In this episode, we are exploring the service stories of two AmeriCorps members, Lindsey Kurtz and Jared Gonzales, who are serving with the Green Bay Conservation Corps, which launched earlier this year. Lindsey and Jared describe the service they have done so far this year in the city’s parks and other outdoor spaces, including the removal of invasive species and collecting seeds from native plants for planting in the spring. They also discuss their efforts to engage and educate the public thro...
Dec 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 36
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the envisioning, development, and launch of the new Green Bay Conservation Corps AmeriCorps program during a conversation with the Mayor of Green Bay, Eric Genrich, and his Chief of Staff, Amaad Rivera-Wagner, who previously served as an AmeriCorps member. Mayor Genrich and Amaad begin by describing why the City of Green Bay decided to create a municipally-based AmeriCorps program focused on conservation and improving access in the city’s parks an...
Dec 16, 2022•21 min•Ep. 35
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Wes Broske, who is serving with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School at the Monona Grove School District, where he had previously worked with some of their students as an educational assistant. Wes describes working with students across their seven schools, including teaching nutrition lessons at their four elementary schools and working with middle school students on lessons on...
Nov 29, 2022•29 min•Ep. 34
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Peyton Keith, who is serving with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School at the Bayfield School District, where she herself graduated from high school having grown up in a tribal community just outside of Bayfield. Peyton discusses the nutrition and gardening lessons and field trips she has done the first few months of this school year with the students she serves, a large majorit...
Nov 17, 2022•24 min•Ep. 33
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service stories of two AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, Jim Jenkins and Peggy York, who are serving with RSVP of Dane County. We start our conversation with Jim Jenkins, who describes the numerous volunteer service activities he has done over the last roughly eighteen years, including disaster response and preparedness training with the Red Cross and the Triad program, being a volunteer driver, and years of service on the RSVP board. We then sit...
Oct 31, 2022•24 min•Ep. 32
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers with RSVP of Dane County as it celebrates its fiftieth anniversary serving the people of Dane County. We sit down with RSVP of Dane County program directors Margie Zutter and Diana Jost to discuss the impact their AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have had through over eight million hours of volunteer service over the last fifty years and the multiple projects they are currently doing to support people...
Oct 19, 2022•34 min•Ep. 31
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer Judy Mayer, who has made a difference serving through RSVP of Dane County at multiple sites and with several programs since 2008. Judy describes the numerous ways she has found to impact the community through RSVP of Dane County, assisting people from students to senior citizens through her service with the Computer Buddies and Home Delivered Meals programs, as well as through volunteering at the Ha...
Oct 13, 2022•19 min•Ep. 30
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Bethany Mallek, who served over the last year with Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) AmeriCorps Community Corps at the Portage County Literacy Council. Bethany describes her service teaching classes for adult English language learners and U.S. Cultural Orientation classes for refugees that are living in the Stevens Point area. She discusses several aspects of planning and leading each of these classes, in...
Sep 22, 2022•22 min•Ep. 29
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Sarah Webb, who served over the last year with Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) AmeriCorps Community Corps and served the previous two years with MCHS Volunteer Wisconsin at the Volunteer Center of Racine as their Youth Volunteer Coordinator. Sarah describes her service connecting students with volunteer opportunities as part of the Youth Volunteer Corps program, both during the school year and as part o...
Sep 08, 2022•19 min•Ep. 28
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer service done by Ed Hansen, who was honored this summer at the 2022 Governor’s Service Awards with the AmeriCorps Seniors Lifetime Impact Volunteer award for his years of impactful volunteer service with RSVP of Rock County. As part of this conversation, we also speak with their Seniors Volunteering for Seniors Coordinator, Patty Hansberry, about the impact that Ed has had through their program. Ed discusses the ser...
Aug 18, 2022•13 min•Ep. 27
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by Carol Schumacher, who was recognized at the 2022 Governor’s Service Awards as the Volunteer of the Year for East Central Wisconsin for her volunteer service with the Women's Empowerment Series in Fond du Lac. Carol discusses the multiple efforts she leads and the programs she assists as the Volunteer Director for the Women’s Empowerment Series, including their Volunteer Work Program and Dressing For Success. She also describes ...
Aug 10, 2022•18 min•Ep. 26
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by Joe Byrnes, who was recognized at the 2022 Governor’s Service Awards as the Volunteer of the Year for Southwest Wisconsin for his volunteer service with the Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Joe assists numerous low-to-moderate income individuals and families each year by providing free tax preparation services and serves as the Program Coordinator for VITA, coordinating their...
Jul 28, 2022•17 min•Ep. 25
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by Debra Moore-Gruenloh, who was recognized at the 2022 Governor’s Service Awards as the Volunteer of the Year for Northeast Wisconsin for her years of service with Special Olympics Wisconsin. Deb has been a key volunteer in multiple roles for Special Olympics Wisconsin since 1987, volunteering over 1,000 hours annually. She describes how she first began volunteering as a coach and how her service has grown into taking on several ...
Jul 21, 2022•26 min•Ep. 24
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Kaitlyn Zenner, who served over the last year with ECLIPSE (Early Childhood Literacy Intervention Program Services and Evaluation) through the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Kaitlyn discusses her service helping 3-5 year-old children at Days Gone By Early Learning grow in the areas of language, literacy, social interaction, and initiative skills. She describes the activities she did within their classro...
Jun 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 23
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service stories of two AmeriCorps members, Shirley Aspinall and Nicole Chavez, who are serving with Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps Community Corps at Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Shirley describes her role as Communications Coordinator, promoting efforts to the public to recruit volunteers for water quality monitoring, river cleanups, and other projects, as well as assisting community education efforts. Nicole describes her role as Susta...
