it out of plastic containers and different materials, and that they got the entire school involved and that now every classroom has a compost bin of their own. The final station was the “make your own” reusable shopping bag out of recycled materials. We were so tired by this time from the overwhelming, yet enjoyable duties that we opted to call it a day.

All in all, we had a great day. It’s always great to see a younger generation doing their part of saving the world, and just to see a different way of living. It’s exciting.

-Pauly and Team NM

Many lives, One road, Walk Together

2009-05-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

The lovely ladies of team Charlotte participated in the 13th annual AIDS Walk Charlotte on Saturday, May 2, 2009. AIDS Walk Charlotte is the largest HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising event in the Carolina's. All the money raised stays here in our community and goes to RAIN, my host agency, who serves clients in 13 different counties in North and South Carolina. We were able to meet Greg Louganis, the Olympic diver, and hear his story of living HIV-positive. People from all walks of live came out to show their support, from infants to senior citizens, high schools and colleges, community leaders and churches alike. With just over 3,000 participants we collected over $215,000! RAIN plays a very important role in the lives of our friends with HIV here in the Charlotte area, Team Charlotte is excited to have been a part of such an amazing day!

Team Indianapolis Survives Global Youth Service Day...Barely.

2009-05-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Kids. Who doesn’t love them, right? Well, hopefully team Indy still loves them after our experience at Clark-Pleasant Intermediate School. For our Global Youth Service Day experience, we teamed up with the Peer Helpers of Whiteland Community High School. The Peer Helpers had organized a pirate themed evening full of activities to help the Clark-Pleasant Elementary School fourth grade students transition to the Clark-Pleasant Intermediate School fifth grade. It was so great to be able to work with high school students that had already fostered a love for service.

When we arrived at Clark-Pleasant Intermediate School, I think each member of Team Indianapolis was thinking, “Save me.” The first thing we saw was a cafeteria full of little fourth graders running around and doing art projects along side a large group of turquoise shirt-clad high school Peer Helpers. Wow. There was a lot going on. We were led to an auxiliary room where we met Alex, a Peer Helper with the phrase “future leader” written all over his face. Not literally, but let’s just say Alex knew what was going on at all times.

While the rest of the Peer Helpers were working with the kids in the cafeteria, Team Indy made a game plan…regarding the games. Yup. That’s right. We were put in charge of the game room. In other words, mass chaos. We had Red Light-Green Light, Down by the Banks, Salt and Pepper, and Parrot Parrot Pirate (formerly known as Duck Duck Goose). It’s definitely been a while since any of us have played these games. After a brief refresher from our man Alex, we were ready to go…or so we thought.

The kids starting coming in droves, and they immediately ran toward the twenty plus balloons in the center of the room. (SIDENOTE: Never EVER give balloons to fourth graders. Trust Team Indy. It’s not a pretty sight.) With the help of the Peer Helpers, we calmed the kids down, recovered some of the balloons, and split the kids into groups.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!! The next thirty minutes were such a blur I don’t think I can adequately recount them. I did, however, learn that I didn’t fully remember the rules of Duck Duck Goose. How soon we forget…right? In all seriousness, I think the fourth graders really enjoyed this portion of their evening. It was easy for them to let loose, meet some new friends, and have fun. It was also a great opportunity for the Peer Helpers to get exposure to AmeriCorps and see how they can use their passion for service in the future.

After the games, we helped the Peer Helpers gather the kids and shooed them back into the cafeteria. It took us a while to catch our breaths and register what just happened, but in the end I think everyone, Team Indy, the Clark-Pleasant Elementary fourth graders, and the Whiteland Community High School Peer Helpers, truly enjoyed the experience.

Emily Kitchin
Team Indianapolis
National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps/Caring Counts 2008-2009

Team New Mexico Youth Service Day (part 1)

2009-04-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Gathering of Nations 2009

Take an 80 degree day with a 40 mile-an-hour wind, add drumming and chanting, brightly adorned dancers, the aroma of fry bread and Indian tacos, turquoise and silver for miles, smiles on faces smooth and wrinkled - and you have the 27th Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, the largest Native American event in the world and AmeriCorps/National AIDS Fund New Mexico was there!

How honored we were to attend this celebration of Native Americans and First Peoples at the invitation of the New Mexico Hepatitis Alliance, Navaho AIDS Network and First Nations Community Healthsource. This collaboration of healthcare non-profits offered information on HIV, viral Hepatitis and STD’s, as well as condoms, lubricant, dental dams and red ribbons. It was amazing to see those condoms jump out of their basket and into people’s pockets! With almost 14,000 in attendance, the majority of them representing over 200 Native tribes and clans from the United States and Canada, the potential for education was great.

Helping to staff the booth, we spoke to elders who giggled and covered their mouths in embarrassment as they realized our information concerned SEX, to young folks who surreptitiously palmed condoms as they smilingly pretended to listen to our spiel, to little ones grabbing at freebees as we struggled to retrieve the condoms and substitute the red ribbons! However, many people young and old, Native and non-Native took our information and asked relevant questions. AmeriCorps/NAF New Mexico helped make a difference at the Gathering of Nations 2009!

By Bo Keppel

Tulsa's National Youth Service Day!

2009-04-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

Team Tulsa went to Kendall Whittier Elementary School. According to the most recent data I could find on Tulsa Public School's website, over 80% of the children at Kendall Whittier are on free or reduced lunch programs, meaning they are at or below the poverty line.

The service we provided consisted of working in their clothing closet. This resource is available to the students to receive clothing if they are in need. It is also available in case the younger children have accidents during the day. We moved the winter clothes out, put summer clothes in, and refolded and organized everything that was there. We even had a parent come into the closet and inform us she had just gone through her daughter's old clothes and wanted to donate them to the closet!

