“My experience with the ABLE program has been one of the most rewarding educational collaborations of my 25 years in public education. The support provided by the ABLE leadership team including recruitment, volunteer training and support, communication and administration of the grant, and genuine interest in impacting our community is exemplary! I have found that the program has proven not only to have a positive impact on our school, but has contributed to the development of our future educational professionals. My experience this past year has impacted my recruitment of professionals at my school, promoting AmeriCorps ABLE volunteers to the top of my candidate pool.”-Dr. Hank Stopinski, Principal of Health Sciences Charter School

AmeriCorps Builds Lives through Education (ABLE), a program of The Service Collaborative of WNY, mobilizes men and women in national service to revive and strengthen educational environments, expanding opportunities for today's youth and transforming America's future – one student, one classroom, and one community at a time. ABLE members tutor students and develop educational programming to enhance educational environments in Buffalo, NY. While in service, ABLE members develop into leaders, positioning themselves for a lifetime of transformational service and civic responsibility. Since 2004, over 1,800 individuals have committed to a term of service with the ABLE program while making a positive impact on the 35,708 students who have been served thus far.

A landscape made up of over 18,000 abandoned buildings and homes, a high school graduation rate of only 47% and local universities being faced with brain drain, Buffalo lacks the appeal for young professionals to stay and see the potential this historic city has. Of the 45% of members who move to Buffalo to serve, the majority of them stay to continue reviving the third most impoverished city in America. Members play an active role in strengthening the city with their involvement in education, as well as the arts, the environment, human services and volunteering. Over their term, members see a clearer picture of the city they serve and fall in love with it. Their initial idealism turns into action and hope as they take a hands-on approach in the transformation of education in Buffalo. ABLE members embody the fact that AmeriCorps gets things done and commit to the city's improvement well beyond their term of service. Throughout their on-site experience and member trainings, ABLE members are better equipped to teach in urban environments. One site supervisor even said, she prefers to hire teachers with ABLE experience because of their preparedness. ABLE was designed to revive and strengthen educational environments, but member development and engagement is pivotal in redesigning the landscape of the city and transforming America's future.