Blog AmeriCorps Week 2018
March 11-17 is AmeriCorps Week, where we celebrate the people and programs that serve America. This year we share how our ILCC VISTAs “Get Things Done for America.” Follow #GetThingsDone on Facebook and Twitter, or visit this site to learn more about AmeriCorps Week 2018.
RJ Swartz is serving as the VISTA for the University of Illinois Springfield. This week he and twenty students will be traveling to Beaumont, Texas to aid in Hurricane Harvey Relief. They are working with Community Collaborations International to help clean and reconstruct homes.
Nelisha Gray serves as a VISTA at Northern Illinois University. She created a support group for first-generation college students called Breaking Barriers. This support groups has helped students acclimate to college, learn about resources, and make friendships in a welcoming environment. A participant stated, “This group has been extremely beneficial to not only feel more at ease but in succeeding here at NIU.”
Matt Swinehart’s just finished his year of service last Friday. For the last twelve months he has been serving as the ILCC’s Communications VISTA where he got things done for America by supporting Illinois Campus Compact efforts to create more civic-minded education structures. He has created local capacity by developing intuitive digital workflows to connect ILLCC’s message with communities across Illinois. His impact will be felt as ILCC continues to tell the story of how civic education allows students to reach their full potential and become the next generation of public problem solvers.
Stacey Dixon serves as a VISTA at National Louis University’s Veterans Center where she helps veterans reintegrate into civilian life. This is hardly her first experience serving America though. She served for 21- years in the Marine Corps and was the first female science officer in the Marines. After retiring from the military she received an Ed.D. from Argosy University. Learn more about her story here.
McKenzie Sauer gets “Gets Things Done for America” by supporting a partnership between Milliken University and a Pre K -8 lab school. She works diligently through programs such as a one on one mentoring opportunity named My College Buddy, and through planning the 8th grade overnight at Milliken to help students believe that higher education is reachable for them.
Kiara Hardin currently serves at Roosevelt University as a Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of Experiential Learning. She “Get Things Done for America” by creating infrastructure that helps cultivate relationships between faculty, communities, and an array of organizations.
