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AmeriCorps Headlines
AmeriCorps Headlines
Midyear Evaluations: Congratulations – you have officially reached the halfway point of the 2023-24 AmeriCorps service term! You received an email with key information on February 8th. Please be sure to complete your Midyear Evaluation (email from DocuSign) and AmeriCorps-102: Student Roster Report (email from research@relay.edu) by tomorrow, March 8th. Curious to know if we've received your items? Pop into the submission tracker (click here) - checkboxes next to your name means we have your materials!
Important Financial Notice: Failure to complete required midyear action items (Midyear Evaluation and AmeriCorps-102: Student Roster Report) or outstanding beginning of year items (AmeriCorps Orientation: AC-101) & Term Start survey) by 11:59pm ET, March 8, 2024 may result in early termination/release from AmeriCorps membership per the Member Service Agreement students signed before enrolling (Step 5). Once terminated from AmeriCorps, students cannot be re-enrolled and unable to complete the service term, therefore they will not be eligible to earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award in June 2024 (maximum value $6,895). You (not your employer) will be financially responsible for the tuition balance associated with the unearned education award.
Midyear Raffle: But wait, there’s more! If you complete required items and submit a member spotlight by 11:59pm ET tomorrow, March 8, you will be entered into a raffle for a $30 Amazon gift card! So, how do you submit a spotlight? Check out the Member Hub to nominate yourself (click here) or a fellow member (click here). Please also submit a picture of you in your classroom with AmeriCorps swag (wear lanyard, pin, or backpack and/or stand by the printed signage) to support@relay.edu. All cells checked off in our submission tracker means you are entered in the raffle. Stay tuned for Relay’s AmeriCorps team to announce a winner from each location March 15th.
AmeriCorps Signage: All members are required to post two printable signs in classrooms: 1- AmeriCorps Serves Here (please only print the state sign for which you are currently teaching) and 2- Prohibited Activities. If not already posted, be sure to click here to download signs and post in your classroom.
AmeriCorps Swag: 2023-24 swag items were delivered to your listed home address in January. Each member should have received a lanyard, pin, and backpack. AmeriCorps members are required to sport the “big A” while performing service, so we encourage you to at least wear your lanyard or pin daily. Please reach out to support@relay.edu if you have questions.
Tax Resources: Tax season is in full swing. If you used $600 or more of a Segal AmeriCorpsEducation Award in 2023, log into your My AmeriCorps Portal to access your 1099 tax form. You will see ‘My Tax Statements’ listed on the left hand menu. Please call the AmeriCorps Hotline at 1-800-942-2677 if you have any issues logging in. You can also locate links to more tax information on our Benefits & Resources page under Segal Education Award. Additionally, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offers free tax assistance to people with moderate to low income. Click here to read more and determine if you qualify for free tax preparation.
Free AllOne Health Webinars: The Member Assistance Program is available to members in Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Texas and includes free, 24/7 unlimited telephonic counseling services. Check out the Benefits & Resources page to learn more about these great services. Click here to check out free webinars coming up this spring including Eating Right for Life (March 13), and Managing and Preventing Burnout (March 27).
MLK Day 2024 Recap
MLK Day 2024 Recap
President Biden Joins Philadelphia Members in Service: AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith served with President Joe Biden and AmeriCorps members in Philadelphia. Philabundance, a hunger relief organization, hosted a meal-packing event where volunteers prepared pre-packaged meals to be distributed to the community. Click here to read more and browse pictures.
29th Annual MLK Day: MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. For nearly 30 years, the MLK Day of Service has grown, and its impact has increased as more Americans embraced the idea that citizenship involves taking an active role in improving communities. This year, thousands of Americans nationwide united to build the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dreams.
AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy: Florence Cunningham, an AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer in the Foster Grandparent Program, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Alabama in 1965. She continues to honor his legacy through service on the MLK Day of Service and throughout the year as an AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer. "We all have to work together to make this country go," Florence Cunningham writes in a personal essay for People Magazine. Click here to read the essay.
