One of my proudest moments as a congressman was voting to support the creation of the national AmeriCorps program 25 years ago. Little did I know at the time how central this program would become to our culture of volunteerism and giving back to our communities. Even more surprising, and delightful, to me is the fact that I am now president of an organization that has stewarded AmeriCorps programs for the full 25 years. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we are celebrating a quarter of a century of serving our 20-county region through AmeriCorps.
AmeriCorps is made up of three primary programs that each take a different approach to improving lives and fostering civic engagement. Members commit their time to addressing critical community needs like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks and preparing for disasters. There are currently 75,000 members serving at 21,000 locations nation-wide. Additionally, AmeriCorps is proud to boast more than one million alumni. At SMIF, more than 600 members have served in our region over the years.
In the beginning, SMIF partnered with Winona State and MSU-Mankato to manage the Southern Minnesota AmeriCorps program which responded to various needs including early childhood, tutoring and general nonprofit support. In 2005, SMIF narrowed its focus and created the AmeriCorps LEAP (Learning Early Achieves Potential) Initiative. We place up to 20 members in early childhood settings across our region each year. Members work one-on-one and in small groups with young children, ages three to five, who are at risk of falling behind. They work on building social and emotional proficiencies to prepare for kindergarten success. The LEAP program has served more than 5,000 children since inception.
Over the years, SMIF has also been the host for the AmeriCorps VISTA program which focuses on building capacity for nonprofits with a focus on entrepreneurship and workforce development. Our members specifically work to expand the reach of resources for minority entrepreneurs. We currently have one member, Sam Temple, serving at the Faribault Diversity Coalition to help them engage with more minority business owners in the community. Another VISTA member, Katie Yoder, serves with the Lake City Economic Development Authority to help reach out to the Spanish-speaking population.
One of the things that I love about AmeriCorps is that it embraces members from all walks of life. Many of our members are southern Minnesotans who want to serve in their own backyard, while others are from different states and came here to experience something new. One of our current members, Adriana Bermudez, is excited to be serving at the very same Head Start preschool that she attended as a child in Northfield. Some of our members are recent college graduates who are looking to get experience before starting a career path. Others, like Peggy Rankin from Trimont, are retired professionals looking to give back to their communities. Peggy, who serves at a school in Sherburn, is in her third year serving through our program and already planning on a fourth. Members who complete their service term receive an award which can be used for paying off student loans or furthering their education. Those members who are 55 or older can gift their award to a child or grandchild.
It has been incredible to see the impact that AmeriCorps has had in our country over the past 25 years. Even more so, it has been wonderful to see the direct result that this program has had on the children and nonprofits in our own backyard.
We are currently accepting full- and half-time applications for the 2020-2021 school year for AmeriCorps LEAP and AmeriCorps VISTA. Contact Barbara Gunderson, AmeriCorps Director, at 507-456-0353 or barbarag@smifoundation.org to learn more.
As always, I welcome your comments and questions. You can reach me at timp@smifoundation.org or (507) 455-3215.
About Tim Penny
Tim Penny is the President & CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Tim represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1982 – 1994.
About Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in the 20 counties of south central and southeastern Minnesota. The Foundation has provided more than $114 million in grants, loans and programming within the region during the past 34 years. SMIF’s key interests include economic and early childhood development and community vitality. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.smifoundation.org.
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