Kori Redepenning Nominated for National Service Impact Award
Our director, Kori Redepenning has been nominated for a National Service Impact Award in education. Kori was a Class V Fellow and, in her year of service, Kori established the groundwork for an innovative member training program and played an instrumental role in the Massachusetts Intercorps Council, a statewide collaborative of AmeriCorps members that worked to build community across all programs in the state.
Kori was then hired full-time by MPF and began what has become a nine year commitment to supporting AmeriCorps members through their service experience, working with organizations to increase the services they provide to youth, and promoting the value of AmeriCorps and National Service to individuals and organizations around the Commonwealth.
Kori has led the program's expansion from 30 to 40 members. Under her leadership MPF has served over 70 host sites in over 30 different communities across Massachusetts and the 290 AmeriCorps members she has supported have contributed over 490,000 hours of service to young people in the state.At this time, the voting period for the award has ended and nominations are being reviewed.
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Yves Singletary Generates Change
This profile on a Mass Promise Fellow has been featured by the Massachusetts Service Alliance through their You Generate Campaign
Growing up, Yves was fortunate to have strong role models in his life who believed in him and his potential. He's acutely aware that not every young person is so lucky and because of this, Yves feels an obligation to make sure every young person has that same role model. For many, he is that caring adult the young people of Brockton need.
In addition to his role at AmeriCorps Massachusetts Promise Fellow host site working with the Youth Development Fellow, Yves helped to organize this year's Mayor's Youth Summit. The annual event, which provides teens with a forum in which to share issues and strategies with the Mayor, brings together more than 300 teens from across the city. "Volunteering isn't about saving someone from the life that they live," Yves says. "Volunteering is an opportunity for you to support others in discovering or enhancing the assets they inherently possess, so that one day they may eventually grab onto the star that may at one point have felt far out of reach." Through Yves' work, the young people with whom he interacts are, he says, becoming more knowledgeable about the opportunities and resources that are available to them. "Working with these young men and woman I notice them gaining the belief that they have more control over their lives than they previously believed." Yves Singletary - Youth Development Fellow |
America's Promise Alliance Leadership Opportunities
Youth interested in leadership opportunities can apply to the America's Promise Alliance for the following positions:- Board of Directors Member
- Alliance Trustee
- 100 Best Communities Judge
- Journalism Judge
APA Youth Leadership Opportunities |
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Dear Fellows, Friends & Supporters,
It has been an exciting few months for MPF. On April 21st, we held our 4th Annual Statewide Day of Service, Opportunity To Serve, and hosted projects in Lynn, Roxbury, Holyoke and Worcester.
Big thanks to everyone who made this day possible. On May 15th, we hosted the first MPF Day at the State House and we were excited to have an opportunity for our Fellows, Alumni, and Board members to have an opportunity to talk about the great work that MPF is doing.
As we officially move into the summer season, we will get to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our Class XIII Fellows as they graduate on Friday, July 27th. We are extremely proud that we will be graduating 100% of our members and are inspired by their work and dedication.
Thank you to all of you who have made this year possible.
Have a great start to your summer!
Best,
Kori Redepenning, Director
Colleen Holohan, Member Development Manager
Paul Bologna, Legislative & Communication Associate
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MPF Day at the State House
On May 15th, MPF hosted its first Day at the State House event where staff, board members, Fellows, and alums came together to meet with members of the Massachusetts Legislature to discuss their work, the Fellowship, and national service. The briefing was sponsored by Senators Sonia Chang-Diaz, Thomas McGee, and James Eldridge and Representatives Denise Provost, Smitty Pignatelli, and Elizabeth Malia. MPF staff members spoke about our program and its statewide impact and board members Rich Bielecki and Eli Pimentel emphasized the Massachusetts Service Alliance's need for support in the Massachusetts Senate.
We were very happy to have Senator James Eldridge and Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier attend and meet with current and former MPF members. Staff members from the offices of Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Representatives Smitty Pignatelli, Louis Kafka, Gloria Fox, and Robert Fennell were also in attendance and bore witness to the great energy that the Fellows carry with them everywhere they go.
After the briefing concluded, alums and Fellows partnered up and visited the legislature offices with MPF host sites in their districts. Fellows talked about their work with youth and what their specific host site does while alums explained how MPF is funded and asked for support for the Massachusetts Service Alliance.
The MPF Day at the State House was a big success. Thank you again to everyone involved. This day was a coordinated effort from every corner of the Fellowship. We pulled our weight together at the State House!
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| Opportunity to Serve 2012
On Saturday, April 21st, MPF held its 4th Annual Opportunity To Serve Day which consisted of Fellows, alums, friends and youth participating in service projects throughout Massachusetts. Planned by the MPF Youth Board, the day was an opportunity for our volunteers to make an impact in the communities of Roxbury, Lynn, Holyoke and Worcester.
