Keyword: Veterans
Military Mom Makes Time to Volunteer
By
Greg Tucker
“Where do you find the time?” is a question that could be posed to many parents, but the 2012 Volunteering and Civic Life in America (VCLA) report shows that many in this group are carving space in their busy schedules to help others in their communities. Allison Moore, a military spouse and mother of three young children in Missouri, is a prime example.
The demands of modern parenting don't leave a lot of spare time for volunteering, and raising kids ages 5, 7, and 8 adds another layer of busyness to Allison's day. Military moms like her also face special challenges above and beyond typical parental duties with solo parenting stints, short-notice deployments, and frequent moves becoming part of the routine.
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) researchers behind the VCLA report found that parents volunteer at a rate seven points higher than the general population and service peaks with parents in their late 40s. Public schools are often hubs for community activity, and parents often step up to help with any number of activities from candy sales to chaperoning events or trips.
Allison began helping out at Thayer Elementary School inside the military base when her kids reached school age, and just found herself becoming more and more involved. Now she spends about 40 hours a week at Thayer, including serving as an after-school tutor with the Waynesville AmeriCorps program that helps military children who often need academic help due to the frequent changes that come with military life.
The stay-at-home mom never saw herself working at a school, but once she started volunteering, she fell in love with the work. Allison says she does it for herself and her children, but everyone in the community benefits from parents like her that make time to help.
To discover other interesting findings from the Volunteering and Civic Life in America report, click the graphic above.
The Waynesville AmeriCorps program received a 2012 National Service Impact Award for its outstanding work in its community with military families. You can learn more about its work at the CNCS Service Impact Awards page.
Keywords:
UWS   
CNCS   
Veterans and Military Families   
VCLA   
Missouri   
Parents   
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Posted on
12/17/2012
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Around the country, December is welcomed as a month of hope and good cheer. It may be a season for the exchanging of gifts, or for the sharing of time and resources with community members in need. For many, it is also a time to gather together with loved ones to reminisce about cherished memories and create new stories that will be shared in the future. Such stories preserve the legacy of a family, the history of a generation, and perhaps most important of all, the story of a nation.
Keywords:
Veterans   
StoryCorps   
Senior Corps   
AmeriCorps   
   
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Posted on
12/7/2012
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As military deployments became more common for National Guard and Reserve troops, the emotional strain hits children left behind especially hard. Operation: Military Kids (OMK) supports military youth age 5-18 with outreach programs to help them cope with the stresses of being away from their parents serving far from home.
Keywords:
Service Impact Awards   
Veterans and Military Families   
AmeriCorps   
VISTA   
Operation Military Kids   
National Guard   
4H   
Arizona   
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Posted on
12/6/2012
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The transient nature of military life can make life difficult for students in military families, and many are stationed at Fort Leonard Wood for less than two years or experience parental deployment. They often have challenges with making new friends, fitting into social groups, and connecting with the community.
Keywords:
Service Impact Awards   
Veterans and Military Families   
AmeriCorps   
VISTA   
NCCC   
Education   
Missouri   
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Posted on
11/27/2012
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As President Obama said in his proclamation declaring November as Military Family Month, behind each service member "stands a parent, a sibling, a child, a spouse -- proud family members who share the weight of deployment and make profound sacrifices on behalf of our country."
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
CNCS   
Joining Forces   
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Posted on
11/26/2012
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The annual Veterans Day observance holds special meaning for veterans and military families across the Nation and around the world. It also has deep significance for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). We work closely with the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force and have a long and special partnership with the National Guard Bureau, which has a counterdrug mission. We honor the service of all active-duty military and veterans and salute their dedication and commitment.
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
CNCS   
CADCA   
VetCorps   
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Posted on
11/20/2012
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A day designed around the idea of “thanks” is a natural for those who want to give back. And as Americans have opened their hearts and wallets to disasters like the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts, there are many other ways to show thanks by helping those in need this holiday season.
Keywords:
UWS   
Hurricane Sandy   
Veterans and Military Families   
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Posted on
11/19/2012
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On Veterans Day, thousands of veterans around the country will spend their time doing what they know how to do best: serve others selflessly.
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
Veterans Day   
CNCS   
AmeriCorps   
FEMA Corps   
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Posted on
11/9/2012
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My name is Rebecca Lange and I am a proud alumna of the second class of AmeriCorps NCCC. I served at the Central Region campus in Denver, CO, from 1995-1996, a wide-eyed high school graduate looking for an adventure, a unique way to serve, and beyond excited to begin what I hoped to be an awesome life.
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
AmeriCorps NCCC   
Colorado   
Air Force   
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Posted on
11/9/2012
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On Veterans Day, November 11, we honor the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country and risked their lives to protect our freedoms. There are many ways to give back to the more than 23 million vets who have sacrificed so much.
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
Veterans Day   
UWS   
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Posted on
11/9/2012
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Recently discharged veterans shouldn’t have to struggle to find work when they return home from service, but they often do. AmeriCorps VISTA Heather Hays is helping vets make the most of a program that lets them serve their country in a new way while placing them on a pathway to permanent employment.
Keywords:
AmeriCorps   
VISTA   
Service Impact Awards   
California   
Veterans Green Corps   
California Conservation Corps   
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Posted on
10/23/2012
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After defending our country in locations all around the world, many veterans find more battles await them when they return home. A new initiative was announced today to support and ease the reintegration of returning service members, veterans, and their families as they search for jobs and support services.
Keywords:
Veterans and Military Families   
CNCS   
AmeriCorps   
Community Blueprint   
Points of Light   
Veteran Leader Corps   
   
