The S-Files

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Tholia Lewis, who is serving with the Milwaukee Justice Center (MJC). Tholia discusses her service assisting members of the public at the Milwaukee County Courthouse in several ways, including serving as a courthouse navigator, helping them complete forms needed for different processes, and providing information at their help desk, as well as assisting people calling their helpline prior to coming to the courthouse. Listen in to learn about Tholia’s experience serving during the initial year of the MJC AmeriCorps program and how she is gaining experience helping people navigate the court system before beginning law school. 

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Morgan Westlund, who has been serving over the last year with the Green Bay Conservation Corps (GBCC). Morgan discusses the service she has done so far this year in the city’s parks and other outdoor spaces, serving part-time during the school year while completing high school and then full-time this summer following her graduation. She describes how much of her service over the winter was focused on restoration and removing invasive species, while her service over the last several months has featured a variety of projects and plantings. Morgan also highlights how her participation in the leadership pathway program with GBCC and the experience she gained earlier in the year have led her to become the crew lead for one of their three crews this summer, leading the crew based at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. Listen in to learn about how serving with the Green Bay Conservation Corps while completing the classes for both her high school diploma and an associate degree has opened up several opportunities for Morgan and how she hopes to build upon this experience as she continues her studies in college while majoring in environmental science. 

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Kourtney Carrico, who recently completed her third term with Easterseals Wisconsin as their Transitions Coordinator. Kourtney discusses her service leading programming for individuals with disabilities ages 16-25 to help them gain skills and experiences to support their transition into adulthood. She describes the Transitions Weekends that she organized for campers four times a year, including field trips to allow for job exploration and activities to learn skills for preparing meals, doing interviews, cleaning and packing, and going online safely. Listen in to learn about how Kourtney will be leading the inaugural Transitions Week at Easterseals Wisconsin Camps this summer and to find out how Kourtney has been able to bring the experiences and knowledge she has gained both as a special education teacher during the year and as an AmeriCorps member to impact the different students and campers with whom she has worked the last three years. 

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Kathy Esposito, who served this year with Schools of Hope at Lowell Elementary in Madison. Kathy discusses her service this year as a literacy tutor, from helping some of her students learn their alphabet and letter sounds to helping others build up their skills and confidence for more challenging books. She describes how she came to her AmeriCorps service this year after a career in journalism and with a passion for language and literacy, finding enjoyment working with the students to develop their reading skills. Listen in to learn about how Kathy has been able to serve neighborhood students at the same school her own children attended and some of her favorite books for helping her students become better readers.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Rowan Russell-Berry, who is currently serving with Schools of Hope at Lake View Elementary in Madison. Rowan discusses their service this year as a literacy tutor, describing the different activities they are doing with and their work coordinating and supporting volunteer literacy tutors at the school. Rowan describes several additional projects they are working on this year, including the program-wide Books of Hope project that provides books to all of the students the program serves, a new interactive training for volunteer tutors in the Madison Metropolitan School District, and new surveys to gauge student attitudes as readers. Listen in to learn how Rowan has worked to boost student interest and enhance participation in literacy tutoring, incorporated song writing, comic writing, and a dice rolling story creation activity, as well as forging connections with students through assisting with the walking school bus program and numerous clubs at the school.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Angelica Morales, who is currently serving her fourth AmeriCorps term with the Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services (WAHRS) at Pathfinders in Milwaukee. Angelica discusses her service over the last four years at the Pathfinders Youth Shelter, which provides short-term shelter for adolescents aged 11-17 and crisis counseling for older youth. She describes the assistance she provides for youth, including her role in the intake process, their intervention plans, and group meetings, as well as the overall support, guidance, and supervision she provides during their stays at the shelter. Listen in to learn how Angelica has grown to love working with youth through her AmeriCorps service at Pathfinders, as well how she has found opportunities to use her artistic abilities to help providing education and awareness about a variety of topics.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Brittany Arnold, who is serving this year with the Green Bay Conservation Corps. Brittany discusses how she has helped educate the public and engage the community in volunteer service projects through numerous outreach efforts. She also describes the different conservation projects she has worked on so far, including native species maintenance, clearing invasive plant species, and preparing seeds for planting later this year. Brittany discusses how she came to the Green Bay Conservation Corps after working on projects alongside them previously as part of the Brown County Food Forest Coalition. Listen in to learn how she is serving while studying sustainable agriculture and brings her passion for agroforestry to her service, educating people about the plants around them and helping them try different edible plants, like baby dandelion leaves.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Sam Greenberg, who is serving this year with the Green Bay Conservation Corps. Sam discusses the service he has done this winter with the Green Bay Conservation Corps while he is between seasons fighting wildland fires in the American West, which he typically does each year in Washington. He describes his service over the last few months, which has primarily focused on clearing invasive plant species from parks and public lands in Green Bay, as well as participating in community outreach efforts and volunteer projects.   Listen in to learn about how Sam has brought his experience to his AmeriCorps service with the Green Bay Conservation Corps and participating in its leadership pathway program and the difference he hopes to continue to make in the future.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Julie Wilson, who is serving with Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) Recovery Corps at the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley in Eau Claire. Julie discusses the Sober Strong program that she created to provide support to women in early recovery from substance abuse disorder, including how she was inspired to create the program based on her own experiences in early recovery. She describes the recovery support meetings and group exercise classes she holds for program participants, as well as the recovery coaching that she provides to individuals throughout the week. Listen in to learn about how Julie has drawn upon her own recovery journey to help others and educate the public and the future steps she hope to take to continue helping women in recovery.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Sigourney Vandeveer, who is serving her second term with Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) Community Corps at the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes in Green Bay. Sigourney discusses the multiple ways she helps provide activities for girls in underserved communities that otherwise might not be able to participate in the Girl Scouts, including sessions during the school day, after-school programming, and staff-led troops. She also discusses her experience leading girls during summer camp and the opportunities she has had to expand the reach of those she serves through participation in numerous community events across the year.  Listen in to learn about how Sigourney uses her specialty in origami at a strategy for connecting with the girls she works with and to help teach several things at once, as well as the overall joy she finds serving at the Girl Scouts that is “bundled up in cookies and laughter and friendship bracelets.”