In Worcester, volunteers participated in a citywide cleanup that helped in reducing the amount of waste on neighborhood streets and beautifying the City. The impact made by MPF volunteers in particular was felt throughout the day as they were on hand to do everything from picking up trash to working on landscaping projects, as well as serving burgers and hot dogs when it was time to celebrate the accomplishments made that day.
MPF volunteers also served in Holyoke where volunteers worked hard to reclaim "the Dingle" and improve the walking conditions on the wooded path connecting the Peck Full-Service School and the high school in Holyoke. This project involved laying down new gravel on the trail, clearing away brush to make way for new plants, and creating "wish flags" with positive messages to be strung up along the Dingle. According to Fellow Site Coordinator Stacey Funston, "The desired end result was a safer and more beautiful path that community members will be proud to walk every day to school or to work." MPF was excited to be part of the first step in what will be an ongoing community service project for students in Holyoke.
Girls Inc. of Lynn not only gave volunteers first-hand experience in cleaning up the beaches of Lynn, but the day was also an opportunity to educate participants about the current conditions of beaches around Massachusetts. Fellow Site Coordinator Sahar Momand said that MPF volunteers inspired others to join in the efforts, "It was great to learn about the impact of trash on the beach and get to participate in cleaning as well as see other people getting involved and helping when they saw us cleaning the beach." All of the volunteers were able to make a difference and learn how they could continue to support these efforts.
At the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club, volunteers created murals depicting both agency logos and City landscapes that will be installed at the Club, as well as donated to the Club's supportive partner organizations. A special highlight of the day came when Councilor Matt O'Malley visited the Club to present our volunteers and MPF with a City resolution that recognized April 21st, 2012 as "Opportunity To Serve Day," in the City of Boston. Councilor O'Malley also got a chance to check out the murals and speak with many of the volunteers.
We are grateful for the support of the MPF Youth Board, Northeastern University, Councilor Matt O'Malley, the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc. of Lynn, the Peck Full-Service School, the Regional Environmental Council, and all of the Fellows, youth, and volunteers who contributed their time to make a statewide impact! Thank you for helping us to keep the promise!
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MPF Alum Anita Yip Awarded Eli J. Segal Entrepreneurship Award
AmeriCorps Alums, Points of Light's national network for all alumni of AmeriCorps service, has selected two winners of the prestigious Eli J. Segal Entrepreneurship Award. Since 2002, the award is the highest award given annually to alums who demonstrate the essence of citizen service that Segal so well embodied.
Anita Yip, 26, of Framingham, Mass., and Ryan Sarafolean, 27, of Saint Paul, Minn., have been selected by a panel of service leaders as the winners of the prestigious award. Both model Segal's entrepreneurial spirit for service through the founding of their respective organizations which meet critical needs in their communities.
"Both Anita and Ryan stand out as great representatives of AmeriCorps Alums and the commitment to a lifetime of service that is shared by all alumni of AmeriCorps," said Ben Duda, executive director of AmeriCorps Alums. "Anita embodies the inspirational cycle of service as she grew up being mentored by an AmeriCorps member. Ryan is a proven social entrepreneur and emerging voice in the global social justice field."
Anita served with the Fellowship from 2009 to 2011, first at the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston as their Volunteer Management Fellow and then at the Boys & Girls Club of Boston as their Capacity Building Fellow. In 2011, Anita co-founded the Jasmine Asian Women Giving Circle in response to foundations giving less than one percent of philanthropic dollars to organizations and programs assisting Asian women, a desire to build a safe and supportive community among Asian women, and the need to collaborate to create lasting change. Her extensive community work includes helping raise more than $100,000 in financial and in-kind donations for eight organizations since 2007.
"I see myself as someone who actively asks and seeks to answer three questions: 'What social issue is my passion? How can I make a difference? How can I make this happen?' I'm constantly in a cycle of exploring, doing, learning and improving," said Yip on her growth as a social entrepreneur.
Both of the award winners gain lifetime membership into the illustrious Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program, will be recognized at this year's National Conference on Volunteering and Service, and will receive a cash prize of $5,000 to be used to continue their citizen leadership efforts and/or community initiative.
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| MPF Featured in Let's Talk Magazine
The digital publication "Let's Talk Magazine" wrote a great feature on MPF last April.
""There's nothing more powerful than knowing that your year will make a difference in your life and others and will potentially have a legacy beyond your time," Amaad Rivera, former Fellow, stated.
Rivera served from 2004-2005 at the Holyoke Youth Task Force as Coordinator for the Holyoke Youth Mission. While serving in Holyoke, Rivera developed a series of civic engagement initiatives, such as the KidsVote, which, in its first year, rallied over 2,200 young people to cast their ballot."
Read more here:
Fellows Commit a Year of Service to Local Communities
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