WINNEMUCCA - Seven AmeriCorps members participated in a preservice orientation on Sept. 5. Four more members will participate in a similar orientation on Sept. 11. AmeriCorps members are serving in a number of locations around Winnemucca, including Humboldt Volunteer Hospice, the senior center, Nevada Outdoor School, the Winnemucca Ministerial Association's Soup Kitchen, French Ford Middle School, and the Winnemucca Community Garden.
AmeriCorps members are also serving in Battle Mountain with the Lander County School District and in Wells at the Wells Family Resource Center. AmeriCorps members are recruited both locally and from all over the country and this year they hail from Oregon, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well as from Battle Mountain and Winnemucca, according to Cathy Yates, the local AmeriCorps program director.
AmeriCorps is a federally funded grant program whose primary goal is to encourage people of all ages to serve their communities. In exchange for a year of service, members receive a living stipend and an education award at the end of their service which can be used to pay for college or repay college loans. In Nevada, Nevada Volunteers receives the AmeriCorps State grant and Nevada Outdoor School receives a subgrant from Nevada Volunteers. The funds from this grant combined with matching funds from host sites supports 5 full time AmeriCorps members and 8 half time members.
All AmeriCorps members participate in preservice orientation before they can begin their service. In addition to receiving information about the history of AmeriCorps, members in Winnemucca participated in a Community Quest that allowed them to explore some of Winnemucca's historical locations. At the end of the day, Mayor Di An Putnam led the new members in a pledge to "get things done" for America.
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