Jun 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 22
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Michael Smith, who is currently serving with Public Allies Racine/Kenosha (PARK) at the Racine Public Library. Michael discusses the different programs that he has overseen at the library to boost literacy efforts and to support the community. He also shares about the activities he has done with his fellow PARK AmeriCorps members, including projects supporting nonprofit organizations in the Racine and Kenosha ...
May 25, 2022•12 min•Ep. 21
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Maysee Lao, who is currently serving with the North Central Community Action Program (NCCAP) AmeriCorps Program at the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS). Maysee discusses multiple public health efforts that she is supporting while serving at WIPPS, including COVID-19 vaccination clinics through the Hmong and Hispanic Communication Network (H2N) and research on multiple public health iss...
May 10, 2022•16 min•Ep. 20
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Jean Abreu, who is currently serving her second term with the North Central Community Action Program AmeriCorps Program. Jean discusses her two years serving students at the Enrich, Excel, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy in the Wausau School District, returning to assist students in the classroom after retiring from being a high school biology teacher. We discuss how she has worked with students in completing t...
May 10, 2022•16 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Robin Muhs, who is currently serving with Schools of Hope and served last year with Achievement Connections, with both programs operated by the United Way of Dane County. Robin first discusses her current service with Schools of Hope at Huegel Elementary School as a literacy tutor, describing the different activities she is doing with her students. Robin then speaks about her previous AmeriCorps service with A...
Apr 07, 2022•17 min•Ep. 18
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps alumna Amanda Wysk, who served with College Possible Milwaukee for two years and has continued helping others as part of the program’s AmeriCorps Alumni Council, which helps to mentor those that are currently serving. Amanda first describes her two years serving with College Possible Milwaukee, beginning with her first term of service as a Senior Coach, helping low-income students at two high schools navigate the col...
Mar 25, 2022•18 min•Ep. 17
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps alumnus Ben Rangel, who served with College Possible Milwaukee for two years, and the continued impact his service has had on how he strives to cultivate community in multiple ways in Milwaukee. Ben first discusses how he forged relationships with students and helped them throughout their process of applying for college during his AmeriCorps service. Ben then describes how his AmeriCorps service led him down a path t...
Mar 18, 2022•27 min•Ep. 16
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Lisandra Saldivar, who is serving with Public Allies Racine/Kenosha (PARK). Lisandra discusses the various service activities she has done at her host site, Focus on Community, including facilitating events that support the strengthening of local families and working with students in the classroom to provide life skills training focused on an effort to prevent substance abuse and inspire healthy life choices. ...
Mar 10, 2022•17 min•Ep. 15
In this episode of The S-Files, we are checking out the service stories of two AmeriCorps members that are serving with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program. We start our conversation with Catherine Masters and then sit down to speak with Gwen Murphy, both of whom are serving this year at Rooted in Madison and working with students in the Madison Metropolitan School District. We discuss how they are engaging students in nutrition lessons, working with ...
Mar 03, 2022•29 min•Ep. 14
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Emily High, who is serving with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School. Emily discusses the various nutrition activities and lessons that she has done with the students she serves in the Shell Lake School District, including growing and harvesting different vegetables, introducing new foods to students through taste tests, and games to keep nutrition lessons engaging for students....
Feb 25, 2022•19 min•Ep. 13
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Bryce Killibrew, who is serving with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) - AmeriCorps Academic & Career Planning program. Bryce discusses how he is assisting students in Milwaukee by providing mentorship and guidance through multiple aspects of the college application process. Bryce describes being on both end of the spectrum as both a student that participated in the program and now be...
Feb 18, 2022•11 min•Ep. 12
In this episode of The S-Files, we will be exploring how two AmeriCorps members with the Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps Community Corps program that are helping to provide needed items to people in the communities they serve, including healthy local foods and diapers. We begin our conversation by talking with Maddie Kinscher, who is increasing access to fresh nutritious foods at Central Rivers Farmshed in Stevens Point. We then speak with Monica Ducksworth, who is coordinating the di...
Jan 26, 2022•33 min•Ep. 11
In this episode of The S-Files, we are checking out the service stories of two AmeriCorps members serving with the Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps Community Corps program to learn about how they are helping to foster community and striving to improve the mental health of those served by their host sites. We are starting our conversation by talking with Sierra Fink, who is serving this year with Community Corps at the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes in Appleton, WI. We then...
Jan 19, 2022•22 min•Ep. 10
In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Chelsea Korzenieski, who is serving with Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps Recovery Corps in Ladysmith. Chelsea discusses how she is assisting individuals impacted by substance abuse and helping them work towards their recovery goals. Listen in to learn how Chelsea is helping people take positive steps on their individual recovery journeys. Chelsea channels her own experience of being in recovery to m...
Jan 05, 2022•17 min•Ep. 9
In this episode of The S-Files, we are checking out the service stories of two AmeriCorps VISTA members serving as part of the initial cohort of members with Serve Wisconsin's AmeriCorps VISTA initiative. We first speak with Kailee Remez, who is addressing food insecurity at Carroll University. We then continue our conversation by speaking with Tony Schultz, who is working on several initiatives through his VISTA service at the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council. Listen in to learn how these Ameri...
Dec 21, 2021•29 min•Ep. 8
In this episode of The S-Files, we are checking out the service stories of two AmeriCorps members that are serving with the Racine Zoo AmeriCorps Program. We start our conversation with Kelsey Sanders, who is serving this year at the Racine Zoo after previously serving as an AmeriCorps member in Florida. We then sit down to speak with Brian Butt, who recently completed his degree in zoology and is bringing this passion to his service at the Racine Zoo. Listen in to learn how Racine Zoo AmeriCorp...
Dec 06, 2021•33 min•Ep. 7
