Just for a little background – my name is Melody Dickinson and I am an AmeriCorps member serving at the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.

Recently Jeanine made a site visit here at the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH). One of her questions stirred my mind, triggering me to reflect on my AmeriCorps service. Her question was simple and along the line of, “how has your AmeriCorps service impacted you?”  Although my AmeriCorps experience has had multiple impacts (building professionalism, stability, routine, etc.), the answer that came to my mind at the time was an increased level of volunteerism.

                I’ve always been interested in the idea of volunteering, but I can essentially count on one hand the number of times I have actually volunteered. I recognized volunteering as nice and ethically responsible, but it required time and commitment, something I seemed rarely inclined to give. I did have some volunteer experience that I was proud of, both one-time and long-term positions. Overall, however, I can admit that prior to AmeriCorps, my rate of volunteering was embarrassingly low. Nevertheless, since my term started, that rate has gone up and I can confidently attribute most of that change to my AmeriCorps service. Here’s how it happened.

                One major role as an AmeriCorps member serving at MCAH is to manage the Project Homeless Connect grant process for counties across the state. For those events occurring within a reasonable distance of my host site in Lansing, I make it a point to make an appearance. Being physically present at PHC events allows MCAH to not only act as a source of monetary support, but also to show their support through volunteering at the event. After the first couple PHC events, I grew familiar with the types of volunteer positions and now look forward to going and fulfilling one of those roles. I love being a part of the planning and the implementation. I find great joy in volunteering at PHC events, both as a representative of MCAH and AmeriCorps, and as a citizen looking to be a part of something positive.

Furthermore, as the Volunteer Coordinator, I’ve been doing reading and research on volunteerism and have realized that finding volunteers, especially for smaller non-profits, is not always an easy task. Keeping them is even harder. As a result of this realization, I have made an effort to find volunteer positions that I would be interested in, outside of my service time, and commit to them. I’ve been working a lot with refugees teaching ESL and helping students with their homework. I’ve also volunteered at various “one-time” service events, some relating to AmeriCorps and others not.

My point is not to toot my own horn. Rather, I hope to demonstrate just how AmeriCorps has influenced me to not only appreciate the idea of volunteering, but the act as well. I am confident that volunteering is going to play a key role in my future activities and I am really excited to see where it will take me.