Celebrate #MDDay with us in Bridgeport!

Started over 20 years ago by Points of Light, Make a Difference Day is the largest national day of community service in the US. For the second year in a row, we are partnering with Boo Bash Bridgeport to provide spooky fun for young and old alike on Saturday, October 25th!

We need volunteers to help with set-up, run the games, give out treats, paint faces, and keep the party going from 12 - 6 PM! Volunteer for a couple of hours or the whole day - contact Colleen at smiley9188@aol.com for more details and to RSVP!

As a thank-you for letting us know you're coming ahead of time, we will be giving away one of our brand-new AmeriCorps Alums Connecticut t-shirts to one randomly chosen volunteer who RSVPs by the 20th! 

What: Boo Bash Bridgeport
Where: Arcade Mall, 1001 Main St, Bridgeport CT
When: October 25th from 11 AM - 6 PM
RSVP: Colleen at smiley9188@aol.com by October 20th

Can't make it to Bridgeport to volunteer with us? Find out more opportunities to serve on Make a Difference Day at makeadifferenceday.com! Remember to tag us while you're out and about @AC_AlumsCT and #AmeriCorpsCT!

AmeriCorps 20 - Connecticut Celebrates Our Local Leaders!

In honor of AmeriCorps 20 we would like to recognize the following local alums (and alums who served in Connecticut) who live the pledge to get things done -

 "this year and beyond"!

Noor Al-Ghanem 
NCCC, Pacific Region 2010 and VISTA, 2011
Graduate Student – Elementary Education and Teacher
of Students with Moderate Disabilities, Leslie University, Boston MA

Michael Boswell
Connecticut Campus Compact VISTA, 2010 and Massachusetts Campus Compact VISTA, 2011
Foundations Relations Coordinator, America SCORES New England

Nicole Berube
Hartford AmeriCorps, 2000
Executive Director, City Seed, New Haven CT

Ginny McCalmont
AmeriCorps - Iowa Legal Aid, 2010 and 2011
Student, Yale Law School, New Haven CT

Danielle Correa
Connecticut Campus Compact VISTA, 2010
Special Project Assistant, Massachusetts Service Alliance, Boston MA

Tina Lindstrom
NCCC, Sacramento - Gulf Coast Recovery, 2006
Clinical Social Worker, Errera Community Care Center, West Haven CT

Monica Maccera Filppu
Teach for America – Washington, DC, 1995 and 1996
Executive Director, Great Oak Charter School, Bridgeport CT

Brian Mezzi
AmeriCorps - Boys and Girls Club, Mississippi, 2011 and VISTA, 2012
Community Engagement Manager, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Hartford CT

Kjerstin Pugh
VISTA, Dwight Hall at Yale - New Haven, 2011
Director of After-School and Summer Programming, Co-Op High School, New Haven CT

Oscar Robles
VISTA – Our Piece of the Pie, Hartford, 2010 and Public Allies Connecticut, 2011
Manager of City Learning Networks, US2020.org, New York NY

Is there an alum you know who didn't make the list? Contact us at connecticut@americorpsalums.org to help us share her/his story!

Twenty Years Later...Still Getting Things Done!

AmeriCorps Alums celebrate after the ceremony at the
Capitol in Hartford on September 12th, 2014.

This past Friday, we were so excited to join AmeriCorps members from throughout the state of Connecticut in celebrating AmeriCorps 20 and re-committing to a lifetime of service - this year and beyond.

Over 100 members and alums gathered to hear from members of the Connecticut Commission on Community Service as well as those who were there when the first class of AmeriCorps members was sworn-in at the White House in 1994.

Connecticut Chapter Leader Tina Lindstrom also spoke, encouraging the members who are just starting their journey to stay committed and continue to carry the ethos of service and community with them.

One person who definitely took his pledge to heart is Brian Mezzi, who joined alums on Friday evening at Barcelona Wine Bar as he was honored as one of ten Local Leaders here in the state. After serving as a VISTA at Boys and Girls Club in Mississippi, Brian has continued to support community empowerment and engagement in his current role as Community Engagement Manager at United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut - where he still spreads the word by talking about his service on a daily basis (us, too!). Visit our blog post for a full list of our AmeriCorps 20 Local Leaders.

The next day, we continued to celebrate AmeriCorps 20 and recognize September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance by serving alongside current members of PAVE New Haven and the Veterans Recovery Project, performing crucial invasive species clean-up in the Long Wharf Nature Preserve. Led by Urban Resources Initiatives, over 20 volunteers cleared the way for new tree plantings along the Long Island Sound in New Haven. Once completed, this area will act as a crucial learning spot for the urban students to learn about nature and science.

Tina Lindstrom serves in honor of
September 11th Day of Recognition.

AmeriCorps 20 is (Almost) Here!

Here's everything you need to know about the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary celebrations taking place here in Connecticut! Did we miss something? Send us an email at connecticut@americorpsalums.org!

Friday, 9:30-11:30 AM: Join members and alums from throughout the state at the Capitol Building in Hartford to re-commit to a lifetime of service! Forgot to RSVP or can't make it? Join us by pledging virtually at twenty.americorpsalums.org!

Friday, 6 - 8 PM: Wouldn't be a birthday without a party! We will be at Barcelona Wine Bar in New Haven to share stories and eat marinated mushrooms. All are welcome!

Saturday, 9:30 - 1:00 PM: In honor of September 11th Day and the 20th Anniversary, we will be joining current VISTA members and community volunteers for a day of service with Urban Resources Initiative. Meet us at the Sound School (60 S. Water St, New Haven), and bring your friends (and closed-toe shoes!).

BONUS: Stay tuned tomorrow as we announce the Connecticut's Local Leaders, alums who exemplify the meaning of getting things done this year and beyond!