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SERVICE FOR EMPLOYMENT
In today's tough economic times, job creation and attainment are top priority. Putting Michiganders back to work is critical to our economic future, as well as the success of our state and citizens. At the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC), we are doing our part to improve the employment trend in our state. From funding programs which focus on workforce development to providing meaningful volunteer opportunities which boost resumes and build networks, the MCSC has joined the collective effort to put Michigan back to work. Read on to learn how service and volunteering are being used as a powerful and effective tool to overcome the unemployment challenge.
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Goodwill Industries AmeriCorps Members Help Put West Michigan Back to Work
The Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids AmeriCorps Partnership has been utilizing AmeriCorps members to provide employment assistance since 2007. Serving eight west Michigan counties, including Kent, Ionia, Montcalm, Osceola, Isabella, Clare, Gladwin, and Mecosta, the 20 Michigan's AmeriCorps members at Goodwill Industries serve in Workforce Development Programs to help vulnerable populations enhance their job skills and training.
Services in Goodwill's Career Center, GED Tutoring, Financial Opportunities Center, and Mock Interview Programs are all facilitated by Michigan's AmeriCorps members. These services support a variety of special populations, including people with disabilities, individuals exiting corrections or welfare systems, homeless veterans, and more. By providing assistance with assessments; conducting individual planning and goal setting; identifying and obtaining necessary services such as transportation, child care, or job skills training; and helping clients to prepare for, find, and most importantly, keep a job, Goodwill Industries AmeriCorps members are empowering individuals to change their lives through employment.
Michigan's AmeriCorps member Paula Blumm saw this empowerment first hand when recently assisting a shy, soft-spoken woman in her early 30's. This woman had been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for some time and had temporarily lost custody of her son because she could no longer provide for him. After completing the Certified Nursing Assistant program at Goodwill, the shy young woman was able to obtain a job in a nursing home and quickly came to the Goodwill Financial Opportunities Center to get assistance with getting her finances under control.
With Paula's help, the young woman was able to file taxes for the first time in two years and is now budgeting 50 percent of her paycheck to save for a reliable car. As a result of her gained independence, the young woman is now permitted to have her son on overnight and weekend visits, with hopes of regaining full custody in the near future. Paula and the young woman are now working towards her long term goal of ending her SSDI benefits and becoming completely self-sufficient.
This young woman is just one of many success stories shared by members serving at Goodwill. In the last year, AmeriCorps members at Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids allowed the program to provide job training services to nearly 4,000 participants and place nearly 1,000 individuals into jobs, proving that service can and is a powerful resource for combating unemployment.
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 Volunteering
For Your
Career And
Community:
An Employment
Solution
People frequently say they volunteer because it makes them feel good. While this altruistic sentiment is wonderful and inspiring, volunteers may actually be helping themselves as well, simply by helping others. Today's employers frequently see volunteer and service experience as a valuable resume asset and seek prospective employees who have spent time giving back.
Why? Because volunteering and service, although mostly unpaid, provide many of the benefits of an employed position. Volunteers receive valuable training, develop new skills, and manage projects the same way that employees do. In addition to enhancing their workforce talents, volunteers and national service members are placed into workplace environments where they learn how to function in a team, resolve conflict, and are exposed to a new way of doing things that can be beneficial to their next position. Lastly, volunteering and service experiences, which can be used to fill employment gaps for new grads or transitioning career professionals, provide a great opportunity to network with employers who may have helpful connections or future available positions.
Service and employment are so closely correlated that communities with high rates of volunteerism have been found to have lower rates of unemployment. In October, the National Conference on Citizenship, a Washington, D.C. think-tank, released a report entitled "Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?" This study found that cities and states who participated heavily in five areas of civic-health, including volunteering and working with neighbors to address community issues, as well as registering to vote, voting, and attending meetings, experienced less unemployment. This means that in addition to helping yourself and those that you serve, you can actually be helping to improve your local economy by giving your time to help others.
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 Pathway to Employment: An AmeriCorps Success Story
Kaelin Hand graduated from college in January of 2010 and filled her time as a substitute high-school teacher while she awaited a permanent teaching position. However, like many of today's college graduates, Kaelin grew frustrated and impatient as time wore on. After interviewing for positions and receiving no offers of employment, she decided to spend a year in the education system as a Michigan's AmeriCorps member.
Since August of 2011, Kaelin has been serving with the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency (MARESA) in Marquette, Michigan. Through this program, she has assisted students with disabilities and unique learning needs in special education classes. Additionally, Kaelin has learned about alternative teaching techniques while serving in the career and technical education programs at MARESA. Through her AmeriCorps experience in an unfamiliar education system, assisting all sorts of students and individuals, Kaelin has found her teaching abilities greatly enriched. Now at the end of the school year, Kaelin's term of AmeriCorps service is winding down. Happily, her service year has equipped her with both the confidence and skills she needs to begin competing again in the job market.
Kaelin's year of dedication and service have rewarded her well. "Last year before accepting my AmeriCorps position, I interviewed for a humanities teaching job at a private high school in East Haddam, Connecticut," explained Kaelin. "The school serves students with nonverbal learning disorders (NLD), including Asperger's syndrome. When I visited, I tried to picture myself teaching at the school. I could, but I still had some reservations about my ability to adequately work with this population of students. Unfortunately, at that time I was not offered a position at the school.
"Now after serving with AmeriCorps this past year, and through my work with transition students and other students with special needs, I am confident that I can effectively teach and support NLD students. My confidence and interest in teaching students with special needs was apparent this past spring when I interviewed at this school for a second time. Happily, I was offered a teaching position this time around! I could not be more excited and self-assured in my capabilities. I thank AmeriCorps and the opportunity I was given through service to overcome my fears and discomfort. I am grateful that my year of service has promoted these changes in me and better prepared me for a future working in education."
Like many of her fellow AmeriCorps alums, Kaelin has found AmeriCorps to be a pathway to employment. By providing the skills, training, confidence, and experience that employers are looking for, AmeriCorps and other volunteer opportunities are building the next generation of professionals through service.
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Are you ready to answer the call to serve and kick-start your career? Join others across the state in improving the economy and lowering unemployment by volunteering your time and services. To explore volunteer positions that fit your skills and interest, search our volunteer portal online.
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About the MCSC
The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism. In 2011-2012, the MCSC is granting nearly $8 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities. The MCSC is funding 24 AmeriCorps programs and seven Volunteer Michigan grantees. The Governor's Service Awards and Mentor Michigan are also premier programs of the MCSC.
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