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Welcome
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From the Desk of the Inclusion VISTA: Shana Holet
Inclusion AmeriCorps*VISTA | Welcome! As we enter a new
program year, the emphasis on the importance of collaboration, capacity
building, and service as a strategy is greater than ever. AmeriCorps, Senior
Corps, and Learn and Serve programs are making their mark by engaging
volunteers and using innovative thinking to positively impact organizations and
schools. As part of this national service community, we need to continually
view ourselves as change agents working toward eliminating poverty and meeting
community needs. This month's e-newsletter focuses on National Days of Service
and how they can be used to increase volunteerism and educate the community
about service opportunities.
National Days of Service
have evolved around the simple fact that communities of people want to shape the
place they live, work, play, and serve - including community members with
disabilities.
Poet and motivational speaker, Dan Wilkins said, "A community that excludes
even one of its members is no community at all."
All streams of service - AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve - can
use community collaboration to ensure individuals with and without disabilities
can be change agents during National Days of Service. For additional
information about how you and your organization can play a key role in these
efforts, I hope you will join us for the MCSC's first-ever Disability/Inclusion
Week October 4-8 (see article below).
Although my term of service
as the Inclusion AmeriCorps*VISTA is drawing to a close on October 8th,
I look forward to remaining connected to Michigan's national service community.
It has truly been a pleasure learning about each of your programs and working
closely with many of you. Inclusion is an ongoing process and I am thrilled to
have played a part in helping to expand opportunities to individuals with and
without disabilities in this great state.
If you have any questions about disability/inclusion or would like to
see a specific topic covered in future newsletters, feel free to contact Megan
Sargent at sargentm1@michigan.gov or
(517) 241-3494. We're here to serve you!
To
see past editions of IN Touch you can access the archived versions by visiting
the Resources section of the Disability/Inclusion section
of the MCSC website.
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Quote:
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
statement about what it takes to serve reminds us to be inclusive of all as we
plan for events and National Days of Service throughout the upcoming program
year:
"Everybody can be great...because
anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't
have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full
of grace. A soul generated by love."
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Resource: Michigan National Service Directory
As you plan service projects
and events during the upcoming program year, don't forget to utilize Michigan's
National Service Directory! The directory is a new tool containing information
about AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, and Senior Corps programs across the state
of Michigan.
The
MCSC created the tool in an effort to connect interested individuals with
respective national service programs in their area and to assist current
national service programs with member recruitment. It also allows national
service program staff and members to quickly identify the different groups and
organizations in their area that have a similar programmatic focus for the
purpose of establishing collaborative partnerships. Users
are able to search by their city or county, by service program, and/or by
program focus/issue area. Each search will provide relevant contact information
for each national service program listed.
Visit: www.michigannationalservicedirectory.org
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October 4-8, 2010
Join MCSC for Michigan's First-Ever
Disability/Inclusion Week:  The first-ever
Disability/ Inclusion Week will be celebrated by the Michigan Community Service Commission
to help empower national service programs, volunteer organizations, mentoring
programs, and others to make service a part of the lives of individuals
with disabilities. Mark your calendars to participate October 4 through October
8!
This
week-long effort will raise awareness about disability and inclusion while
engaging programs and organizations in the various efforts of the MCSC and
connecting them with valuable tools and resources to help serve and connect
with people with disabilities.
We encourage members of the volunteer, national service, and
mentoring communities to join us in the following ways:
- Facebook:
Join us online, during
the week of October 4, as we connect you with various disability/inclusion
resources, links, and great stories.
- Michigan
Community Service Commission
- Learn and Serve - Michigan
- Mentor Michigan
- Michigan's AmeriCorps
- Twitter: Follow us on Twitter as we share with you various disability/inclusion resources, links, and thoughts. Check out our hashtage: #inclusion.
- @MCSConline
- @learnandservemi
- @MentorMI
- @miamericorps
- Webinars:
Join us during four
separate webinars scheduled for the week of October 4 as we provide resources
and information related to disability/inclusion efforts in general volunteer
organizations, national service programs, K-12 schools, and mentoring
organizations. Information and resources will hopefully help participants
achieve the following goals:
- Connecting you to the various resources for recruiting individuals with disabilities.
- Discovering resources for engaging individuals with disabilities in service.
- Encouraging your service environment to become more inclusive.
Want
to help us promote the 2010 Disability/Inclusion Week? Download our promotional flyer and post in your office!
Registration information for
each webinar is provided below.
We look forward to engaging you during our
first-ever Disability/Inclusion Week!
Michigan Community
Service Commission Disability/Inclusion Week Webinar
Monday, October 4 at 10:00 a.m.
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/490740410
National Service Disability/Inclusion
Week Webinar
Tuesday, October 5 at 10:00 a.m.
