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Vermont is host and sponsor to a variety of AmeriCorps programs, ranging from emergency assistance to broader social & educational initiatives.

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Montpelier, Vt.--Forty-thousand Vermont veterans have been quietly helped over the last month by a group of young adults from across the nation. These veterans have had the information found on their military discharge recorded into a database at the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs by a ten member AmeriCorps team.  This will ensure these veterans can verify their military service and apply for the benefits they earned.

The office maintains paper copies of discharge records.  Knowing that these records are vulnerable to catastrophic damage, such as fire or flood, as well as the ravages of time, the staff has been working over the past four years to enter the information on these discharges into a computer database. It's been a slow process, and with the help of a volunteer they've recorded just under 15,000 records in that time.

"AmeriCorps has done something we could never do on our own," said Clayton Clark, Veteran Services Coordinator at the office.  "The team spent 2,000 work hours on this project in four weeks.  With our other responsibilities and small staff, it would take more than 10 years to do this work."

Governor Jim Douglas shares Clark's appreciation and will visit the team on Tuesday, which is the team's last day in the office.  "We're proud of Vermont's veterans, and that's why we need to protect the records that detail their service," said Douglas.  "This team's work will help make sure no veteran is denied benefits because they lack documentation proving their service to our nation."

The team is part of the National Civilian Community Corps, and over the past ten months they've served throughout the Northeastern United States helping non-profit organizations.  The team members are between the ages of 19 and 23, and their homes are as far away as California.  In addition to helping the office, they've volunteered at the Vermont Veterans Home and at the Homeless Veteran Stand Down in Burlington.

Their visit has been made possible by the generous assistance of Goddard College, who provided housing for the team.

For more information contact: Clayton Clark, Veteran Services Coordinator -- 802-828-3379

Members of the Youth Development Corps have...

Served 1,125 youths in twelve target communities with activities like "Dinner and Movie Nights" and "Breakfast Drop-ins," snowmobiling or cross-country skiing field trips, teen volunteer programs, after school adventure activities, self-esteem and life skills groups. The YDC has also established teen centers in several communities.  Homeless youth are among those served by these programs.

Taken youths who committed  offences involving drugs and/or alcohol on a tour of the Northeast regional Correctional Facility and to a work camp which, according to the youths' response, offered a new perspective on the consequences of anti-social behavior.

Northeast Kingdom Initiative (NEKI) AmeriCorps members have...

Through a Local Literacy program, attracted community partners for the America Reads Literacy Program in the Northeast Kingdom.

Worked with small rural schools and organizations like 4H and Vermont Leadership Center to provide enrichment activities for youths who live in this very isolated area.

The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) is the only organization of its type in the United States, having a holistic approach to regional development issues and dual goals of ensuring an abundant affordable housing stock while simultaneously preserving open natural lands and a working agricultural landscape. 

The Vermont Community Stewardship Program (VCSP), as an AmeriCorps project of VHCB, creates more stable affordable housing situations for Vermont residents while fostering a greater appreciation of responsibility for the environment. VCSP’s mission is to enhance the welfare and stability of Vermont’s communities, environment and its citizens through education, skill development, participation, and achievement. VCSP members serve in HomeOwnership Centers educating folks about the home buying process, in transitional housing shelters providing direct services for people finding themselves homeless, in subsidized housing developments providing out-of-school-time programming for youth, in Land Trusts and other housing organizations providing environmental education and stewardship measures for conserved lands. All members also mobilize other community volunteers to get involved and actively participate in community service.

For more information, please visit their website at: www.vhcb.org/vcsp.html

The DREAM Program, Inc is a Vermont Mentoring organization that partners college students with children from affordable housing communities in long-term mentoring relationships.  DREAM combines the best practices of mentoring and community development to provide a high-dose, low-cost program to the communities we work with.  We round off our school-year mentoring program with a fun and exciting summer program that includes community based activities and a summer residential camp for children.

Twenty members serve needy Vermont elders and adults with disabilities, helping them live independently in the setting they prefer.  Members assist with in-home tasks, and they present programs on successful aging and healthy living.  Building community partnerships and working with volunteers are also key activities.  Members are hosted at the Vermont's Area Agencies on Aging  in Burlington, St. Jounsbury, Barre-Montpelier, Rutland and Springfield. N2N members get together monthly for training or special projects. Visit the Neighbor to Neighbor website at: http://www.n2namericorps.org

Twenty full and part-time AmeriCorps members serve in rural schools and libraries, community non-profits and environmental organizations.   Members focus on early literacy, out of school programming and positive youth development, leadership, and volunteer recruitment.  AmeriCorps members also serve as leaders in summer youth programs and enrichment activities.

Twenty-four full-time AmeriCorps members work with community leaders to plan and implement a variety of youth activities. The goal is to strengthen Vermont communities through increasing coordinated, positive youth development activities while working to reduce conditions that place youth at risk of juvenile delinquency. Members will work with young people to help them design programs to suit their own needs and interests.

Twenty-four YouthBuild participants receive Education awards in exchange for service in constructing / rehabilitating affordable housing in Burlington. Participants will learn and gain valuable experience in all areas of home construction, as well as completing GED or high school graduation requirements. Participants also perform community service as part of the program. 

50+ Crew Leaders and Members will receive educational awards for their service leading, mentoring, and educating youth corps crews in state parks and trail crews over the summer and throughout the year. Many of the youth participants in VYCC's summer and year-round program are at-risk youth. Programs operate year-round. Summer-only positions begin in May while longer term positions begin in March.

Most positions are part time or reduced part time.

Vermont sites have included: Green Mountain National Forest, Keeping Track, Inc., Marsh Billings Farm, Merck Forest and Farmland Center and The Nature Conservancy.