S E RVI N G O T HE R S I S A WAY O F LI F E . October/ November 2016 Update

The annual SERVES conference took place in Yakima from October

17th through the 19th. It was a jam packed 3 days of training and

networking. Members in Individual Placement programs and Small

Teams had the opportunity to attend workshops facilitated by trainers

Mike Beebe, Jeff Birdsall, Helene Cho, Ashley Fontaine, Martin

Fleming, Katie Prettyman, Anne Powell, Emily Wilson, and Ginlin

Woo that covered core competencies in Cultural Awareness,

Leadership Development, Volunteer Management, and Effective

Communication. Members were also able to meet with their Program

Coordinators to learn about Performance Measurement and

AmeriCorps Affiliation. In the evening members had the opportunity

to network with other members in jam sessions, play board games,

and win lots of Bingo prizes. This wouldn’t have been possible

without all the members, facilitators and staff that made this year’s

SERVES an exciting and engaging event.

*NOTE: Members in mid- and large-size Team-based projects

receive similar trainings at their sites to fulfill core competency

training requirements.

SERVES Institute 2016

AmeriCorps

Launch 2016 On October 21st, hundreds of

AmeriCorps members from around the

state attended the AmeriCorps Launch at

Seattle's Fischer Pavilion. It was a fun

way to celebrate hitting a million

members enrolled in AmeriCorps to date

nationwide and to kick off another year

of service. At the event, members had

the opportunity to network, take photos

at the photo booth, and show their pride

by doing chants, clapping, and holding

up signs. Members heard from Author

and educator Eric Liu, AmeriCorps

NCCC Alum Kevin D. Ward who also

received the “Commitment to Service

Award”, and the Director of

AmeriCorps Bill Basl. Launch ended

with members getting sworn into service

by taking the AmeriCorps Pledge and

heading out to “get things done”.

In this update, we will look back at the Launch, Serves Institute, and the impact

members had on Make a Difference Day. Additionally, we will provide some tips for

writing effective Stories of Service, volunteer mobilization, and honoring our veterans.

Washington Service Corps

WSC Members at Launch

WSC member

Lauren Allen tell-

ing her Ameri-

Corps story on

the first day.

WSC members

having fun at the

photo booth while

showing their

AmeriCorps

pride.

News

#StipendLife Living on a stipend can be tough. Thankfully, there are plenty of free , discounted, and inexpensive activities to do all around the state! Check

out some of the opportunities below and contact us if you know of any other cheap activities that we can share in a future update.

Regal Cinemas value ticket days.

Free museum days around the Puget Sound every month (you

can also check out free passes for local museums at many

libraries throughout the state).

Libraries are loaded with lots of free and cheap things. Find a

local library for books, classes, networking, crafts, and more!

Free admission to state and national parks on Veteran’s Day.

Click here for a list of national parks in the state. Click here for

state parks in your region.

Check out some of the beautiful hiking trails in Washington.

Find things like trail work parties and up to date trip info at the

Washington Trails Association website.

Washington has a ton of festivals every year all over the state.

Find a festival near you here and here.

REI offers free classes. Find a store near you for more info.

Geocaching has a low yearly fee or you can just use the free app

and try and find as many as you can.

Poetry readings are often a free or low cost event that can be a lot

of fun.

Trivia is another fun free or inexpensive thing to do weekly. Get

a group together and find a local trivia event.

With winter around the corner check out the Washington State

Parks Winter Recreation page for upcoming events, and classes.

Other things to check out are the best snowshoeing places and

skiing places in Washington.

Discounted YMCA memberships (get up to 50% off of the

monthly fee, just bring in proof of income!).

Make the most of your SNAP benefits by shopping at your local

farmer’s market. Many offer matching programs for SNAP users,

so check the state directory to find one near you!

Use the Mint.com website or app to help establish (and stick to) a

budget.

Make a Difference Day 2016 On October 22nd, members across the country

volunteered on this year’s Make a Difference Day.

Since 1992, Make a Difference Day has become one

of the largest single days of service in the country.

Among the many projects members contributed to

in Washington, WSC members Rachel Van Dam

and Jennifer Fields (pictured to the right) did a

project with the Pierce County Conservation

District. Getting their hands dirty, they planted

urban-tolerant plants on two de-paved cement

islands. This is part of an effort to help de-pave the

Puget Sound.

Additionally, WSC member Mary Birchem hosted

an event with Capitol Land Trust in Olympia. A few

other members (pictured below) as well as students

and community members attended. Read on to learn

more about Mary's event.

Thank you to all the members who went out to “get

things done” on Make a Difference Day 2016!

My name is Mary and I am serving with Capitol Land

Trust based in Olympia, Washington as their AmeriCorps

Restoration Coordinator. I hosted an event at Capitol Land

Trust’s (CLT) Randall Preserve for Make A Difference

Day on October 22, 2016.

Randall Preserve sits in Eld Inlet and has been severely

impacted by human use. Despite this, Randall hosts

particularly high-quality tidelands and is connected to

several other CLT conservation sites. These properties

provide habitat for marine species, birds, amphibians,

mammals, reptiles, and even a portion of Olympia’s

drinking water comes from groundwater entering Eld Inlet.

Since water quality and habitat for many creatures depend

on this property and others like it, it was a no-brainer that

this is a site where we could truly make a difference.

