ASC AmeriCorps CSC & Community:

Today I was asked to put together an email highlighting all the positive ways that our AmeriCorps CSC program contributes to our campus and to the community. This is the email I sent:

Business students prepared taxes for free this spring, serving over
1000 local taxpayers, with $1.4 million in refunds, serving over 1068
total volunteer hours with sites in Monte Vista, Alamosa, La Jara and
San Luis, in partnership with Trinidad State Junior College.  It was a
joint effort of Students, Faculty and Community Volunteers.  Anyone
who volunteered more than 40 hours got a hand signed letter from Gov
Hickenlooper.

There are 145 students who are now enrolled in the ASC AmeriCorps
program, serving over 44,000 hours in our local communities in health
care, education, the environment, serving veterans and their families,
and serving economically vulnerable individuals.  Each student earns a
scholarship ranging from $1100 to $2675.

Service Learning Internships give students valuable work experience and
stepping-stones towards careers in the common good.  Service learning is
also a good support for first generation college students, learning the
ropes and making networking connections with professionals in their
future careers.

Service projects are a great way for new students to meet each other
and integrate into the college and the community.  Retention studies
show that students who engage in service are more successful, more
satisfied and tend to persist in their studies because they see the
relevance of their coursework and their future careers.

ASC has an active Circle K Service Club, which is the college version
of Kiwanis International.  A dozen ASC students participated in a Circle
K leadership conference in Longmont this spring.

ASC hosts multiple all-campus service activities each year including
ASC Cares days (fall and spring) and MLK Day “on” for Service (Jan 19th)
in partnership with local community agencies such as La Puente, Valley
Humane League, the Community Garden, Gingerbread House daycare, Habitat
for Humanity and Tu Casa Domestic Abuse Shelter.

ASC students participated in community service/service learning through
their coursework in Government, Business, Sociology, Counselor
Education, Nursing, Environmental Science, Music, Teacher Education and
other majors.

ASC Students participated in alternative spring breaks such as spending
a week building Habitat for Humanity houses or teaching/tutoring on the
Navajo reservation in Tuba City, AZ.