AmeriCorps team ends Year-of-Service

AmeriCorps members Alissa Harbison and Meghan Powers spent the past year helping the Louisville Area Chapter educate the community on disaster preparedness.

The month of September is quickly approaching, and that means members of our AmeriCorps program are wrapping up another year of service. It seems fitting that the group's term begins and ends in September a.k.a. National Preparedness Month. Throughout the past year, our AmeriCorps have delivered more than 2,500 disaster education presentations at schools, businesses and health fairs, teaching people of all ages the importance of disaster preparedness. All told, the group helped educate 15,000 Kentuckiana residents.

While they are dedicated to preparing the community, our AmeriCorps also help respond to disasters like home fires and floods providing immediate assistance for those affected in the areas of client casework and disaster assessment. They travelled to the far ends of Kentucky, some even to Alabama where tornado struck communities are still recovering.

As a former AmeriCorps, I know serving might not be the easiest thing you ever do, but it can be the most rewarding. Daily tasks can go from tedious to exciting, leisurely to back-breaking, evoking a range of emotions in a matter of days, sometimes hours. That being said, I would like to congratulate the 2010-11 crew on completing all of the above and more. Their hard work has helped create a safer Kentucky and Southern Indiana and I wish them all the success in the world as they move on to the next chapter of their lives.

On Friday, July 29, this year’s team celebrated with a Professional Development Seminar meant to help prepare the group for their next career steps. Speakers from Fifth Third Bank, Red Cross and the Peace Corps focused on financial empowerment, resume writing, preparing for interviews and Peace Corps career options. For pictures from the event, please visit our Flickr page.