6 February Combining a Love of History and Service February 6, 2019 By rverhoffkiss AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Member Stories, Member Impact Story 0 I am fortunate that my AmeriCorps program allows me to help others through doing things that I love. Since entering the history field professionally, my primary area of study has been military history, specifically that of Ohio, and Ohio local history is my passion. Joining the Ohio History Service Corps, the Ohio History Connection’s AmeriCorps program often referred to as the History Corps, was a great option for me. My projects with the History Corps allow me to combine my areas of interest and study while letting me use them to help organizations through my service. In my past two years as an AmeriCorps member, I have been able to put my knowledge to use. Military items are abundant in small museums and historical societies throughout Ohio, and many history organizations want to put these items in exhibits to honor local men and women who served in the military. I love being able to visit these organizations and see what fascinating and rare artifacts they have in their collections. With the History Corps, I am able to help these organizations correctly identify their military collections and show them how to properly handle, store, and conserve artifacts. My service has also expanded my knowledge and helped my personal interests. Often small history organizations present me with challenging questions, or with new information that makes me reconsider what I thought I knew. Frequently while assisting history organizations, I come across rare or unusual artifacts in collections. Properly identifying unusual artifacts is an exciting challenge that benefits me and the institution in which they reside. I love to find out more about these unusual items and connect them to the stories of local people who served in the military. But these are all very general things. One of the major reasons I have stayed in the program three years is that those years have coincided with the centennial of US involvement in World War I. In my years of service, I have helped with a wide variety of activities commemorating Ohio’s involvement in the war. These activities have included exhibits, programs, and living history events. Normally, in any other position, I would have been lucky to participate in a couple WWI living history events, but because of the History Corps I have been able to organize and help plan many each year all across the state. During my time with the Ohio History Service Corps, I have been able to do what I love while performing a valuable service to organizations. My passion for Ohio military history has given me the knowledge to assist historical societies and museums with very specific needs, while at the same time teaching me more about the subject I so greatly enjoy. Related Posts A New Service Year is Here! How Ohio’s AmeriCorps Programs Orient Members for Service The 2019-20 AmeriCorps program year has begun! Across the state, Ohio’s 23 AmeriCorps State programs are kicking off with orientations that prepare members for their intensive terms of service. Global Youth Service Day Grantees On April 20-22, 2018, more than 1,300 volunteers will participate in service projects organized for Global Youth Service Day, which will be supported by ServeOhio project grants. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. Now in its 30th year, Global Youth Service Day recognizes the positive impact that young people have on their communities 365 days a year. GYSD is celebrated in more than 100 countries with youth-led service projects. Ten youth volunteer projects will take place in nine Ohio cities – Bellefontaine, Cleveland, Maumee, Nelsonville, Sandusky, Stewart, Sunbury, Warren, Wauseon, and Youngstown. The grants, made possible through ServeOhio’s Stewards of Service corporate partners Honda of America Mfg., and American Electric Power Foundation, range between $500 and $1,000 each. Ohio History Corps Engages Youth The Ohio History Service Corps supports local historic and preservation organizations to build organizational and community education outreach capacity. One member in Youngstown, Ohio has been making an impact in her community and across Northeast Ohio by encouraging others to love preservation and history as much as she does! She is finishing up her second year with the Corps and shares some of her memorable moments and an impactful project she lead, working with students in grades 6 – 12 during their Annual Ohio History Day exhibition. National Service-A Powerful Tool for Uniting Americans for a Common Effort Heather Foster is the Regional Administrator for the new Midwest Regional Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service. In this guest blog post, Heather discusses the launch of the new Regional Office, the impact of national service in the region, and how national service can act as a bridge across divides to unite Americans in a common effort and lift each other up. Justice Talking: The Meaning of Service Justice Talking is a reading and discussion program for AmeriCorps members featuring facilitated discussions that use short philosophical and literary texts, images, and videos on the nature of justice, service and related themes. In partnership with Ohio Humanities, ServeOhio trains AmeriCorps members to facilitate Justice Talking with their fellow Corps members, where they become more familiar with the art of humanities-based discussion and have a better understanding of the importance of civic reflection. Sierra Faris is a Justice Talking facilitator with the COMCorps AmeriCorps program in Athens. Read her reflections on the impact Justice Talking has had on her service. National Service Recognition Day – Dayton, Ohio AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers are Getting Things Done in Dayton! Comments are closed.