• AmeriCorps Closeout: The 2020-21 service year is nearing the end! All Relay AmeriCorps members will be required to complete closeout steps by May 28th in order to be exited from the term and earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (if eligible). Please reference the email you received this past Monday, May 3rd for more information about all closeout steps.

• Attention Texas Members: We also strongly encourage you to complete the OneStar (Texas AmeriCorps Commission) Member Experience Survey by May 19th. Thank you in advance! Click to complete this short survey (10-15 mins). [Versión en español]

• Tax Resources: The IRS extended the federal tax filing deadline to May 17, 2021. If you used $600 or more of a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award in 2020, log into the My AmeriCorps Portal to access your 1099 tax form. You will see My Tax Statements listed on the left hand menu. Please call the National Service Hotline at 1-800-942-2677 if you have any issues logging in. You can also locate links to more tax information here on the Resources page under Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

• AmeriCorps Week Recap: March 7-13 marked the national AmeriCorps Week 2021. Relay celebrates all the ways national service members — like YOU — give their time and energy to improve communities across the nation. Head over to the Member Hub to check out member quotes featured on Relay’s social media and new Member Spotlights!

• Member Assistance Resources: If you serve in Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, or Texas, you have access to the AmeriCorps Member Assistance Program (MAP). MAP provides free, confidential, 24/7, unlimited telephonic counseling services. Two brand new resources have been added: Live Webinar Schedule April-June and Financial Hardship flyer (English Espanol). Read more about their offerings on the Resources page..

• Midyear Raffle: A huge shoutout to Relay AmeriCorps members who completed all three midyear action items by March 7th. In case you missed it, watch this video to see who won $30 gift cards in our raffle across the Relay Nation! Also, a big congratulations to Nashville and Atlanta — the first two campuses to have all AmeriCorps members submit both required actions! Nashville and Atlanta members, look out for a special swag delivery to your home address between May 19th- 28th!

• Vice President, Second Gentleman Visit Sites Where AmeriCorps is ‘Here to Help’: On March 22, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff continued the Biden Administration’s ‘Help is Here’ tour with stops in Jacksonville, Florida and Des Moines, Iowa. The visits highlighted programs that are reducing hunger, strengthening food systems, and supporting vaccination outreach and delivery. You can read the full article, which includes Vice President Harris’ powerful quote:

“That’s some of the most noble work any human being can do: to live a life of service. To protect, to support, and to lift up our neighbors. That’s what you guys are doing. So, I’m here on behalf of the President and myself to say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

• Get to know two new AmeriCorps Appointees: Mary Tobin, Senior Advisor to Wounded Warrior, Veteran, and Military Family Initiatives and Atalaya Sergi, Director for AmeriCorps Seniors are two of the new appointees selected in January by the Biden administration. Read about their service experience, which Black pioneer Atalaya wants to chat with, and advice for aspiring national service leaders.

• 100 Vaccination Centers Get a Boost from AmeriCorps: As part of President Biden’s commitment to safely vaccinate 200 million Americans before the end of April, the AmeriCorps federal agency for national service has deployed members to more than 100 vaccination centers and mobile clinics across the country to augment efforts by local, state, and federal agencies to get vaccines in the arms of eligible adults. With existing programs in more than 40,000 locations across the country, AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to bolster community response efforts to COVID-19. This article speaks to how #AmeriCorpsWorks!

• AmeriStories: Curious about how AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members and volunteers serve across the country? Check out this great page on AmeriCorps’ website that features stories of members who make a difference. One featured volunteer is 103 and still devotes 20 hours per week as a friend and mentor to people with developmental disabilities. Earnestine Williams has found the secret to longevity: service!

• Life After AmeriCorps Guide: As you approach the end of your 2020-21 service term, please know that this resource is available to you: AmeriCorps’ Life After AmeriCorps Guide. As Relay professional corps members, you have already embarked upon your career pathway as a teacher, so some of the sections in this guide might not directly apply to you. We’ve highlighted topics that may be especially helpful:

  1. 1. Share your Story (p. 3)

     2. Segal Education Award (p.7-8)

     3. Translating your Service to a Resume (p-22-23)

     4. Serve Again! (p. 40)

     5. How to Access your Verification of Service Letter (p.41)

• Alumni Resources: Calling all Year 2 students! Be sure to log on to Relay Connect to know what’s going on around the Relay Nation and stay connected. Also check out this AmeriCorps national webpage for AmeriCorps specific alumni resources and our internal Alumni resources.

• Official Exit Confirmation: Once you complete all closeout steps by May 28th, the AmeriCorps Team can officially exit you from the 2020-21 service term. (You can think of this as AmeriCorps graduation!) Upon official exit, you will receive an official exit email from our team with important Segal AmeriCorps Education Award information. Stay tuned in June-July for your official closeout email.

• AmeriCorps 2021-22 Enrollment Preview: If you are a current AmeriCorps member planning to return to Relay for the 2021-22 school year, please be aware that you will be required to complete a 2021-22 AmeriCorps application for a second year of service if your campus is AmeriCorps-eligible. However, you will not have to complete new background checks since we can use the Truescreen and Fieldprint checks you completed this year. Stay tuned for enrollment communications this summer!