AmeriCorps celebrates 20 years of volunteerism

KENNY KEMP | Saturday Gazette-Mail

KENNY KEMP | Saturday Gazette-Mail Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts Kay Goodwin raises her fist after swearing-in the new class of AmeriCorps volunteers on the Capitol steps Friday. Hundreds of current and former AmeriCorps members were in attendance to celebrate the program's 20th anniversary.

In 1994, the very first class of AmeriCorps volunteers would have barely filled one row of steps outside the state Capitol.

On Friday, hundreds of AmeriCorps volunteers lined the Capitol steps in a sea of matching red shirts along Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston. They were gathered to complete the annual swearing-ceremony and celebrate the program's 20th anniversary. Kay Goodwin, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, led the volunteers in the pledge ceremony, which she regularly does.

During her speech, Jean Ambrose, the first state director of Volunteer West Virginia which oversees AmeriCorps, recalled the inaugural ceremony.

'It was a day very similar to this day... The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day and we were starting something really new in our state and in our country.'

The AmeriCorps program was born when President Bill Clinton signed the National Community Service Trust Act in 1993.

'Back in the day, we had a vision that this wasn't just the start of another federal program... We were concerned with making West Virginia a better place and supporting volunteerism,' Ambrose said after the ceremony.

When the program started in the Mountain State, fewer than 30 people volunteered to serve in two AmeriCorps programs throughout the state. On Friday, 180 AmeriCorps volunteers took the pledge to complete one year of service to one of the 12 AmeriCorps programs in the state. In addition, around 100 AmeriCorps alumni were in attendance to support fellow volunteers and celebrate their year of service.

As a first-year AmeriCorps volunteer, Jennifer Kahly said the initiatives of the Farm to School program inspired her to serve. Working as a farmer and substitute teacher in Terra Alta, Preston County, Kahly said she's excited to be a part of a program that works to get fresh, local produce into school systems. 'We are helping to navigate the intersection between the state institutions and the farming for profit,' she said.

Fellow Farm to School volunteer Tammy Stein works with five schools in Fayette County to give teachers and students the tools they need to adopt garden-based learning. She has helped the schools to build on-site gardens.

In her second day as a LifeBridge AmeriCorps volunteer, Wendy Shamblin, resident of Cross Lanes, admits that she doesn't have much experience volunteering in her community.

'Being almost 32 now, I thought the opportunities I could gain through this [program] would help me. I'm a grad student at West Virginia State University. I'm working towards making my life better,' Shamblin said. She will join fellow AmeriCorps volunteers John Dolce and Marquia Ivey to serve WVSU's recruitment and retention needs.

Dolce and Ivey participated in a AmeriCorps service project held Friday morning, prior to the swearing-in ceremony. The pair, along with hundreds of current and former AmeriCorps members picked up trash across Charleston.

Stephanie Yu, executive director of Volunteer West Virginia, said 83 bags of trash were collected across various Charleston neighborhoods. Groups of volunteers worked on the West Side, East End, around the downtown area, at Magic Island and along the Kanawha Boulevard.

Yu said she's impressed with the program's progression from its inauguration and thankful to her predecessors.

'The history is pretty incredible. When you think about what they had to do and think about in the beginning, it blows your mind.'

While speaking to the crowd, Yu offered an inspiring challenge to close.

'I'm going to say that your service isn't just about what you accomplish this year ... . I'm going to argue that your impact is much bigger than that. It's about spreading the ethic of service. It's about standing up in front of people and saying 'I am willing to help.' It's about leading by example so that in 40 years or 70 years or however many you've got left, you can look back and say 'What I did was worthwhile. I served.'

Reach Anna Patrick at anna.patrick@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.