We really enjoyed this service day. It was so fulfilling to be part of something that was benefitting children in our community. The school is about four or five blocks from my house, so it definitely had a personal impact on me. I did volunteer work for this school while in college, but never knew the clothing closet existed. Sara has already planned a meeting with our contact to help with future Fifth Days for this and next year's teams! Plus, there was a rare sight to be seen: I wore my AmeriCorps shirt! :)

Samantha Young
Team Tulsa!

"Let Us Not Forget"

2009-04-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Team Indianapolis' documentary DVD, designed to raise the awareness level within all communities of people that HIV/AIDS is still a serious threat to health and life, received even more data and facts undergirding the premise used to support the need for this project. We want to share that information with you to assist with your "talking points" in the valuable work you are doing in your communities.

NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER CDC ANNOUNCED THE U.S. HIV EPIDEMIC IS MUCH LARGER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT, PUBLIC’S SENSE OF URGENCY IS DOWN, EVEN AMONG SOME HIGHER RISK GROUPS

Sense of Personal Risk Falls for Young Adults, Testing Rates are Stagnant

Amidst Call for Stepped Up Focus on Domestic HIV/AIDS, There is Public Support for More Spending and the Public Believes Greater Efforts on Prevention Will Make a Difference

Washington, DC – Less than a year after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recalculated the size of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and announced that there were 40 percent more new HIV infections each year than previously believed, a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Americans’ sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS as a national health problem has fallen dramatically and their concern about HIV as a personal risk has also declined, even among some groups at higher risk.

Key findings of the survey include:

The share of Americans naming HIV/AIDS as the most urgent health problem facing the nation dropped precipitously from 44 percent in 1995 to 17 percent in 2006 and to six percent now.
CDC estimates that HIV rates are seven times higher among African Americans and three times higher among Latinos compared to whites. While these groups are more likely than whites to see HIV/AIDS as an urgent problem, fewer say it is a “more urgent” problem for their community now than in 2006 (declining from 23% to 17% of all adults, 49% to 40% of African Americans, and 46% to 35% of Latinos).
The share of those ages 18-29 who say they are personally very concerned about becoming infected with HIV declined from 30 percent in 1997 to 17 percent today; personal concern among young African Americans declined from 54 percent to 40 percent over the same time period.
More than half (53%) of non-elderly adults say they have been tested for HIV, including 19 percent who say they were tested in the past year. Testing is most common among adults under the age of 30, with three in ten young adults and nearly half (47%) of young African Americans reporting having been tested in the past year. However, reported testing rates for all these groups have not changed much in the past decade.
“Many indicators of urgency and concern are moving in the wrong direction, including for higher risk groups,” said Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman. “The survey underscores the need for a new focus on domestic HIV,” he added.

At a time when there have been calls for increased attention to the domestic HIV/AIDS crisis including the recent Obama administration announcement of the five year public awareness campaign, Act Against AIDS, the survey also finds public support for more spending..

Half of the public thinks that the federal government is spending too little on domestic HIV/AIDS, while just five percent say it spends too much. More than a third (36%) of Americans say they have personally donated money to an HIV/AIDS-related charity, including nearly half (45%) of African Americans, and there is confidence that new efforts in prevention will make a difference.

While down somewhat from 2006, public support for continued or increased government spending on HIV/AIDS is notable considering the current economic recession and a decline in reported visibility of the domestic epidemic. The share saying they have heard, seen, or read “a lot” or “some” about the problem of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. in the past year declined from 70 percent in 2004 to 45 percent in 2009, and the share that saw “a lot” was cut in half for not only the general public, but also among African Americans and Latinos.

Despite a polarizing debate in recent years about such issues as abstinence and condoms, six in ten Americans believe that spending more money on HIV prevention in the U.S. will lead to meaningful progress, and about half believe the same about spending on treatment.

Some Signs of Progress, But Misconceptions And Stigma Remain

The survey indicates some signs that HIV/AIDS in the U.S. may carry less stigma than in the past. For instance, there has been a slow and steady increase since the late 1990s in the share of people who say they would be very comfortable with a coworker who has HIV/AIDS (44% now, up from 32% in 1997). However, stigmatizing attitudes towards people with HIV have not gone away; fully half (51%) of the public says they would be uncomfortable having their food prepared by someone who is HIV positive.

Misconceptions may be a factor in stigma, and several remain when it comes to correct information about HIV transmission. One-third (34%) of Americans incorrectly believe or are unsure whether HIV can be transmitted by one of the following actions: sharing a drinking glass (27%), touching a toilet seat (17%), or swimming in a pool with an HIV positive person (14%).

Confusion about HIV transmission may contribute to discomfort around those who are HIV positive. People who harbor misconceptions about transmission are more likely to say they would be uncomfortable working with someone with HIV (43% versus 13% who correctly answered questions about transmission) and more likely to be uncomfortable having their food prepared by an HIV positive person (71% compared to 40%).

A significant share of the public also harbors misconceptions about prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Nearly one in five (18%) do not know there is no cure for AIDS and about one-quarter (27%) believe or are unsure whether former professional basketball player Magic Johnson has been cured of AIDS. Additionally, a quarter (24%) believe or are unsure whether there is a vaccine available to prevent HIV infection. Many of these misconceptions are more common in the African American community, including that Magic Johnson has been cured (37% of African Americans think he has been cured or are unsure), that there is a vaccine available to prevent infection (36%), and that there are drugs available that can cure HIV and AIDS (30%).

Methodology

The survey was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted January 26 through March 8, 2009, among a nationally representative random sample of 2,554 adults ages 18 and older. Telephone interviews conducted by landline (N=1,951) and cell phone (N=603, including 214 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish. The survey includes oversamples of African American and Latino respondents as well as respondents ages 18-29. Results for all groups have been weighted to reflect their actual distribution in the nation. The margin of sampling error for the overall survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points, for whites it is plus or minus 4 percentage points, for African Americans it is plus or minus 5 percentage points, and for Latinos it is plus or minus 6 percentage points. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues.

