AmeriCorps Alums is now part of Service Year Alliance!

In an effort to boost the service year field and advance shared missions, Service Year Alliance officially acquired AmeriCorps Alums in March of 2018. Service Year Alliance is an organization dedicated to making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. Register to stay involved.

Spring Clothing Swap!

This event is free and open to everyone!

Donations will be accepted to help AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut get things done in our state: $5 suggested, but no one will be turned away. Join us!

Bring clothes you no longer want ... and look through clothes that others bring to swap! It's a great way to be green by recycling clothes just hanging in your closet or stuffed in your drawers. Any clothes left over will be donated to a local organization.

We're also looking for volunteers to help us out at the event:

• 8:45a - 10:00a: Set-up & Sorting
• 10:00a - 1:00p: Assistance during Swap (greeting, sorting, etc)
• 1:00p - 2:00p: Clean-up & Bagging

Email americorpsalumsct@gmail.com if you're interested in helping out!

AmeriCorps Alums CT Spring 2018 Clothing Swap
Saturday, March 17, 10a - 1p
New Haven: Dwight Hall at Yale | Center for Public Service and Social Justice

Life After AmeriCorps...

Interested in attending (or speaking at) the Life After AmeriCorps panel discussion at The Lyceum, in Hartford, this Friday, March 9th? Please contact Julius for more information.

And, be sure to stay in touch with us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/americorpsalumsct/

Special Message from Tina Lindstrom

Dear AmeriCorps Alums and Connecticut National Service Community:

It is with profound appreciation that I inform you that I will be stepping down from the Chapter Leader position of AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut. The work of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Alums is incredibly important, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute in a leadership role. AmeriCorps service is more than a year of service, it is a commitment that we “carry this year and beyond.” Although I will continue to carry this commitment with me, it is time that I step down in order to let others lead as our chapter continues to grow and evolve.

I have served as the Chapter Leader since its inception in 2010. Our chapter started as an informal group of three AmeriCorps Alums planning AmeriCorps Week activities and “parties with a purpose” out of our apartments. In seven years, AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut has grown increasingly involved in advocacy work, professional development events, the creation of the InterCorps Council, and of course, countless volunteer events.

Some of my most gratifying memories include preparing and serving dinners at Homes for the Brave--8-10 of us in the kitchen preparing meals, connecting over chopping garlic and seasoning chicken; the professional development event with Brandeis University -- discussing social justice oriented graduate programs and careers; and, finally, when Representative Rosa DeLauro joined us to celebrate 2015 Mayors Day for National Service at City Hall in New Haven. These are memories I will cherish and carry with me.

AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut still has much room and opportunity for expansion. We are seeking dedicated AmeriCorps Alums who embody the AmeriCorps pledge to share their vision and energy to facilitate the continued growth of AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut, specifically through the roles of a new chapter leader as well as other board leadership roles.

I sincerely thank all of you for your commitment to service, and the opportunity to lead such a dedicated and compassionate AmeriCorps Alums Chapter. AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Alums have a very significant and special place in my heart. Since my AmeriCorps NCCC service in 2006, I’ve never left the AmeriCorps community, and I don’t plan to anytime soon. I will continue to help and serve on the board as a proud Alum and to “Get Things Done” in Connecticut!

In Service & All the Best,

Tina Lindstrom
AmeriCorps NCCC, 2006-2007

Let's Remember: AmeriCorps Week 2017

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate, serve, and learn with us in honor of AmeriCorps Week! It's an uncertain time for national service, but we feel like the future is in good hands based on all of the AMAZING alums, members, and friends of national service we caught up with this year!

Letter writing - thanks to reSET for the space!

As always, more pictures and the most up-to-date information on future events is available on our Facebook or Twitter. You can also sign up for our semi-regular e-newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/bCOcin.



Professional Development & Advocacy
On Tuesday, March 7, Service Year Alliance Regional Director Laura Thompson joined us to share some news about how we can join the Service Year movement to fight to save national service through powerful storytelling. Inspired, we put together a #LetUsServe Pizza Party to write letters to our representatives, which were then hand-delivered by a Connecticut AmeriCorps alumni delegation led by the amazing Claudine Fox!

Celebration 
Mid-week, we crashed PAVE New Haven's social event at BAR - where we ate pizza (#poweredbypizza) with current members and alumni from across the state.

Service: Homes for the Brave
We ended AmeriCorps Week by cooking tacos for the men served by Homes for the Brave and the women served by Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes in Bridgeport. Thank you to Homes for the Brave for letting us invade your kitchen and to all the alumni and members who spent their Sunday with us. Definitely one of our favorite and most meaningful service projects - hope to see you next year!

The team at Homes for the Brave