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I joined AmeriCorps because I've lived in Central Texas my whole life...
the communities... both in the towns that I've lived in
and just the larger Central Texas community have been very good to me and my family
and I want to give something back...
My family was also very volunteer-oriented while I was growing up.
My mom took me volunteering when I was very young, like three years old,
and it's just always something that I have known. And I think I knew in high school
that I wanted to be in AmeriCorps later.
This is actually my second term in AmeriCorps.
I spent one year with Communities in Schools Central Texas,
working in a middle school in Kyle, and this experience
has been completely different and just as enjoyable.
I support people with disabilities every day. I talk to them one-on-one over the phone,
in person, in email, and in letters...
They call me or write to me asking me for housing assistance.
Sometimes they think I’m providing the housing... and if they need housing immediately,
I direct them to other support services who can help them immediately...
but, if I can help them, then I explain the voucher program and how that can get them
on the path to self sustainability...or self sufficiency.
I have learned about the power of an individual to help overcome roadblocks
that they may face on a personal level and bureaucratically as well.
Sometimes, individuals call me with problems saying that they can't get the landlord
to do this or whatever, and I will help them...talk to their landlord
and get what they need done. I've also encountered some interesting interactions between
the public sector and the nonprofit sector. I have never worked
in the non-profit sector before except for my other AmeriCorps experience
and that's just been a really interesting challenge to learn to overcome some of the
roadblocks that come from those interactions.
I think sometimes they're not really sure how they can help their community.
I mean, everyone has a talent and a skill. And sometimes people either don’t know
what they have, or sometimes they're just... they just really lack the self confidence
to believe that they can make a difference, and everybody can!
They should ask themselves, you know, why not, what do they have to lose?
Everybody has a skill, everybody has something to contribute.