AmeriCorps member Josh Stanley has been hard at work this year serving the Southern Humboldt community. He works for the Assisting Families to Access Change Through Resources (AFACTR) AmeriCorps program. The goal of the AFACTR program is to strengthen Humboldt County communities and families through collaborative work with Family Resource Centers and other county agencies. By providing families with preventive outreach and increasing the awareness of local resources, AFACTR AmeriCorps members are reducing family isolation, creating healthy families and improving outcomes for children and families.
Stanley works at the Southern Humboldt Family Resource Center at Redway School where he helps coordinate a monthly pediatric clinic, provides budget counseling, assistance with basic services such as access to food and clothing and other supports to parents. He works with enrichment activities at the after school program, with the peer mediation program at the high school and with Youth Alive! Stanley also helps to recruit community volunteers to promote health, fitness, and nutrition.
Stanley and the seven other AFACTR AmeriCorps members from Family Resource Centers throughout Humboldt County celebrate AmeriCorps Week with lunch at the Manila FRC followed by an afternoon beach clean-up event. He is currently helping to plan the Cesar Chavez garden day at the Redway AfterSchool Program garden and the FRC’s part-time summer day-camp program which will take place between July 9 and Aug. 15. He’s also one of the volunteer income tax assisters who will conduct two more sessions at the FRC in the next month.
Over the years several local Southern Humboldt community members have served in AmeriCorps including Jennifer Waters as an AFACTR member at the FRC, Raina Savage as a Straight Up AmeriCorps member at South Fork High School and Holly Coberly as a Straight Up member with the Redway after school program. Other former AFACTR AmeriCorps members who have served at the FRC are Amy Termeer, Debbie Frazier, Cristina Bauss, Danielle Daniel and Emma Worldpeace. Past AmeriCorps members in the community are invited to contact the FRC at 923-1147 to join in the recognition activities and be honored as service alums.
Since its inception in 1994, more than 574,000 Americans have given 718 million hours of service through AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps members across the country help students learn to read, mentor at-risk youth, provide health services, build homes for low-income families, and help nonprofits recruit more volunteers and better achieve their mission.
On April 21, 2009 President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which among other provisions puts AmeriCorps on a path to grow from 75,000 to 250,000 members by 2017.
AmeriCorps is accepting applications now for the 2013-2014 service term, especially for positions in Southern Humboldt County. To apply and become a part of the service work movement, visit www.AmeriCorpsWeek.gov. For more information on AmeriCorps programs in Humboldt County, visit http://www.rcaa.org.
Photo caption:
AmeriCorps member Josh Stanley
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