Charlotte National Youth Service Day

2009-04-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Written By Shmekia Dameron of Team Charlotte

Team Charlotte spent the day at Southwest Middle School in Gastonia with the students for National Youth Service Day. The day was great! We started the day off by presenting the entire staff with appreciation cards from AmeriCorps (Team Charlotte) and Communities in Schools, going door to door thanking them for everything they do for the students. We also delivered along either a muffin or crème cheese Danish along with the cards. The staff was very appreciative.

The students had a Fun Day at school on that day where they had a variety of fun things to do outside on the field. We Team Charlotte members set up a table in the auditorium with information about AmeriCorps. After classes were done eating lunch, the teachers brought their students to view our table and we explained to them what it is we do and why. We talked to the students about why serving is so important and they all seemed to agree. We told them about National Youth Service Day, and asked them to try and do something nice for someone in order to give back to the community.

We had a Wheel of Choices game, which had different categories- Contraception, AIDS, & STD’s, Abstinence & Peer Pressure, Teen Pregnancy etc. A few students from each class spun the wheel, read the question aloud, gave their answer and we discussed them. The team had a wonderful time with the students and we all enjoyed going back to middle school for a day!

Repost: Bar Outreach for Team Detroit

2009-04-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
As a student at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, I also write a blog for them that covers some aspects of student life. I recently wrote a post about doing bar outreach at a local bar in Ann Arbor, and I wanted to share it with you! Please check it out:
http://umichsph.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/bar-outreach/

Team Indy / Extreme MakeOver ~ Home Edition

2009-03-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here’s some cool news we want to let you know regarding a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for NAF’s Indianapolis AmeriCorps team.

Extreme Makeover – Home Edition will be honoring a family of heroes in Indianapolis as part of ABC’s 2 – Hour Season Finale by doing an “extreme makeover” of their home. All six of us decided this would be a great service opportunity as well as a chance to work with hundreds of other volunteers who have a common goal...... and so we applied……and were selected to be on the team! We will be working the third shift (10pm to 6am) on Thursday night, April 2nd, which will be the last shift before the family is brought back to take possession of their new home.

We’ll learn who the family is and where the worksite is, this Friday, March 27th, when the knock on the door of the family’s home is made by Ty Pennington (whom I shall stalk from a distance)! We’re certainly excited about being a part of this and hope to somehow work AmeriCorps into conversations with the Production Crew in an attempt to get recognition for the Program. Stay tuned!

Tommy

Isiah the Prophet's Poem "HIV"

2009-03-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is from one of our recent team days.

2009-03-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow Americorps(ians) I hope that every one's service year has been what they expected, and if not you made it futher than some, so congradulations on completing over 50% of your service year. I happen to be very proud of myself and my team (DETROIT). This coming week is WOMEN & GIRLS HIV AWARENESS DAY! and since women are the highest growing rate of HIV cases let's get things done.

A GREAT conference I attended recently

2009-02-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Bo Keppel, an AmeriCorps National AIDS Fund member in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In December I received a full scholarship to attend the National Rural Health Association's annual Rural Minority and Multicultural Health Confernce in Albuquerque. It was a fantastic conference and I urge you to apply for a scholarship next year when it will be held in Memphis, TN. There were many excellent presentations and LOTS of great information and goodies to share with clients.

A presentation of particular interest was the one on rural women and HIV. Here's the summary I wrote for my AmeriCorps and health department bosses, just to whet your appetities:
____________________________________________________________________

HIV/AIDS Prevention for Women Living in the Rural South, Mary Bowers, MSW, DOHHS, Office on Women’s Health Public Health Advisor

Women represent a growing number of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the US, and HIV/AIDS is increasingly affecting women, adolescents, and minorities in rural and Southern areas of the country. These facts were made concrete through a presentation of United States maps representing population dispersal, racial dispersal, poverty, unemployment, hospitals, rural health clinics, and much other data. The presenter listed the disparities of sexism and racism, oppression, stigma, poverty, under and unemployment, crime and incarceration, limited resources and geographic isolation as barriers to preventing HIV infection among rural women of color. We must also take into consideration the gender-based, cultural, socio-economic, psycho-social, geographic and biological risk differentials for women, as well as the risk violence against women adds.

What can we in prevention do? We must reach women where they are, in workplaces, hair salons, bars, daycare centers, schools, public assistance offices, church, home. We must provide woman-centered services through a gender-centered approach by communicating in the standard community language which is non-condescending and non-judgmental; by building women’s self-esteem and self-determination. We must push for the development of microbicides and other female-controlled barriers. As part of prevention we must also work to see women receive routine wellness checks which include risk assessment and counseling, STD testing and reproductive health check-ups.

This complete and relevant presentation was offered in PowerPoint, a copy of which I have received from the presenter. If you are an AmeriCorps National AIDS Fund member working with rural women and would like a copy, please email me at roberta.keppel@state.nm.us and I'll send it to you

If you'd like info on next year's conference or the National Rural Health Association, go to their website at http://www.ruralhealthweb.org/.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

2009-02-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

Team Charlotte went above and beyond the call of duty helping out with two full day testing events for NBAAD. HIV/AIDS rates are high among the African American community, so our team tried to test as many people as we could. We first teamed up with the Mecklenburg Health Department's testing event at Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black University located in the heart of Charlotte. The day included testing 81 students and doing outreach around the campus. We even managed to get our feet on the evening news (they were trying to keep things confidential)! The following weekend the team traveled to Rock Hill, SC, to give Catawba Care Coalition a helping hand in their testing event with Clinton Jr. College, another historically black school. Although we had high hopes in continuing to test the same number of people as last year, the day was still successful because we managed to test 18 individuals. The team was in great spirits and had high energy for both events and we might have even recruited some new members for next year!