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/989677690
Learn and Serve - Michigan
Disability/Inclusion Week Webinar
Wednesday, October 6 at 3:30 p.m.
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/148117154
Mentor Michigan Disability/Inclusion Week Webinar
Thursday, October 7 at 10:00 a.m.
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/227437459
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Using
National Days of Service to Engage People with Disabilities:
When people are asked to
commit to a long-term volunteer position or serve in a specific capacity, they
may be hesitant to say yes. This can be especially true for individuals with
disabilities. These individuals may experience chronic health conditions and
are not sure if they will be healthy enough to carry out the commitment; or they
may be worried that aspects of the service activity will not be physically
accessible to them. One-time service events, like the Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Day of Service or Make a Difference Day, can provide a way for individuals to
try out different volunteer activities without the pressure of a long-term
commitment.
Participation in short-term
volunteer opportunities can help individuals get to know an organization or
learn what skills they might have to offer in the future. They are also a great
way for organizations to establish a connection and build a
relationship with potential new volunteers and/or donors. National Days of Service are a perfect fit for
planning short-term events or activities. To expand your recruitment efforts,
think about doing targeted outreach to the disability community around one of
the following National Days of Service: - Make A
Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored
annually by USA WEEKEND Magazine and its 700 carrier newspapers. Make A
Difference Day takes place on the 4th Saturday in October each year. The 2010
Make a Difference Day will take place on October 23.
- Martin Luther
King, Jr. National Day of Service (MLK Day) is a federal holiday held on the
third Monday of each January that celebrates the life and achievements of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. The 2011 MLK Day will take place on
January 17th. The MLK Day of Service was initiated by Congress in
1994 and has since developed into a national day of community service. Thousands
of service projects take place across the country grounded in Dr. King's
teachings of nonviolence and social justice. For highlights of Michigan's 2010
MLK Day of Service, visit the 2010 MLK Day Recap.
- Global Youth
Service Day (GYSD) was established in 1988, takes place in more than 100
countries, and is the largest service event in the world. The 2011 GYSD will take
place April 15-17 and will involve children and youth from around the world partnering
with family, friends, schools, community and faith-based organizations, media,
corporations, and public officials to make a positive impact locally,
nationally, and globally. The annual campaign celebrates and mobilizes youth to
improve communities each day of the year through volunteerism and
service-learning to address the world's most critical issues.
- Join Hands Day
is a program of the National Fraternal Congress of America that specifically
targets and develops relationships between young people and adults through neighborhood
volunteering. Youth and adults work together on an equal basis to plan, organize,
and implement volunteer activities. Join Hands Day is held the first Saturday
in May. The 2011 Join Hands Day will take place on May 1.
- The September 11
National Day of Service and Remembrance is an effort
launched in 2002 by 9/11 family members and support groups. It became
officially recognized following the passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve
America Act of April 2009.
Here are some additional
resources to help you with the inclusion of people with disabilities in service
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Senior Corps:  Gloria McCracken oversees the Foster Grandparent program of
Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee
Counties. The Foster
Grandparent program is for adults age 55 and older who want to make a
difference in a child's life. Volunteers with disabilities have volunteered
through this Foster Grandparent Program for more than 25 years.
Senior citizens - including those with disabilities - have the ability
to volunteer and serve children in their communities. Whether these volunteers
experience physical or cognitive disabilities, each individual has a purpose
and is capable of providing individualized attention to children. Service sites,
such as daycare centers, are carefully selected so volunteers can achieve success
and make the most impact on youth. Placements at sites that serve children with
developmental disabilities provide an opportunity for volunteers to assist
children with simple exercises, crafts, and verbal stimulation. Other examples
of activities include playing games or providing companionship during meal time.
Mary Friend was a volunteer Foster Grandparent with Post Polio Syndrome. Mary
volunteered with children with disabilities for more than 25 years, serving as
a positive example to everyone she knew. Mary would get up at 4:30 a.m. five
days a week so she would be in her wheelchair and ready to ride to Richfield
Public School Academy in Flint.
She volunteered until this past June when she passed away at the age of 92. There are others like Mary who may just need
an extra nudge to consider joining programs like Foster Grandparents. We hope you will remember her story as you
recruit volunteers with and without disabilities during the upcoming program
year.
Upon receiving recognition for volunteer-service well done, a Foster
Grandparent, who also happens to have a developmental disability, stated, "It
is amazing to see the joy on a child's face who has received much needed
individualized attention."
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About the MCSC:  The Michigan
Community Service Commission is firmly committed to providing access, equal
opportunity, and reasonable accommodation in its programs, activities, and
materials. Please call (517) 335-4295 to
request accommodation or to obtain materials in an alternate format.
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