Service Highlights Across the Country: Nathanial H. Benjamin, AmeriCorps Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, was interviewed on Morning Drive to share about volunteer opportunities on MLK Day. Click here to watch an 8-min clip of their conversation. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona served with HandsOnAtlanta to help pack meals in Atlanta, GA. Volunteers in the Washington, D.C., area remembered Dr. King by participating in a massive clean-up. In Louisiana, the New Orleans Saints joined with AmeriHealth Louisiana to deliver fresh produce to community members during the MLK Day of Service. Click here to view even more highlights!
Relay AmeriCorps MLK Day 2024: Thank you to everyone who submitted a response to our MLK Day Survey. Cruise over to the Member Hub to view Relay’s social media posts and a sampling of Relay AmeriCorps member responses.
AmeriCorps Across the Country
AmeriCorps Across the Country
Colorado Lt. Governor Diana Dianne Primavera joins an AmeriCorps member and student in January. AmeriCorps members serving as tutors at Reading Corps work with the same student for 20 minutes a day, five days a week to develop stronger reading skills.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces 2024 Improving Student Achievement Agenda: In January the administration announced the agenda focusing on three evidence-based strategies to accelerate academic performance for every child: increasing student attendance, providing high-dosage tutoring, and increasing summer learning and extended or afterschool learning time. Check out the White House fact sheet and the Department of Education’s new guidance, which highlights the use of AmeriCorps to support these priorities.
Five Things to Know About Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Check out this blog post to learn more about how AmeriCorps members and alumni can take advantage of Public Service Loan Forgiveness. If you have additional questions about your federal student loans or want to discuss your specific circumstances, we encourage you to reach out to Federal Student Aid by emailing FSAengagement@ed.gov.
National Service Reports: Don't miss this year’s National Service Reports, reflecting the profound impact AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs, members, and volunteers made in all fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.To learn more about the impact of service in your state or community, visit the national AmeriCorps website to view and download your state’s National Service Report. Check out reports for a few Relay locations here: Colorado, New York, Tennessee, Texas.
On The Horizon
On The Horizon
AmeriCorps Week: Mark your calendars - Sunday, March 10th kicks off AmeriCorps Week! Each year, AmeriCorps designates a week in March as an annual celebration of all the ways national service members — like YOU — give their time and energy to improve communities across the nation. This year's theme is It’s Not a Moment, It’s a Movement. For 30 years, AmeriCorps has been turning moments of impact into a full-blown national service movement. Let's celebrate this incredible milestone together!
Be sure to check out Relay’s social media (Instagram, Facebook) and follow along on AmeriCorps’ Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn and the #AmeriCorps30 hashtag for the latest on AmeriCorps’ 30th anniversary.
Day of the A: Show off your AmeriCorps gear – new logo, old logo – it doesn't matter! Don your favorite AmeriCorps swag item or show off an AmeriCorps-themed arts and crafts project. Share a photo on your social media on Thursday, March 14, in honor of the #DayoftheA. Simply take a picture or video of yourself in AmeriCorps swag (t-shirt, lanyard, pin, backpack or other AmeriCorps item) and post on your personal social media channels with any (or all!) of these hashtags: #DayoftheA #AmeriCorpsWeek #NationalService #AmeriCorps30 #RelayGSE
30 Seconds of Fame- Share Why You Serve: America’s Service Commissions (ASC) would like to share video testimonials from current AmeriCorps members at the upcoming annual National Service Training. If you’d like to share why you serve with AmeriCorps, click here to record a 15-30 second video and also share any photos you’d like of your service.
Midyear Refresher Deck: Your student advisor may have already shared this helpful resource with you. Click here to view a few slides with information on what you can expect for the remainder of your AmeriCorps term (see slide 4). Look out for more information about End of Year action items next month.
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