MLK Jr. National Day of Service, Team Chicago

2009-02-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

For Martin Luther King Day, Team Chicago assisted with a Chicago Cares day of service event that began at the United Center. Although I have to admit that the mood among our team members at first was far from jubilant due to the cold and early morning start time, the positive atmosphere that soon flooded the United Center as the day got rolling definitely lifted our spirits. As “Roadies”, we were assigned to checking in volunteers, answering their questions and helping them find their buses, which would be heading out later that morning to various sites around Chicago. It was definitely a hectic morning trying to keep up with the thousands of people who came to the United Center that day, but we found that most people were smiling and happy to be there, and we were happy to do what we could to assist them. It was certainly inspiring to see so many people dedicating their time and energy that day to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and that spirit of service permeated our team experience. I think that we all felt that there is something special about being in Chicago during this point in the history of our country, for although there are many hardships there is also great opportunity to be of service to our communities.

Bronwen White
Team Chicago

"Together We Can" Team Charlotte's MLK Day of Service!!

2009-02-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

Team Charlotte worked with Hyaets Inc. to have a successful MLK Day celebration. Hyaets is a small non profit organization based in the Enderly Park Community on the west side of Charlotte. This is an impoverished community, where the children deal with a struggle of violence and unity on a daily basis. The team members of Hyaets Inc. work to provide a safe place for the children of the neighborhood and to be good neighbors in the biblical terms.
For our day of service we really reached inside of ourselves to come up with a day focused on the great works of Dr. King. The day, entitled “Together we can”, was focused on two of King’s most popular teaching themes, unity and nonviolence. We had children from Enderly Park and from a local church’s youth group as our audience for the day, aged 3-18. We began at noon with a quick lunch prepared by none other than the lovely ladies of Team Charlotte and a few volunteers. The youth of the Hyaets community and of Park Road Baptist Church came together to learn more about the life and legacy of Dr. King. We began with a speech outlining the life of Dr. King. Next we moved to a game with quotes by King. This gave all participants the opportunity to really think about the things Kings said and how they are still relevant to all of our lives today. Our next activity was a puzzle activity that was all about unity and working together, the students LOVED it and they really understood the point of the activity.
In addition to all of that fun, we left the warmth of the building to brave the cold and be Guerrilla Gardeners in the Elderly Park community. We roamed the streets of the neighborhood with our shovels planting pansies at abandoned houses and lots also for some friendly neighbors who enjoyed our company. This was a huge success, the children had a wonderful time, and the whole team enjoyed themselves as well; there was even a student who had such a good time that she believed she had found her calling to be a gardener.
As we wrapped up our day we listened to the entire I have a Dream speech as we watched a slide about the Civil Rights Movement, with a concentration on the nonviolent protest that King lead. After viewing the slide, it was time to reflect, the floor was open for discussion about what we had seen and heard during the day. In the slide there was a photo of President Obama and during the discussion one of the students said “Tomorrow part of Martin Luther King’s dream is going to come true when Barack Obama becomes President”. Although this was a simple statement you could tell that many of them hadn’t made that connection before that moment. It was so wonderful!
We all enjoyed ourselves and each of us made a special connection with at least one child! My favorite part of the day was seeing each of my teammates just jump right in and give there all to each child and activity! It took a lot out of us but we really worked as a team and the day was a big success. Having Maggie there to share the day with us made it that much better. The whole experience made a lasting impression on Team Charlotte as a whole and I’m sure we touch a few kids’ lives.

Solita Jefferies
Team Charlotte

MLK Day of Service-Team Indy

2009-02-02T16:23:00.001-08:00

Team Indy’s MLK Day of Service was wonderful. We started out with a business-oriented meeting about our long-term project in the morning and served during the afternoon. For me, it was truly a rewarding afternoon. I was thrilled to return to my alma mater, the place that truly taught me about life, becoming an adult, and giving back to the community.
Our service hours consisted of an HIV 101/ HIV panel discussion for a group of girls in a medical magnet program here in Indianapolis. In my everyday work, this is all I do. I talk to youth about HIV, STDs, and safe sex. But, what made the day special was having my entire team beside me in concert, passionately talking to these eight young ladies about HIV and the importance of our work during this service year. Aside from that, it was refreshing to watch my team members take command of their portion of the discussion and deliver it effortlessly.
When we were finished with our presentation, we opened the floor for questions. The ladies were not shy at all. They asked intelligent, blunt questions until they had no more. As time wound down, we passed out HIV and STD pamphlets that covered the bases of transmission and how to protect yourself from infection as well as free testing cards.
The next day, when I read my email, there was one from my high school teacher that allowed us to give our presentation during her class. It read, “Hey there Jamie! It was so special to have you back in class (smile). Thanks for bringing the calvary, the students loved it. Love you lots.”
After I was done reading it, I knew we had accomplished what I had envisioned for the day.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!!!!

2009-02-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

This year for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Team Tulsa marched in the parade with my host site, HOPE Testing Clinic. We all wore red for HIV/AIDS awareness. During the parade, we handed out lollipops with information about HIV testing for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day that is coming up on February 7, along with other clinic and testing information. We also handed out information about the Oklahoma HIV/STD Hotline that is answered during the day at HOPE. We carried my clinic's banner that encourages people to get tested (which I did trip over while carrying!). This year's parade was the biggest in Tulsa's history. Not only were people celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., but President Obama's picture was on many of the floats as well. This extra significance made the parade all that more meaningful for myself, and the others involved. All the local television stations were there, and I had a few people tell me they saw us on tv. It was just an awesome feeling being involved in the biggest MLK parade ever in Tulsa, the day before President Obama's first day in office all while getting the word about about HIV testing in Tulsa.

