César Chávez DAY OF SERVICE 2012

Each year on March 31^st, individuals and organizations across the United States come together in service and recognition to pay tribute to the mission of César Chávez. Chávez dedicated his life’s work to supporting the right to fair working conditions, social justice and community engagement. The day is an opportunity to strengthen and build relationships in our own community while learning about the Arizona-born Chávez and his work. In honor of César Chávez Day 2012, Serve Yavapai will be engaged in four service projects to support schools within Prescott Unified School District. Our team members hope to make a beautiful difference for students, staff and their neighboring community!

SERVICE PROJECTS:

1.      Miller Valley Elementary – Serve Yavapai team members will be re-painting foursquare and hopscotch squares on the playground, installing new nets on all the basketball hoops, and raking pea gravel under playground equipment to improve playground safety.

2.      Discovery Gardens – At this site, the team will be spackling holes in the walls and giving a fresh coat of paint to a large office area used by staff.

3.      Lincoln Elementary – This project will include brush removal, weeding, and other general clean-up around the school grounds as well as painting the cafeteria and stairwell.

4.      Mile High Middle School – This project will include extensive outside clean-up around school campus including raking, weeding, and trimming bushes near the quad and gymnasium.

We would like to thank Asst. Superintendent Joe Howard and the staff at each of the above schools who have helped us coordinate this wonderful opportunity for us to give back to the community!  

Serve Yavapai is a collaboration of the Yavapai County VISTA Project of Prescott College and the Yavapai County AmeriCorps Project of Community Counts. There are currently 28 AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps State members serving throughout Yavapai County.  Serve is dedicated to helping build and sustain the efforts of Yavapai County service providers and community members to continually improve the quality of life across the region.  We work to support efforts in creating a just and healthy community.  Contact Erika Stone at (928) 515-4454 or events@ycvp.org for more information or questions.   

Thanks to our Team for an Amazing AmeriCorps Week!

Now that AmeriCorps Week 2012 has come to a close, we would like to take a moment to thank our members, past and present for helping make this AmeriCorps Week one of our best yet! Our AmeriCorps VISTA and State members, many of whom relocate from across the country, choose to dedicate a year of their lives to serving with local nonprofits and making a difference in our community.  And what an incredible impact they have had:

• In 2011 our team raised over $1 million in cash and in-kind resources to support programs in our community.

• In 2011 our team mobilized over 7,000 volunteers serving over 23,000 hours in support of community organizations throughout Yavapai County.

• Since our project was launched in 2006 our members have raised over   $3 million in cash and in-kind resources.

• Since 2006 our team has mobilized over 18,000 volunteers serving over 160,000 hours.

Our members are truly inspirational! 

Numbers aside, our members are having a meaningful impact in people’s lives.  AmeriCorps VISTA members played an integral role in opening Prescott Area Women’s Shelter, ensuring that women and children in the most challenging situations have a place to sleep and have support in getting back on their feet.  AmeriCorps members still play a key role at the shelter, assisting with coordinating volunteers and raising funds to support their programs.  

AmeriCorps VISTA members have started all kinds of great programs in Yavapai County.  A little known fact, in 1971, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters was launched by a group of AmeriCorps VISTA members (well before our project was started) to help provide support to disadvantaged youth through mentoring relationships.  Currently we have two members still supporting their efforts by recruiting adult mentors and helping run their school based mentoring program.  AmeriCorps VISTA members also had a significant hand is starting MATForce which has led to a significant decrease in the use of methamphetamine and other controlled substances in Yavapai County.  Another VISTA member serving with the Coalition for Compassion and Justice started the Weekend Family Food Program which provides food to 550 disadvantaged children from birth through age five.  


Many of our members choose to stay in Yavapai County and continue making meaningful contributions after their year of service.  Some go on to be teachers, community leaders, civic servants, nonprofit staff and directors.  They bring with them the passion and drive that brought them to AmeriCorps to begin with.  These AmeriCorps Alums are a great asset to our community.  


Thank you again to all of our members for the contributions they make to communities throughout Yavapai County and for proving once again that AmeriCorps Works:

• Erika Stone, VISTA Team Leader with Serve Yavapai
• Emily Alvarado, AmeriCorps Team Leader with Community Counts
• Arielle Black-Foley with Prescott Area Womens Shelter
• Cason Murphy with Prescott Center for the Arts
• Becca Fealk with Yavapai Reentry Project
• Emma Gifford with the Girl Scouts
• Ashley Johns with Beaver Creek Adult Center
• Ian Brandt with Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Carl Grimes with the Coalition for Compassion and Justice
• Jason Clark with the Coalition for Compassion and Justice
• Constance Howard with the Yavapai Medical Reserve Corps
• LinMarie DiCianni with Prescott Unified School District
• Jennifer Gosnell with First Things First
• Marissa Mezzio with Prescott Area Womens Shelter
• Kristen Menger with Prescott Alternative Transportation
• Monet Richter with Girl Scouts
• Levi Mason with Ecosa Institute
• Natalie Boggs with North Star Youth Partnership
• Meghan Quigley with the Coalition for Compassion and Justice
• Nici Campbell with Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Mike Dummeyer with the Coalition for Compassion and Justice
• Nikki Rice with North Star Youth Partnership
• Nicole Stanton with the Retiree Connection
• Paul Gregory with Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters

Our team receiving a proclamation recognizing AmeriCorps
Week presented by Prescott Mayor, Marlin Kuykendall.

 Check out the impact that National Service members are
having throughout Arizona.

The Artist's Path Supports Local Nonprofits

In April 2012 The Artist's Path, a nonprofit arts organization supporting art and artists that shape our world, combines forces with The Prescott Area Women's Shelter, The Coalition for Compassion and Justice, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Prevent Child Abuse Arizona to explore the many faces of Love in a theater event to be held at the T'is Arts Center and Gallery April 14-22.  Ten percent of all ticket income will be divided among these four non profits.  Tickets will be available online at www.TheArtistsPath.org beginning March 1 or you may call Gail Mangham, 'Path' Artistic Director, to arrange for tickets with cash or check.  The Gallery's Open Seating is limited so please get your tickets early.  For performance times and prices please visit www.TheArtistsPath.org or call Gail Mangham at 928 771 2554.

The Artist's Path will present an event of Music and Monologues on the theme of Love.  Over 45 writers in CA, AZ, NM and TX have submitted new works.  Selected musicians from the Prescott area will lend their talents to each production.  A core principle of The Artist's Path is that artists be compensated for their time and talent.  Path also believes in the words of composer Leonard Bernstein:   "It is the artists of the world, the feelers and the thinkers, who will ultimately save us; who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing, and shout the big dreams." 

Gail Mangham said,  "Our artists inspire us to act, but it is the people in the trenches of the non profit world with which we are partnering who turn inspiration into food, clothing, shelter, opportunity, and security.  It makes sense that we join together to create a better community."