INA, Ill. (March 9, 2015) - In honor of National AmeriCorps Week March 9 - 13, several Rend Lake College members will spend some time at a local grade school Wednesday to share the love of Dr. Seuss and volunteering.
Margo Wagner, RLC AmeriCorps Director, said several AmeriCorps students will go to the Primary Center in Mt. Vernon from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to do Dr. Seuss activities with children in the after-school program. These students are Wyatt Capps (Mt. Vernon), Jessica Connaway (Mt. Vernon), Malorie Garner (Mt. Vernon), Jaci Pelaez (Mt. Vernon), Maddie Michaud (Mt. Vernon), LaLa Rollins (Mt. Vernon), Courtney Scarbrough (Mt. Vernon), Elysia Piercy (Mt. Vernon), Mollee Sager (Mt. Vernon), Shelby Mitchell (Woodlawn), and Tyree Trimble (Mt. Vernon).
“I am extremely proud of our group of members this year,†said Wagner. “They have embraced the true meaning of volunteerism and civic engagement. We’ve done several projects and events, and they’ve all been outstanding representatives of the program and the college.â€
They are just a dozen of nearly 3,700 AmeriCorps members in Illinois currently volunteering. According to information from the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, those 3,700 members logged 238,817 hours of volunteer service, equaling almost $5.8 million in volunteer impact.
“AmeriCorps helps hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans each year,†said Scott McFarland, Executive Director of Serve Illinois, in a news release. “AmeriCorps members dedicate a year of their lives to their communities, and AmeriCorps Week is a time for the rest of us to say ‘thank you’.â€
AmeriCorps provides opportunities for individuals to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national non-profit groups. Since 1994, more than 35,000 Illinoisans have taken the AmeriCorps pledge to “get things done for America†through neighborhood cleanups, building homes, tutoring children, and much more.
To learn more about RLC’s AmeriCorps program, contact Wagner at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1351.