Samantha Young
Team Tulsa

Team DC - MLK Jr. National Day of Service

2009-02-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Team DC spent our MLK Jr. National Day of Service volunteering at the DC Health Expo held at the huge convention center in downtown DC. While most of our agencies had their own booths at the event, we volunteered our time to the National Kidney Foundation. They had a large segment portioned off for their work which was identifying a person's BMI, taking blood pressure, filling out a questionnaire to assess risk for kidney disease, and offering people a chance to speak with the eight volunteer doctors on hand.

We were assigned to assist people in making their way around to the various centers. We provided answers to people in line, assisted in filling out the questionnaire, and took them to the consultations with the doctors. A few of us had the opportunity to chat with people while they waited in line for their consultations. Often times, the clients would remark on how nice it was for the doctors to offer their time and how happy they were to be able to see a doctor as they didn't have health insurance. A lot of people took their kids with them to talk to the doctor about problems that were not kidney related.

This service day turned out to be really nice as we got to meet several interesting people who were also volunteers, spend time working in the larger community (which we often forget about as we our the bubble of our own agencies), and walk around and visit other booths at the Expo (some definitely walked away with good loot). It was also really good to see medical professionals volunteering their time and being friendly and courteous to the clients they saw at the NKF booth and in the whole convention center. Finally, it's just always nice to spend an extra day and connect with our team members and we are all so busy during the week! These extra events allow us to learn about different corners of DC as a team that we might possibly not have a chance to experience.

The day showed us that there is a very real need in the DC community for proper healthcare. Over 1000 people went through the National Kidney Foundation booth and were provided with potentially life-saving information so the event was really powerful. Although non-profits, foundations, and community-based agencies can give people incredibly important knowledge and tools, it is obvious that real social change will only come through collective action at all societal levels.

Team Detroit MLK Day

2009-02-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

MLK Day 2009 for Team Detroit was a day of collaboration with another AmeriCorps group, City Year Detroit. City Year always puts on a big event for MLK Day and we decided to join them in their day of service after meeting them at an AmeriCorps Teams in Michigan Conference. Our team members gathered early in the morning in downtown Detroit for a kick off rally for the day of service. City Year recruited all kinds of folks to volunteer for a day of service in commemoration of Dr. King. They were not all necessarily students who had the day off, but rather individuals who were teachers, businessman, young and old who wanted to come together for a day of service and action in the Detroit community.

After the rally, we were stationed at the Holistic Community Development Center with other City Year members. The Holistic Center is a place for the members of the community to get involved with everything from prayer to dancing to educational as well as community engagement projects. The building was quite old and needed a bit of cleaning and organizing. Half of the group worked on cleaning and organizing a closet that had been neglected for several years and needed much TLC. The other half of the group worked on cleaning up a kitchen in preparation for another AmeriCorps team who was scheduled to come in and paint the room. Both groups worked hard at sorting, cleaning, dusting, mopping and making the Holistic Center spic and span. We all worked up a healthy sweat and met some new friends during the day. Overall, cleaning up the Holistic Center went very well and the people there were very, very thankful for all the help we provided that day. MLK 2009 was a great way to meet other AmeriCorps members and to improve our Detroit community!

New Mexicans Represent MLK & Obama!!

2009-01-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

Team New Mexico had an awesome Martin Luther King Jr. Day!! We were less one member because Bo was sick :( The boys and I worked with EcoVersity, in Santa Fe, on a service event that took only three days to organize and ended up attracting 60 people! EcoVersity focuses on sustainable living and ecological responsibility through education programs offered throughout the year. On a tour of their facilities we learned how to make bio fuel out of algae from a fascinating ten-year-old, how bees store honey for the winter, and that some turkeys just can’t stop gobbling (and Becky thinks it's hilarious)!

For the service part of the day we weeded the greenhouse. One would think this is a fairly simple task, but no. It took four of us all morning to clear out the grass and nasturtium of a pretty small area. Both plants had overgrown their space and were beginning to kill the other greenhouse plants. Although there was physical labor involved, the greenhouse was 80 degrees and humid (Stephen and I felt at home), and there was soothing music playing as we worked. We did encounter some difficulties when stinging nettles gave Stephen a massive rash on his hands and arms! Luckily, a woman had just stopped in to warm up from outside and told us a natural remedy was the juice from the nettle leaves themselves. Pauly was brave enough to help Stephen and massage the leaves until the juice came out while Ben volunteered to finish the job Stephen had started – woohoo teamwork! Unfortunately, the nettles also stung Ben and gave him a small rash on his arms & hands, but it did not get nearly as bad as Stephen’s. Luckily, the ten-year-old girl came around at this time and gave both the boys some algae oil (the bio fuel I had mentioned earlier) which is also apparently a good skin remedy and has many other uses.

Around lunch time we found out that most of the plants we had weeded would be back and overgrown in less than two weeks! This fact was slightly disappointing considering all the work we had done. For lunch we had homemade vegetable soup with green chili (a New Mexican favorite!) and got to talk with the other volunteers. Then we went on a tour of the grounds where we learned about all of the projects EcoVersity runs. This included spending almost an hour talking to the ten-year-old about her algae project.

In all, we had a fun day where we actually learned something about the environment and felt like we were doing our part. We all look forward to the next adventure of Team New Mexico!!

OBAMANOS!!

Happy 2009 from Team Chicago!!

2009-01-14T19:25:00.001-08:00

World AIDS Day Team Tulsa

2008-12-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Monday, we kicked off the first day of a week-long World AIDS Day event at my host agency, The University of Tulsa. With campus wide sponsorship and support, I planned and facilitated a three day testing challenge at which Sam, Erica, and I tested a total of 38 students during lunch over a three day, 12 hour period. Students received free t-shirts for being testing and several professors offered extra credit to students who volunteered at and attended the main even.

The week ended with an evening dinner and a panel discussion.

