PERSONAL REWARDS

“ This program has done exactly what I’d hoped. It’s exposed me to an environment and responsibilities that I probably would not have engaged in otherwise."

"I would recommend Intermountain AmeriCorps to anybody on earth! I've gone through more learning experiences in the last eight months than most people do in four or five years."

"Before Intermountain AmeriCorps I was a really shy person and not very confident in myself. I have noticed a more confident person these past few months and a more educated person. The skills I have learned working in the schools are going to be a great help later on in my chosen career. Plus, the hands-on experience and knowledge I am getting from AmeriCorps will help immensely in my future classroom. AmeriCorps has helped me build skills in myself, which were lacking in some respect. I also thank AmeriCorps for the friendships I have created and the contacts that also have been created."

"I have had an amazing year of growth...coming halfway across the country, I never expected to meet such fabulous friends and explore such a beautiful part of the country. I realized children are beautiful, innocent windows into the simplicity of life. We need to seek them out more often. ”

"This year has given me so much experience and training that now I feel comfortable enough to go back to college and finish the teaching degree that I have wanted since 3rd grade. AmeriCorps is helping my lifelong dream come true."

"I think my biggest accomplishment is happening within. I am so happy to be a part of an experience that allows me to watch kids grow and learn in the educational environment. Although I don’t want to be a teacher I think this experience will help me be a better parent and community member now that I know what goes on in a classroom. I’m definitely relearning appreciation for the effort that goes into education."

"Going to college. Wow. A dream made reality. Without the skills and resources I've been given through Intermountain AmeriCorps it wouldn't have happened. I may have made excuses for why instead of using my energy to do. I see a future for myself with direction and meaning.”

IMPACT OF SERVICE

“I helped to organize and teach a computer class to youth and community members. At the end of the project we distribute 15 computers to the students and their families. It was amazing! To see how happy they were to learn about such a needed skill in our culture and then to get a computer at the end…something they may not have been able to afford otherwise. The impact was amazing!"

"The cross-age tutoring programs that have developed both during and after school are one of the most exciting things to watch. The hallways are often alive with one-on-one and small group tutoring, led by students, AmeriCorps volunteers, and community volunteers."

"Two junior high boys I worked with last semester come to school more often and come to after-school tutoring now. They have better grades now, but I’m struggling to help them get their science grades up above ‘F’. I think they are responding to my care, even though they don’t always like what I do. I’m helping them find ways to achieve."

"One of my success stories has been with a 5th grade girl named Elvira. At the beginning of the year she had little reading ability and confidence. She was reading at a 2nd grade level but with months of reading and determination she has moved up to a 4th grade level. Giving her confidence and encouragement has helped her immensely."

"One of my first graders, Juan, came back to school after being in Mexico for three months. Juan had not been attending any school in Mexico while he was gone. After working with him I found that he could not remember his alphabet. He had trouble with his sounds as well. He really wanted to catch up. In the following weeks Juan improved drastically. He now knew his alphabet and was beginning to read up to speed. I have never seen a first grader so dedicated to his work."

"I think that one of our greatest successes is that kids are asking ‘Can I read with you?’ EVERYONE, not just the ‘good readers’, wants to read with the volunteers. Often it is hard to choose a student to read with because so many are asking to read with you!

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

With members…

"So many of my teammates came here for a break to think about what’s in the future. I feel that we all support each other in our own journeys. I feel comfortable talking with them and I know they’re there for me. I think this bond was made possible by all the activities the Intermountain Team did together, all the Friday meetings, and especially SERVES."

"The relationships that I have developed with other members of the team and site staff are also one of the most memorable things that have occurred. It has been such an encouragement to become acquainted with such a diverse and intriguing group of people who all care so much and make unique contributions to that which they care about."

“My years with Intermountain have really been some of the best years of my life. I have met some amazing individuals and will remain in touch with them for the rest of my life. Intermountain created an atmosphere of support and growth.

With site staff…

"Nothing is accomplished in isolation. The results of the efforts put forth by the teachers, administration, staff, and our AmeriCorps team at Pateros are no exception to this. I see myself as part of a team that is making a difference in the lives of many!"

“Working with the Intermountain staff has been a wonderful experience. I am so grateful for all that they do for us as members. I have worked many jobs and never have I felt the support that the staff created for me, especially coming from across the country. The program created an atmosphere of support and growth. They saw us as individuals but strived for us to become united as a group. They saw us as equals in the organization, not employees. I don’t think I will ever find such a working environment as what Intermountain provided BUT I will try and bring their philosophies to any working environment I will be at in the future!”

