Join us at the inaugural AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut annual meeting!

The AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut Leadership Board is excited to invite area alums, current members, and friends of service to our inaugural annual meeting, taking place from 6-8:00 PM on Wednesday, June 25th at St. Michael Church (29 Wooster Pl., New Haven CT).

At the meeting, we will be sharing highlights from the past year and honoring the 2014 Champions of Service Award recipients. Light refreshments will be served and we will be having a raffle to raise money to benefit future service projects.

Please RSVP via eventbrite:

• Current AmeriCorps Members: $5
• AmeriCorps Alums: $15
• Friends of AmeriCorps Alums: $20

Special thanks to Knights of Columbus Council 65 for donating the space and to the generous organizations providing raffle prizes: Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro, Barcelona Wine Bar, Pepe's Pizza, Message by Massage, and Woodside Massage.

Who are your Champions of Service?

Every year around this time, AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut celebrates individual and organizations who go above and beyond in serving our state with our Second-Annual Champions of Service Awards.

Awards will be presented at our inaugural annual meeting on June 25th in the following categories:

"Above and Beyond Member" - awarded to one current AmeriCorps member serving in Connecticut for their outstanding commitment to getting things done.

"Alumni Champion" - awarded to one alumni for their continued dedication to advancing civic engagement in Connecticut even after their service term!

"AmeriCorps Advocate" - awarded to one Connecticut legislator for their unwavering support for service throughout the state.

"Community Connector" - awarded to an outstanding not-for-profit organization or community member for their sustained efforts in providing impactful and rewarding service opportunities for AmeriCorps members and alumni.

Help us share the story of service by nominating an individual or organization using the online form at bit.ly/CTChampsOfService2014. Nominations will close on Monday, May 26th so nominate early and often!

Spring (and service) is in the air!

As we get ready to announce details for our upcoming (spoiler alert!) annual meeting, we wanted to share a couple of great service opportunities going on throughout the state:

May 12-14: Help canvass New Haven as part of the 100 Day Challenge to End Homelessness! This is a more aggressive count with a push to get 70% of the chronically homeless individuals housed by July 30th. Registry Week includes a walking canvass May 12 -14th (4 - 8 am). All Registry walking canvass volunteers must attend training on either May 5, 7, 9 or 10th or the training webinar on May 5 or 7th. For more information or to sign up, go to http://bit.ly/VolunteersOpenDoors or contact Jan McCray at jmccray@uwgnh.org.

July 27- August 1: Serve as a camp counselor in Andover with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Counselors will be responsible for assisting them with adaptive sports, activities, eating, toileting, etc. Our campers have a wide range of abilities. Some can walk unassisted, some use braces or other adaptive equipment, and others use wheelchairs. Note that all counselors will be given free training beforehand and there will always be MDA and medical staff at camp for its entire duration. Contact Nicole Ginolfi at nginolfi@mdausa.org for more information!

If you have an upcoming service project happening in Connecticut that you’d like us to highlight, please send along a brief description to us at connecticut@americorpsalums.org!