I am still receiving phone calls and compliments about the impact of the event on those in attendance. Everyone was really moved by the stories of the guest speakers which consisted of two heath professionals/prominent community members who are both infected with HIV, the regional rep. of the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt (who spoke about the panel displaying fallen Tulsans), and a local doctor working in the field for over 20 years who provides groundbreaking client care to over 350 local HIV patients.

There was such a surreal quality to the evening, every aspect of this event made this epidemic feel so urgent and important. I was especially moved to see one speaker become emotional when he realized that someone featured on the AIDS Quilt was a very close friend of his. Another speaker shared her story of being infected by her college sweetheart when she was only 21 years old.

Yolanda Arnold

Team Tulsa

World AIDS Day - Team Indy

2008-12-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

World AIDS Day: December 1, 2008

Part One
Church of grandeur.
Prestige, Responsibility, and Power walk through the doors
In the form of the leaders and directors in HIV prevention and outreach in Indiana.
The guests make a small dent in the large sanctuary
With their new red-ribbon pins adorning their lapels.

The atmosphere is mellow –
Fueled by the AIDS Quilt which invites reflection
And the names of Hoosier victims that scroll across the screen.
Candles are passed.
The choirs sing.
The pastor opens the podium for the professionals to share the facts:
HIV IS in our state; it has left its mark; and it shows no discrimination.
Then to the video and discussion on HIV in Kenya that briefly takes us to another place.
We sing; we pray; and we conclude: “remembering, bearing witness, and living hope.”

I cut out early to make it to a second event.

Part Two
At the other end of the city, I enter a public building.
The room is packed.
I find myself as the minority and can quickly count the white people in the room.
I recognize clients, fellow case-workers, and volunteers.
The dinner, the music, and the stories have passed.
I take my seat just in time for the fashion show to begin.

It is a celebration of life, of those who have fought and continue to fight the battle in their bodies and in society.
Of those whose lives have been affected, but still find reasons for joy.
The energy is high.
I find myself at ease and honored to be a part of something so profound.

The moment I had been waiting for finally arrives.
The client I had been seeing for months was about to present.
Though he and I had spent hours discussing employment, income and housing,
Medications, side-effects, drugs, and struggles
Tonight was the night I was able to see his passion.
Tonight was the night he was not known as an HIV survivor, unemployed, or too sick to make his appointment.
Tonight he was a much anticipated fashion designer.

I could not have been more proud.
I was deeply touched by the support he received in that venue –
Support that could propel him through the difficult days ahead.
This is what is needed, I thought; this is what it is really about.

A Reflection
The contrasting events each served their purpose.
The first, an atmosphere for professionals to remember;
The second, a place for clients to celebrate.

I drove home with an appreciation for diversity in Indianapolis.
Many different people dedicated their evenings to the AIDS cause.
I was encouraged to see their support and excited to witness their advocacy.

But I also drove home with the recognition for the need of unity;
Why two starkly different events
That separated races and classes?

I realized that Indianapolis has room to grow –
Not only in testing, educating, and caring for the masses,
But also in sharing, supporting, and celebrating with one another.

By:
Amanda Quillen
Team Indianapolis
National AIDS Fund/ Caring Counts AmeriCorps 2008-2009

World AIDS Day, Team DC

2008-12-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

To honor World AIDS Day, our team helped at The Women’s Collective WAD Celebration. The Women’s Collective provides comprehensive life services to African-American women in the DC area. They work to create a safe, non-judgmental environment for all women, girls and families. TWC is a warm, friendly building with a staff that obviously cares about everyone who walks through their doors.

Our day began with a time for food and fellowship followed by an exciting (to say the least) presentation about safer-sex techniques. Women from all over the city and even a few men learned about condoms, stds, and how to pleasure themselves and their partners from a woman clad only in tights and a bustier. We were both informed and entertained. Many questions followed and even a pop quiz with a prize for the winner was given.
The group then listened to presentations from five of our AmeriCorps members about the services their host organizations provide to women. Our members from HIPs, Our Place, Miriam’s House, The Women’s Collective and Children’s National Medical Center were there to talk about their programs. This was followed by a panel discussion and an opportunity for questions. Everyone seemed happy to learn about our placements and all the great things they are doing for DC.
Next, a visitor from the DC Rape Crisis Center treated us to a crash course in self-defense. She taught our group how to confront everything from cat calls to muggings. We all repeated the phrase “elbow, elbow, smash that crotch!, kick the knee, scrape the shin, stamp the foot!” By the end of our session everyone felt safer, empowered, ready to defend themselves on the street, and a little tired.
These activities all tied into the larger aim of our celebration and the goal of both World AIDS Day and The Women’s Collective: to empower people physically, emotionally, and mentally and to become a tighter, more informed community. People of all backgrounds joined together to celebrate those strong women who have passed, those who are struggling, and those who are surviving.
Women asked important questions and received valuable information. We all worked together to build a stronger, more empowered community. We laughed, we cried, and we kicked imaginary assailants in the knees. All in all it was a fun day and the perfect way to spend World AIDS day: celebrating what we have and making strides towards a bright future.