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Posted on
10/9/2012
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In the aftermath of September 11th, we came together as a country to show that we were there for each other. This year’s National Day of Service and Remembrance once again reminded us of that unity.
Keywords:
Wendy Spencer   
September11   
Volunteer   
United We Serve   
Veterans   
AmeriCorps   
NCCC   
News   
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Posted on
9/14/2012
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Paul Reickhoff, president and CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has an idea about a great, untapped American resource. He believes national service models based on AmeriCorps to harness and leverage the skills of military veterans and can “help people think about us as the cavalry, not as a problem."
Keywords:
Veterans   
Iraq   
Afghanistan   
Joplin   
AmeriCorps   
UWS   
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Posted on
7/30/2012
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As we celebrate the 4th of July, we celebrate our patriotism and the millions who have shown their love of country by wearing the uniform. There are a few Veterans among us -- 16,000 so far -- who came home and volunteered for a second time and served their communities though AmeriCorps.
Keywords:
Veterans   
AmeriCorps   
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Posted on
7/3/2012
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For some veterans, it feels like another battle begins when they return home from serving their country – getting a place to call home.
Keywords:
Habitat   
Veterans   
Awards   
Service Impact Awards   
Challenge   
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Posted on
6/20/2012
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The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) just announced a tremendous commitment to support veterans and military families at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. From expanded grants to increased “people power” in areas of need, we are ready to stand with our soldiers to provide opportunities that will help them continue their service here at home while we serve their special needs.
Keywords:
Veterans   
AmeriCorps   
Grants   
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Posted on
6/19/2012
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For an aging individual coping with the loss of mobility, lack of proper foundations in and around a home can lead to difficulties remaining independent and mobile. This is especially true of our nation's veterans and as a nation, we have a duty to take care of these individuals how have sacrificed so much for our country.
Keywords:
RSVP   
Georgia   
Senior Corps   
Veterans   
Ramps   
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Posted on
5/11/2012
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My grandmother lived in Texas, and she would remind me that everything was bigger there -- including their hearts. The work of one person, empowered by a Corporation for National and Community Service program, demonstrates how thousands of people are making a Texas-sized impact on the lives of our nation's veterans.
Keywords:
Veterans   
Senior Corps   
VA   
RSVP   
SCP   
Texas   
VA Hospitals   
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Posted on
3/19/2012
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African American History Month has ended, and while the official celebration is over, our contributions to society don't end on any given particular day. Likewise, our African American service members continue to contribute and make history, even after they take off their uniforms for the last time.
Keywords:
Veterans   
CADCA   
VetCorps   
African American   
AmeriCorps   
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Posted on
3/5/2012
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Service has many meanings. To a member of the Armed Forces, service is duty, pride, and honor. Those of us who wear – or have worn – the uniform have a deep sense of conviction and purpose.
Keywords:
Veterans   
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Posted on
2/27/2012
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Today, a group of young men and women, many of them veterans, will stand up and pledge to “get things done for America”. They will join a legion of more than 750,000 Americans who have served in AmeriCorps and become the first class to also serve as VetCorps members.
Keywords:
Veterans   
Jobs   
CADCA   
VetCorps   
National Guard   
AmeriCorps   
VISTA   
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Posted on
2/9/2012
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Helping homeless veterans get off the streets feels like work Duane Magee was made to do, and his tireless quest puts him behind the wheel for thousands of miles each year to find them. He is living proof to vets that recovery from homelessness and incarceration is possible because their story is his story, and his quiet mission to assist them led to his nomination for a 2012 Martin Luther King Drum Major for Service Award.
Keywords:
Veterans   
MLKDay   
Homelessness   
California   
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Posted on
2/6/2012
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Of the 130,000 veterans in Idaho, more than 30,000 are registered with the Idaho Department of Labor to receive employment resources and job training. However, budget cuts have put this program in jeopardy.
Keywords:
AmeriCorps   
Veterans   
Idaho   
Jobs   
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Posted on
1/30/2012
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Many years ago, I stepped off a plane from Iraq and onto the tarmac at Pope Airfield in Fort Bragg, NC. The scene was filled with open arms, cheers, the sound of muffled grunts of joy as weeping kids jumped into the arms of their parents, and spouses' soft cries of love and longing. The sounds of reunions were deafening as they bounced off the high walls of the hangar -- it was a sound that I welcomed, and remember to this day.
Keywords:
Veterans   
Military Families   
Jobs   
AmeriCorps   
Senior Corps   
Green Jobs   
Conservation Corps   
   
