UW Oshkosh Americorps - What is Happening?

Email received from Americorps Connects program:

UW Oshkosh CCDET (Center for Career Development and Employability Training) operated the AmeriCorps Connects program from 2004-2011. This program was created as a tutoring program, but in recent years, has received fewer requests for AmeriCorps members to tutor and more requests for members to perform general capacity building activities such as volunteer management, school activities, and marketing at nonprofit agencies throughout Northeast Wisconsin. In order to better serve area agencies, a new program with a focus on nonprofit capacity building was created to replace AmeriCorps Connects. The new program, SERVES (Supporting Efforts, Recruiting Volunteers and Enhancing Services), would expand efforts to include sites that did not fit within previous program goals.

Due to national cuts to AmeriCorps funding, UW Oshkosh’s new AmeriCorps program, SERVES, was not funded for the 2011-2012 program year. However, UW Oshkosh CCDET recently submitted 2 proposals requesting funds for two new AmeriCorps programs at UW Oshkosh for the 2012-2013 year. CCDET will receive notification of funding in May or June of 2012.

Vet Corps

20 veterans and military family members will serve as AmeriCorps members to leverage an additional 100 veteran and military family volunteers in nonprofit community organizations in the Fox Valley Region of Northeast Wisconsin. The program will provide meaningful service opportunities to support veterans in their transitions from military to civilian life. The CNCS investment of $68,714 will be matched with $37,883 from local sources.

SERVES

58 AmeriCorps members will leverage 700 volunteers as part of capacity building efforts in nonprofit community organizations in Northeast Wisconsin. As a result of members’ efforts, organizations will be able to more effectively serve their clients. SERVES will improve the lives of disadvantaged community residents as a result of supporting nonprofits’ missions. The CNCS investment of $274,028 will be matched with $94,175 from local sources.

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Oshkosh School Food

October is National Farm to School month.  Our community has identified and responded to the need of providing food to our children, both through our expanding serving of free & reduced lunch, offering of breakfast, and providing a limited number of families with food for the weekend.  It is obvious to anyone involved that child learning when hungry is extremely difficult and ineffective.

The next step is to help improve our school food programming is the improvement of food quality - Moving away from individually packaged, bleached, artificially-enriched, mushy imitations.  Instead, serving real food, fresh food, things grown in the country, midwest, state, and when available, in Northeast WI. 

There are numerous programs that the community could explore to move towards healthy, fresh, local food.  According to Farm to School:

The choice of healthier options in the cafeteria through Farm to School meals results in consumption of more fruits and vegetables with an average increase of 0.99 to 1.3 servings per day, including at home.

Schools report a 3 to 16 percent increase in school meal participation when farm-fresh food is served through Farm to School programs.

Farm to School programs open new markets for farmers and help expand their customer base by raising awareness about local food systems.

Here is an example of the progress one Appleton school made in partnering with Natural Ovens to provide "a healthy nutrition program for students. Non chemically processed foods, low in fat, salt, sugar, and fresh fruits and vegetables are a basis for the program. 

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Krause Explores Disconnect

Thank you to J Krause, failed assembly candidate and word vocalizer with local 1490 AM, for sharing the insights of an average uninformed and oblivious white collar on the impacts of individuals and (not known to Krause) the collective effect of multiple individuals on the environment with which they reside and interact.

Thank you, because he shows the extent of work that is needed to inform those in our community that remain ignorant as to how individual actions impact the environment and local community, as well as how such actions when viewed in millions add up to massive effects.

You can read the collection of words here.

Interesting journalism piece in other respects as well:  attempt to discredit an event / group of individuals and organizations by not commenting at all about any of the programming, the programmers, nor the topics, but showing how little you know or how shallow your reflective capacity is.  Some might call that lazy.  Others may just call it an inflammatory and baseless collection or inarticulate words spliced together with the theme of self-revelation.  And for what?  Just read and the answer is "liberally" beyond clear.

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