Adam Pepper and Rachel Gutfreund
National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps, Team DC 2008

Team Charlotte World AIDS Day

2008-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Team Charlotte- World AIDS Day Reporting

For World AIDS Day Team Charlotte was lucky enough to get to participate in a testing event at The University of North Carolina Charlotte. Student organizations and the Health Services office organized a day of HIV awareness and invited the county Health Department and Team Charlotte to bring information and services to complete their program. The day focused on trying to stop the ongoing spread of HIV through the uniting of these groups and a push for everyone to know their status. Students were encouraged by fellow classmates and campus staff to take the time to recognize World AIDS Day and get tested. Team Charlotte was on hand to help support the seventy four students who tested and to provide hundreds of other students on campus with vital facts and information to protect themselves and live healthier lives.
Two members of the team worked the information table in one of the main hubs on campus. They were able to provide condoms, statistics, and impart their knowledge on students as they pass from class to class, sending many of the seventy four who tested in the right direction. These two team members stood alongside ten student groups who had also set up information tables as a sign of their support in the fight to educate young people. The remaining four members of Team Charlotte helped the Health Department staff counsel and test seventy four students in a matter of a few hours. This task could not have been accomplished without the enthusiasm and organization of these four team members. Not only did these four women help things run smoothly, they were there to help bring support to nervous students who were getting tested for their first time.
It was an amazing experience to be able to see the coming together of all these young people, all very close in age to the members of our team, and to get to help them in empowering and educating themselves. The slogan of the day, “Are you positive you’re negative” resonated throughout the school and everyone involved in the days event felt an overwhelming sense of pride for the number of students who were able to say that in fact, they were positive they’re negative.

World of Desserts: Team Detroit's World AIDS Day Service Project

2008-12-14T05:01:00.001-08:00

Carrie, Kara, DiAnt'e and Stacie at World of Desserts

This is DiAnt'e from team DETROIT!! I'm honored to discuss with you a joyous occasion that Team Detroit had in honor of World AIDS Day. Our team volunteered at a fundraiser called, 'World Of Desserts'. The fundraiser was to benefit The Michigan AIDS Fund and also to celebrate the new merger between the Michigan AIDS Fund and the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project (MAPP). The event was hosted by Fox 2 News anchor Charles Pugh (who is also a DJ on WJLB in Detroit) and featured prominent politicians, healthcare workers, and volunteers. Detroit locals, as well as many from the surrounding areas, came out to show support. The benefit consisted of many vendors from the Detroit metro area showcasing the very best desserts that Detroit has to offer.

Our duties consisted of everything from setting up the venue to coat-check to actually taking part in making desserts (me!). Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and were honored to be a part of this event. This benefit helped the Michigan AIDS Fund and Midwest AIDS Prevention Project kick off the new merger between the groups into a new organization serving our community: the Michigan AIDS Coalition. Our new partnership allows a greater chance at making a greater difference in the field of HIV/AIDS in the Detroit area every day!

DiAnt'e Washington
Team Detroit

Team Detroit Makes a Difference at Alternatives for Girls

2008-12-14T04:48:00.000-08:00

Peaches, Kara and Usama all working hard!

As a team we decided to make a difference at Peaches' agency, Alternatives for Girls; a homeless shelter that also provides substance abuse treatment and other forms of life skills building for young women ages 12-21. Our day began with buckets and towels to clean AFG’s kitchens (there were 4 of them). We split the team and the work and began making a clean new difference at AFG. The work was not a grand-scale parade but it was very rewarding and fun to be part of a Make a Difference Day.

Stacie Cooper
Team Detroit

World AIDS Day, Team Chicago

2008-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

For World AIDS Day, Team Chicago volunteered at World of Chocolate, a fundraiser for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC). We volunteered as part of the event strike crew, which meant we were free to sample the buffet and different chocolate concoctions from local restaurants and chocolatiers. One of my favorite vendors, the Palmer House, offered chocolate ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, and truffles stuffed with pop rocks.

In addition to visiting with staff from the AFC, our team had the opportunity to meet and talk with many of last year's NAF AmeriCorps members who are still in the area. We had a nice time discussing our host agencies and swapping stories.

As the event wound down it was time for us to get to work. We collapsed decorations and packed up bazaar items to store for next year. The work was both humorous and trying at times as we marveled at the variety of items available and struggled to find enough boxes and bubble wrap to store them. Every time we thought we had reached the end another glittery snowflake would appear seemingly out of nowhere. When the last box was finally packed we emerged, exhausted, into the frigid Chicago night with sweet memories dancing in our heads.

Elise Niedermeier
Team Chicago

2008-12-01T12:18:00.001-08:00

It felt strangely familiar, traveling to Gallup for a conference and preparing to meet with AmeriCorps members from across the state of New Mexico. I was hoping it would be exciting and educational, but if not, at least it would be an experience. After a brief car ride of four hours (!) we arrived in Gallup to find it dryer than it had been in the central part of the state. We were in a border town of New Mexico checking into a conference in a known haunted hotel! The team was buzzing about the opportunity to enjoy this networking, but no one seemed too excited about any of the courses offered or the opportunity to work at the Red Rocks State Park conducting maintenance of the facilities. I couldn’t help remembering our disappointment last year on Make a Difference Day in Gallup when we found out that we would not actually be building a house for Habitat for Humanity, but digging trenches instead. It all seemed strangely familiar.
Most of us found the conference boring, the classes uninteresting and the celebratory dinner underwhelming. It felt as if the facilitators were not expecting as many of us. We networked with the other teams across the state. Most of the AmeriCorps members there were Teach for America members and I felt we made a difference in exposing them to HIV issues. We all shared the goal of “getting things done.” The major topic of conversation was “Where were you placed and what are you doing there?” Some members were placed in a deforestation program in Ruidoso to prevent forest fires in small New Mexico towns. Unfortunately, we did not truly bond with most of the attendees and felt they didn’t really acknowledge our contribution to AmeriCorps.
When it came to the AmeriCorps members working on the Red Rocks grounds or helping the children find their perfect pumpkins for Halloween, some of us thought it worthwhile and had a lot of fun. Others felt it a waste of time.
Overall, it was not all it could have been and as a team we agreed that the AmeriCorps National AIDS Fund Pre-Service was a blockbuster smash hit while the New Mexico AmeriCorps kick-off was a straight to DVD movie!
Love,
Ben and the rest of us homies!