With students…

"To see the smiles and other assorted amusing looks that greet me as I walk through the halls is an experience like no other. It is a reminder of all of the wonderful relationships that I have developed with the kids at my site. It has been a very difficult adjustment for me to be so far away from all of my closest friends this year. My dear friends often laugh when I say that my new best friends are 10 year olds."

"One of my accomplishments would have to be the relationship I have developed with the 5th graders at Manson Elementary. I feel a mutual respect bond between us. I believe interaction with the kids after school and out of school has played a major role in this relationship. I’ve showed the kids that learning doesn’t have to be hard work all the time, it can be fun. I’m happy to see progress in all the kids and enjoy the friendships I have made."

"One of the boys used to get physically ill at the mere mention of math (he threw up during math on my first day there). I quickly learned that when he got that panicked look on his face, it was time to pull up a chair next to him and work through the lesson with him. Now, instead of panicking, he waves at me and we work through the first problems together until he gets comfortable."

"I was out on the playground one day and noticed a little boy being picked on. I went over to see what the deal was. I noticed that the boy had many scars on his head and the other kids were making fun of him. Once I arrived the other kids seemed to run away in a hurry, afraid of getting into trouble. I talked to the boy and asked him why the kids were making fun of him. He replied that he had brain cancer and all the kids thought he was different. So I decided he needed a good friend. I try to go outside every other day and play catch with him at lunch time. Ever since I have been playing with him the other kids think he is cool. Just the other day he gave me a friendship bracelet. I feel I have made a positive impact on his life. Now he has a lot more friends to play catch with at lunch."

CHALLENGES

"My greatest challenge is still volunteer recruitment. Teachers and community members are not as interested as I would have hoped. Now, I am working on recruiting high school students in need of service hours to volunteer. I am also focusing new energies on business support through ‘adopt a classroom’, donating money for books and reading events, etc. I am still putting the word out for classroom reading volunteers. I am just expanding the options of those interested in supporting the Washington Reading Corps

"We started an after-school program. Some of the details of it have been difficult to work out. Our first obstacle was that we had too many kids to fit into the one room we’d reserved! Now we have two groups. Most 4th-6th graders go to the library and the 1st-3rd graders to go a classroom after school."

"My great challenge is keeping on top of everything. Between classroom tutoring, planning spring break, preparing after-school activities, visiting businesses and all other general VISTA work, I have been very busy lately. I have to keep a tight schedule in my planner. This is the kind of challenge I love because I am much happier and more productive when I am busy!!!"

"There are so many differences among people; stuff that makes each person unique. Making those differences fit together to form a team is a process that can be extremely difficult to participate in, yet the accomplishment brings joy to everyone."

"My school is very cramped. There is not a single empty room. At the beginning of the year this was a serious problem because we needed a place to do groups and tutoring. I have been using one teacher’s room on Mondays and Thursdays because she is in another building. But on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I use the nurse’s office. There are no chairs and no tables for a group of kids to work on. This has been fixed though, I think, because our principal got her new lunchroom tables and that made a space on the stage which I can use as a regular room."

"What a year. What an experience. What a long strange trip. Building bridges, developing relationships, laying groundwork for the future, defining roles, making contacts in communities. Teamwork, leadership, support, friendship, challenge and struggle. Perseverance and success."

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN

Intermountain AmeriCorps has served students and communities in rural school districts throughout North Central Washington State since 1993. The Intermountain Network consists of over 40 AmeriCorps members serving a rural, high poverty student population to improve their basic and essential education skills. Our members represent all walks of life. They are diverse individuals bringing a wide range of experience, talents and skills to our project from all over the United States. We offer college students and graduate students an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the fields of education, ESL, technology, and community development. Intermountain AmeriCorps is part of the AmeriCorps National Service movement. AmeriCorps offers opportunities for Americans to make a substantial commitment to serve their country, mobilizing at the local level to build a national movement for positive change.

We have many people who come from across the US to be part of our project. Typically over 60% of our members are from out-of-state. Some applicants are attracted to our project because they are taking a yearlong break from school to gain some "real world" perspective before committing to a particular field. Some come to us because they'd like more experience, and some because they would like to establish residency in Washington state and then get teaching certification here. Many are interested in gaining experience in working with our high migrant population.

About 40% of our current members are college graduates, and many more have some college. We also have some high school graduates who are moving on to college after their AmeriCorps experience. Then we also have some more mature adults who have had professional careers and are in transition or contemplating retirement and want to "give back."

We do everything we can to assure the success of our members -- and it starts with making sure that each person can meet the criteria to be a part of our project. We want each applicant to seriously consider the obligation that they make to a year of service as an AmeriCorps member. Intermountain AmeriCorps is an exceptionally rewarding opportunity if you come to the project with your eyes wide open and your mind and heart ready to absorb and capitalize on all the opportunity that is available to you.