americorps + habitat

Sandy and I, the current AmeriCorps*VISTA members here at SGV Habitat, recently joined over 600 other AmeriCorps members who work with Habitat affiliates all over the US for a leadership conference in Talladega, Alabama. We spent the week attending various seminars on topics ranging from position-specific (grant writing/fund development for Sandy and faith relations for me) to general Habitat for Humanity International updates (such as advocacy and global builds). Though the seminars were (mostly) really interesting and a great way to learn how to become better assets for our affiliate, the real benefit of coming to Alabama was networking with other AmeriCorps members. It was great to meet (or hang out again with friends I met during the Build-a-thon in Iowa in June) people who have similar jobs, share similar passions and face similar challenges. We were able to share best practices, hear about new ideas other parts of the country are developing and join forces to come up with more solutions to common problems (i.e. the current economic crisis creating more difficulties in fundraising)... and it was also nice to have people who could sympathize with the very modest AmeriCorps living allowance. :) Since I am finished with my VISTA year in just under a month, spending a few days surrounded by hundreds of people who are actually doing something to make the world a better place was the perfect send-off.

If you are interested in learning more about the AmeriCorps program, feel free to visit our affiliate page or the AmeriCorps home.