2008-12-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

For the 18th annual Make A Difference Day, Team Charlotte gathered together at a small church near the downtown area of Charlotte to make a difference in the lives of young children and adults of a high risk community. Here, we took part in a program called “Shac Saves Lives - Challenge Yourself Project.” This project, led by the devoted member of the church—Pastor Ann—is about having young people help others succeed. Although Pastor Ann had attempted to create a big extravaganza for the day, when Team Charlotte convened together for the actual event, we found ourselves involved in a very small and intimate gathering of people from the surrounding community –not what we expected.
...Nevertheless, some members on the Team gained special insight from seeing and hearing about the hardships that the members of the community had been through. Furthermore, the adults who were in attendance kept expressing how neat it was to see a group of young adults with such passion for humanity and equality give their time to show up to a small event like their own for Make A Difference Day. Overall, the members of Team Charlotte grew from this event by learning how to cope with unexpected hurdles. Even though we had prepared to give educational talks to a big group of teenagers and a big group of elementary school aged children, we were able to shift our focus and cater to the small group of adults and young children in attendance. The true successes were not in the things that Pastor Ann had planned, the successes came from the fact that Team Charlotte was able to remain flexible... So even though the Make A Difference Day event was not what Team Charlotte was expecting, our Team still learned something from the event.

Team Charlotte

2008-12-01T12:03:00.001-08:00

Emmaus Ministries, located on Chicago's North Side provides counseling and resources to men engaged in prostitution. Many of the men are homeless,addictted to drugs, mentally ill or HIV positive and they rely on the Emmaus Ministry for meals, clothing and an address.

Team Chicago cooked a simple meal for the men. It was the most fulfilling time spent with them just talking and making them feel comfortable with us being in their space. No judgement. Just lots of fun and laughter. One Americorps member even played the piano. The men told us that they had never opened up to a group before. But with us Americorps Team Chicago they were willing to talk and share some of their experiences. They had a ball as did Team Chicago.

Regina Moffett
Team Chicago

Make a Difference Day, Team DC

2008-12-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

...From the moment Team DC gathered together at the Hyattsville Visitor Center our force was one to be reckoned with. Maybe it’s simply the AmeriCorps sweatshirts that each of us wore, but I think it had more to do with the strength in our numbers and the can-do vibe we always tend to emit. I was reminded in those first moments of gathering with the team that our spirit as a whole is what pushes us forward and sets us apart. It is what will lead each of us during our year of service.
...Although our phsical service on that day was limited by the weather, each of us on Team DC wore a smile as we picked up trash, set up for a barbecue, and got to know people from the surrounding area as they gathered to have a picnic. Everywhere we went, people stopped to talk to us, ask us what we were up to, and thanked us for being a positive, helpful part of their rainy day. By the end of it all, the events had felt as great as the team-building exercises in New Mexico. Make a Difference Day, in all of its national service glory, reminded me of what it means to serve a community without agenda. I hope to have many more rainy days like it.
Brittany Walsh and Henry Colangelo
Team DC

2008-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

Team Indianapolis
IU Test Day
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I would like to start off this story with some brutal honesty. I had just returned from a week-long vacation in California and was really not “feeling” the hour-long, early morning trek to Bloomington, Indiana. But, as usual, it only took a few minutes of being around my team members for those negatives to disappear.

I was thinking we probably wouldn’t get that much participation due to it being a college campus, but we were told from the start that participation would be relatively high and that we should expect a constant flow of students from 10a-3p. They were right! I was thoroughly impressed and surprised at the number and variety of students that showed up to be tested. Their attitudes were so unlike any attitudes toward HIV testing that I have witnessed myself. My personal experience with testing (being tested, going with others to be tested, and being trained as a tester) was, and still is to some degree, enveloped in fear, anxiety, and apprehension. What we witnessed that day was normalcy, willingness, and participative attitudes from more than 150 students. If they were in fact nervous or fearful, they did an excellent job hiding it. It was refreshing and inspiring to observe.

Another aspect of the visit that again surprised and impressed me was Kay. Kay is a trans-gender. She arrived around 10:30 that morning to help check people in to be tested. She had obviously worked with Bloomington Hospital before because the staff knew her and was thrilled to see her show up. She brought her nephew with her, situated herself and him, and immediately got to work. Surprisingly, reactions to Kay were “normal”. There were no long stares, no whispers or frowns, and no quiet laughing in the corner. Growing up and “coming out” here in Indiana, I was actually expecting those types of reactions based on my own personal experiences with trans-genders inside and outside of the gay community. But again, the students at this small-town university in the center of a very conservative state surprised and impressed me. Even a couple of members from our team had questions, but Kay’s presence didn’t seem to affect any of the students.

In summary, I guess my view of our youth today has somewhat broadened, if not totally changed. There is a sense of responsibility and acceptance amongst young adults. Now, if we can somehow channel that same acceptance upward to our more conservative older adults, and downward to our teenagers and elementary students, we may be well on our way to eradicating the spread of HIV in Indiana….or at least have a fighting chance.

John D. Patton
Team Indianapolis

2008-11-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, October 26, Sara Swain and I volunteered to mow a woman's yard. This woman has cancer, is on chemo and an oxygen tank, and recently received, from the City of Tulsa, a ten day notice to get her yard cleaned up or be fined. We heard this woman needed help while working two days before at Our House Too, the AIDS safe house we have been spending most our fifth days working. After speaking to her, hearing her story, and walking away in tears, we made plans to work on the yard the following Sunday morning. We worked on this yard relentlessly for hours, along with one of the guys who runs Our House Too and my father who volunteered his services and yard equipment. We got the front and side of her yard mowed, raked, and bagged. I cannot explain the mess this yard was in because of the months of neglect due to the physical inability this woman had. This was one of my favorite projects I have participated in so far because it was amazing to see this woman who thinks we were "her answered prayer" be so thankful so something that I thought was just something that needed to be done. I truly believe we made a difference for this woman.
Samantha Young
Team Tulsa

Pre Service slideshow

2008-11-21T08:46:00.001-08:00