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Posted on
1/23/2012
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As America's heroes return from war zones and transition back into civilian life, many are facing challenges finding work. Last month, more than over 857,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans is 13.1 percent.
Keywords:
AmeriCorps   
Jobs   
Veterans   
VetCorps,   
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Posted on
1/11/2012
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As America's heroes return from deployments abroad and transition back into civilian life, many are facing challenges in finding employment. With the unemployment rate among recently returned veterans hovering around 12 percent, these men and women who volunteered to courageously serve our country should not have to return home with bleak opportunities in sight.
Keywords:
Veterans   
AmeriCorps   
Jobs   
Colorado   
GreenJobs   
Ennvironmental Stewardship   
National Parks   
Firefighter   
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Posted on
1/9/2012
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Madison Street Veterans Association began about three years ago with a group of homeless veterans living in an emergency shelter in Phoenix. The veterans decided that they should band together to improve the conditions in the shelter for themselves and any veterans who showed up in the shelter. What a difference they made!
Keywords:
Veterans   
Homelessness   
Champions of Change   
White House   
Arizona   
VSO   
   
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Posted on
1/3/2012
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The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.Gov blog. In this series, we showcase news highlights that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
Keywords:
News   
AmeriCorps   
MilitaryFamilies   
Veterans   
SeniorCorps   
FosterGrandparents   
Environment   
Literacy   
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Posted on
12/12/2011
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Jennifer Byerly, 47, of Rockport, Indiana weathered the trials and tribulations of life, but has made the most of her circumstances through her service with AmeriCorps. She has also become a champion for those with intellectual disabilities.
Keywords:
AmeriCorps   
Inclusion   
Disability   
Indiana   
RedCross   
Veterans   
Medical   
   
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Posted on
12/9/2011
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