NWF State College AmeriCorps Seeks Members
6/25/2012
The AmeriCorps program at Northwest Florida State College is seeking new members for its educational and environmental mission. Members receive a modest taxable living allowance and educational award in exchange for a set number of service hours to the local AmeriCorps mission. AmeriCorps is part of the National Service Network and is often referred to as the "Domestic Peace Corps." Its goal is to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to help meet communities' critical education, public safety, environmental, and other human needs.
"AmeriCorps is an opportunity to make a big difference in your life and in the lives of those around you," noted Laurie Von Kaenel, NWFSC AmeriCorps program director. "It's a chance to apply your skills and ideals toward helping others and meeting critical needs in our community." She noted that in addition to the living stipend and educational award, full time members may be eligible for additional benefits such as health care or child care.
According to Kaenel, the 2012-13 AmeriCorps members will serve 11 elementary schools in Okaloosa County and 3 elementary schools in Walton County. Members will participate in the school districts' Response to Instruction/Intervention Plan (RtI) to help improve instruction for students with disabilities and to the prevention of inappropriate identification of specific learning disabilities.
In addition to focusing on academic mentoring services with 7 full-time and 8 half-time AmeriCorps members placed in the participating schools, there will be 4 full-time AmeriCorps members placed with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance to work collaboratively with each school in implementing environmental education and outreach activities that will include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related curriculum such as water collection and conservation, storm water management, water conservation/chemistry, exotic/invasive plant species as well as native plants and grasses in classes curriculum. Members will work within the partnered schools and with the public to provide hands-on educational opportunities that teach families of school aged children to care about the environment in which they live.
Member Benefits for those selected to serve with AmeriCorps include: • 11 Full-time members: 1,700 hours of service from August 15, 2012 to July 31, 2013; a living allowance of $12,100 taxable gross ($1,088 monthly taxable gross), health insurance, child care and $5,550 educational award; • 8 Half-time members: 900 hours of service from August 15, 2012 to May 31, 2012; a living allowance of $6,406 taxable gross ($640 monthly taxable gross) and $2,775 educational award.
Interested applicants may visit the program website at www.nwfsc.edu/americorps or contact Laurie Von Kaenel at (850) 729-6037. The application can be printed off the website or picked up at any of the NWFSC campuses.
Attached: NWFSC AmeriCorps Photos from prior service years -- Working in local schools on learning gains and helping local school children plant native shore grass along Choctaw Bay as part of the Grasses in the Classes curriculum. ##