AmeriCorps members close out year of service at arts festival

by Samantha Spitzer

AmeriCorps Program Director

The Snohomish County WDC's AmeriCorps Program members are days away from graduation. For their final service project of the 2005-2006 year, AmeriCorps members manned the children's booths at the Edmonds Art Festival. On Friday, June 16, AmeriCorps members helped children make top hats, wind chimes, bead people, picture frames, magnets, and paper bag puppets. The children were delighted by the crafts and the individual attention and support they received from members—and playing with glue, beads, and markers was certainly fun for members and program staff as well!

During their 11-month service year, AmeriCorps members made significant contributions to their host sites and to the youth they served everyday. While each member spent the majority of his/her 1,700 service hours at a "host site"--either a high school or a non-profit organization--the team came together monthly to serve other organizations through full-day service projects.

Members read to elementary school students as part of United Way's Day of Caring, assisted at the Purrfect Pals auction and fundraising event, dispersed gifts to families at Christmas House, beautified the grounds of Bethany at Silver Lake, cleaned and tidied areas of Matthew House, and helped construct a home with Habitat for Humanity.

 

AmeriCorps Program members got things done. Whether they were helping a high school senior find employment or carrying sheet rock into a new home, they made a positive impact on the Snohomish County community. Thank you AmeriCorps class of 2005-2006!  

The AmeriCorps Program is recruiting members for the next program year, to begin August 23, 2006.  For more information about how to apply, visit the AmeriCorps web site page.