Together we planted 85 native western red cedars (Thuja

plicata). In doing so, we continued making steps towards

our short-term goal: the reestablishment of native forest

canopy closure over all upland portions of the site and to

our long-term goal: maintain ecologically stable wetlands,

tidelands, and forested habitats for both wildlife habitat

and water quality. ~WSC member Mary Birchem

Above: WSC members Jennifer Field sand Rachel Van Dam

Below: WSC members Juniper

Woods, Jess Marino, Olivia Hunt,

and Mary Birchem

Right: Olivia

Hunt and Mary

Birchem getting

ready to plant

red cedar trees

If your health insurance status changes,

sign up for coverage through the WSC

here.

Did your mailing address change? Let us

know! Direct deposit confirmations and

W2 forms will be sent to this location.

-November 11 - Veterans Day -November 24 & 25 - WSC closed for Thanksgiving -November 30- Stories of service due -December 15 - First quarterly report -December 26 - WSC closed for winter holidays

Make sure you are taking

time for you. Check out this

Ted talk called “All it Takes is

10 Mindful Minutes”

Writing Impactful Stories of Service

Your story of service is important because it gives you

the opportunity to talk about your experiences,

accomplishments, and impact. To help you write your

story, we’ve created a Quick Tips guide that covers how

to structure your story, what to include, and an example.

Below are a few highlights from that tip sheet.

Stay in touch with the WSC on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions, corrections, or suggestions regarding the monthly up-

dates please contact the WSC AmeriCorps Leader Jess Marino at jmarino@esd.wa.gov or 360-902-9639.

When writing a Story of Service, keep these

tips in mind: Start with a succinct description of your

position (also known as an elevator speech).

Relate your story to the outcomes your

program is trying to achieve. Use data you have

collected to illustrate this point.

Use language that emphasizes your position as

a national service volunteer. Use words like

“service” instead of “work”, or “AmeriCorps

member” instead of “employee”.

Demonstrate the growth of populations you

serve as a result of your service. Always tie this

into performance measures when you can (e.g.

Daryl used to regularly skip class, but now he is

one of the fifty-eight students we’ve served who

come more than 90% of the time).

Submit a picture of yourself wearing

AmeriCorps gear doing service at your site. This helps readers visualize your story and relate

to what you are sharing (just be sure to have any

non-WSC members in photographs sign a release

form).

If you have any questions or concerns

relating to Stories of Service, please

contact your WSC Program Coordinator

or the WSC AmeriCorps Leader.

Remember, Stories of Service and

Quarterly Reports are due on

November 30th!

Important Reminders Upcoming Dates

Volunteer Mobilization

As a Washington Service Corp AmeriCorps member you

will be tasked with recruiting, managing and retaining

volunteers for your sponsoring organization. This can be

challenging, especially if you are new to the community

you serve. That is why we are highlighting tips and tricks

for Volunteer Mobilization in this month’s, as well as,

future newsletters.

Part 1-Know What You Want Your

Volunteers To Do

Before you even begin recruiting

Know and define what your volunteer will be doing.

Define all the activities they will do. People will be more

likely to sign up to volunteer if there is a clear picture of

what they will be doing.

What are the specific tasks volunteers will be asked to

help with?

What are the populations volunteers will interact with

(young, veteran, low income, etc.)?

What is the time commitment you expect from

volunteers? Communicate this both in time of day or

week, and hours per month.

Do volunteers need to attend any trainings or

orientations before beginning their service? When and

where will they be?

Are there any particular skills volunteers should

already have when considering this position?

Is there anything volunteers will need to provide for

themselves during their service (work clothes, gloves,

etc.)?

Meet with other members at your site or your supervisor

to make sure you have taken all aspects of the position

into consideration!

Check out additional resources on the Washington

Service Corps Training Resources page found here.

Keep an eye out for other parts of volunteer mobilization

in future Newsletters!

Honoring our Veterans

Volunteer Opportunity

Veterans Appreciation

Volunteer Day

Join the Center for National Lands Management, Wolf

Haven International, and Sustainable JBLM for a day of

prairie restoration activities and veteran appreciation

while learning how veterans and active duty members are

helping to restore the South Sound prairies. This is a free

family-friendly event and there will be a BBQ to celebrate

the veterans. Dress for the weather and bring lots of

water. They will supply work gloves or you can bring

your own. There will be a meet up at Hawks Prairie Park

and Ride at 9:00 am. From there, volunteers will caravan

or carpool to Tenalquot.

Meet up address: 2548 Hogum Bay Rd NE, Olympia

Event Highlight

S&VEN ‘16

On Veterans Day, WSC AmeriCorps members serving

with Clark County Food Bank will be helping bring

students and veterans together for a day of service.

S&VEN is an annual service event in which about 300

veterans and high school students volunteer and come

together at Clark County Food Bank to help provide food

to the hungry. WSC AmeriCorps members will be

leading the teams of students and veterans in repacking

food that will be distributed to local communities.

If you are a veteran and you would like to participate see

the event page for more details.

Why is serving your

country important to you?

“For me, serving my country

is important because it's a

right to support our ways of

life, our belief standards, our

ability to be free to choose

where we live, what we wear

& how we interact with each

other.”

~ Paul Pollard

WSC and WRC Veteran and Active Duty Members:

Thomas Montley Wendy Parnell Caitlyn Pegus

William Weatherby Mark Anderson Kimberly Birely

John Grumbach Shery Williams Paul Pollard

William Edstrom Jr

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Left: WSC Member, Paul Pollard

served in the U.S.Navy on submarines.

Veterans Day

Around the State

What: Veterans Day

Where: Discovery Park (North Parking Lot

Meetup)

When: 8:30 to 10:30am

Other details: Register online at seattletrails.org

What: Changing of the Flags

Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena

When: 9:00 to 9:30am

What: Veterans Day Ceremony

Where: Capitol Rotunda in Olympia

When: 11:00am to 12:00pm

Look for these events around the

state on November 11th!