Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service : Healthy Futures

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England currently manages three AmeriCorps Programs: Great Strides Rural Education Corps in ME, NH, and VT; The Emergency Response Corps in ME, NH, and VT; and The Community Resource Corps in ME. All programs incorporate volunteers in service to meet a critical community need, whether Education, Emergency Services, or Volunteer Management. To best meet these needs, Goodwill AmeriCorps has created Member Leadership Teams, an innovative approach to build a foundation of collaboration and resource sharing amongst Members while cultivating leadership opportunities and delivering significant community impacts.

These Member Leadership Teams consist of: Service, Communications, and Esprit de Corps Teams. The Communications Team compiles the Goodwill AmeriCorps Newsletter. The Esprit de Corps Team coordinates team building and socials and celebrates the accomplishments of fellow Members. The Service Team coordinates Host Site exchanges and service projects, providing for an opportunity of shared resources, ideas, and collaborations.

The Service Team was integral in making significant impacts on MLK Day. A committee of AmeriCorps Members planned, organized, and implemented a tri-state project: MLK Day of Muvment: Reintroducing u to Movement. This project focused on decreasing the incidence of obesity through nutrition and exercise. Members encouraged others to “put the u back in movement,” being a catalyst for change, starting with improving one’s self. 68 AmeriCorps Members led 32 projects in three states. They recruited 92 volunteers and involved 1,117 individuals in nutrition, health screening, and exercise. 550 pedometers were distributed to participants through a grant received through the Maine Commission for Community Service. Events included, but are not limited to, “Movin’ & Groovin’” at the Maine Discovery Museum, blood pressure screening at the local United Way, community Yoga classes, a nutrition lesson on the 5-2-1-0 program provided to local elementary students, Winter Wellness Day at schools, a basketball tournament and jump rope contests. Projects received much excitement with some Members being asked to continue their efforts by offering nutrition education and exercise events throughout the year.

Members continued their Impact long after MLK Day through outreach during AmeriCorps Week; providing 63 AmeriCorps Week outreach efforts, ranging from editorials in local newspapers, presentations to community organizations, blog/website articles, You Tube clips, and AmeriCorps information tables at colleges/schools. Member leadership skills are recognized by the local community, with six Goodwill AmeriCorps Members receiving state Governor Service Awards in the past four years!

It has been astounding to watch Goodwill AmeriCorps Members take on leadership roles in ME, NH, and VT. With the combined efforts of three AmeriCorps programs, Members make a significant impact in rural Northern New England. Member Leadership Teams impact will continue through 2012-2013 proposed Goodwill AmeriCorps programming: Stateside Service Veterans Corps in ME, NH, and VT, Granite State Education Corps in NH, Multilingual Leadership Corps in ME, and Great Strides Rural Education Corps in ME, NH, and VT.

Attached to this submission are pictures from the MLK Day of Muvment and video/photos from the AmeriCorps Week Outreach projects.