Students honored for service

During the 2009-10 Iowa Campus Compact AmeriCorps Program seven Cornell students–Annie Armatage, James Hoeffgen, Theresa Hunter, Michael Johnson, Alyssa McMullin, Matthew Moore, and Elle Pope– served a combined total of 2,240.5 hours to local community organizations and projects.

The Civic Engagement Office offers the Iowa Campus Compact AmeriCorps Program (ICAP) to engage students in long-term volunteerism within their communities.  During the academic year, participants commit to completing at least 300 hours of community service with local nonprofits and community projects of their choosing.  Service hours are fulfilled through direct service, training opportunities, and volunteer recruitment.  Upon graduating from the program, students earn a $1,132 AmeriCorps Educational Award for their hard work and dedication.

These students chose specific nonprofit organizations and local issues to focus the majority of their work towards.  Community partners include the African American Museum of Iowa, Brucemore, Camp Courageous, Cedar Rapids Downtown District, Cedar Valley Humane Society, Cornell College Civic Engagement Programs, Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission, Mount Vernon/Lisbon Community Development Group, Willis Dady Emergency Shelter, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

For students looking for a way to develop effective leadership qualities, expand range of involvement, make a positive impact in the campus community, and be a part of a national movement, they should consider becoming a member of ICAP.

“I gained many new skills that I will be able to use later,” said Hoeffgen, who spent 549 of his 561.5 service hours this summer as a Camp Courageous counselor.  “I expected to gain new skills and be better informed about how to volunteer effectively, which certainly happened.”

“I felt empowered to be able to truly enact my ideas for the community,” Johnson explains, “I was successful in installing a community mural [for the Cedar Rapids Downtown District] among other projects.”  Johnson admits the education award was the more enticing aspect of ICAP at first, but now thinks: “I have been given so much more… I feel much more confident in the direction I am going, and that was greatly influenced by this experience.”

Moore learned the importance of volunteerism and how it benefits the community, specifically through his internship with the Brucemore. “There’s always more to do!” he said.  Moore’s positive and meaningful experience in ICAP has inspired him to consider joining AmeriCorps again in the future.

“I was able to meet and connect with members of the Mount Vernon community and make a positive impact on their lives,” said Pope, who spent much of her time working with the African American Museum of Iowa and Cedar Valley Humane Society.  ICAP has allowed students like Pope to network with the community as well as give back through developing a relationship with community nonprofits.

Johnson served 261 hours with the Cedar Rapids Downtown District as a Development, Events, and Marketing Intern. Accomplishments include successfully lobbying for the city to fix the 100+ street lights damaged by the 2008 flood, applying for and receiving a grant, and leading an initiative to create a 400 sq ft mural in downtown Cedar Rapids, a project Mike led himself from start to finish.

“This internship was a great way of exposing me to the inner workings of a non-profit, specifically one charged with the mission of bringing life to a downtown that was severely damaged by a flood just two years prior,” says Johnson. With this experience to thank, he discovered new passions and developed a greater sense of connection with the Corridor community. Johnson is on the Board of Directors for two local nonprofits, Willis Dady Emergency Shelter and Cedar Rapids Mural Trail Society, and is exploring graduate programs related to urban planning and nonprofit management.

For Hoeffgen, serving as a Camp Courageous counselor was an incredible experience. It certainly shows through his great amount of dedication; Hoeffgen served 549 hours this summer alone as a camp counselor, contributing 561.5 service hours total during his ICAP term. Hoeffgen was able to work with many disabled campers with varying needs, yet there was one particular camper with whom he shared much of his time. Through working with this young individual, Hoeffgen was able to develop effective behavior management and conflict resolution techniques to better handle challenging situations that often came up. Having learned so much from his relationship with him, Hoeffgen says this was his most unforgettable camper. “I gained many new skills that I will be able to use later,” he explains.

Hoeffgen looks forward to maintaining his strong connection with Camp Courageous, volunteering there when he can. He is considering law school upon graduation from Cornell.