By Samantha Cart
Made up of more than 1 million alumni across the nation, AmeriCorps is a government service program that engages its members in community-driven projects. With more than 20,000 unique U.S. sites, including nonprofits, schools, public agencies and community and faith-based organizations, AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.4 billion hours of service since 1994.
The programs are about more than community service, though. AmeriCorps helps its young members earn money for education, find jobs and opportunities after high school or college and enter the workforce with valuable new skills.
Approximately 1,000 AmeriCorps members serve in West Virginia every year, creating a group of educated leaders ready to address the issues of population loss and lack of available workforce.
Born and raised in Central West Virginia, AmeriCorps member Sarah Queen-Crouch graduated from Gilmer County High School in 2000 and attended Glenville State College for a short time. She then moved to South Carolina for 10 years and worked as a radiology assistant, where she discovered her love for the medical field. When she felt the mountains calling her back home, she decided to enlist with AmeriCorps, and she continues to volunteer with the organization today, setting an example for her two sons, Bailey and Rhett. Learn more about Queen-Crouch in this Service Spotlight Q&A.
What inspired you to become an AmeriCorps member?
The thought of giving back to my community and earning money for college at the same time was very intriguing. Also, a dear friend of mine reached out to me and convinced me AmeriCorps was perfect for me. Turns out she was right—thank you, Janet.
Tell us about the application process.
It was a simple process. They asked for contact information and to describe experiences as an employee, student, volunteer or caregiver. I had a phone interview, and they offered me a service position.
Where are you from originally?
A tiny community about 20 minutes outside of Glenville, WV, called Lockney.
What drew you to West Virginia?
I am a proud native of West Virginia, born and raised.
Are you serving a short-term or yearlong position with AmeriCorps?
I am currently serving my third term with AmeriCorps, and I am sad to think that next year will be my last.
Have you already earned a college degree, or will you attend college after your service is complete?
I have hopes of using my educational award earned through my years of service with AmeriCorps to obtain a degree and further my passion of helping my community while staying in the medical field.
Tell us about any nonprofits, schools or public agencies you are working with in West Virginia. What type of work are you doing for them?
I am currently working with the Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center and the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department as a community health worker. We are working with a privately funded grant for diabetes care coordination. Through this grant, we are able to work one on one with diabetic patients in their homes. Being able to go to them, opposed to them coming to their primary care doctor, has proven to be very effective. I work with them on things such as medication compliance, healthy eating, the benefits and importance of physical activity, keeping their scheduled appointments and setting and achieving personal short-term goals. Every participant I’ve worked with has had improvements, and all say this program has been beneficial to them.
What types of skills have you learned by being an AmeriCorps member?
Team building, public speaking, individual and group project planning, self-confidence, the importance of networking, time management and advocacy.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself through this process?
I’ve learned that one person really can make a difference; it doesn’t always take a team to complete a task. I’ve learned if I set my mind to something, with hard work, it can be achieved, and I can be successful.
How has this involvement changed your life?
By working with the diabetes care coordination grant and with my individual participants, my life has changed because every week I see how their lives and health have positively improved with the education and skills I have learned by being an AmeriCorps member.
What is your favorite thing about West Virginia?
My family. I like knowing that I am raising my boys within a half mile of where I was raised and also knowing family is right there if I need help or, more importantly, if they need help.
What is your favorite West Virginia outdoor activity?
I love any opportunity to be outside, especially with my boys. Whether it’s hunting, fishing, riding the four wheeler or just sitting on the porch. I also enjoying being able to help my dad around the farm.
After you service, do you think you will stay in West Virginia? If so, why?
I learned my lesson and moved away for 10 years. I’m home, and I don’t plan on ever leaving again.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?
When you think about AmeriCorps, you think about changing people’s lives. While I know I have touched lives and made a difference, AmeriCorps has also changed me. The feeling of satisfaction I have knowing that I give back to my community to the best of my ability with everything I’ve learned through my years of service is an amazing feeling. When I think back to my first encounter with a participant to my last encounter with them, the transformation in both of us is astounding. Strangers become friends and then more like family. I feel beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make a difference in so many people’s lives. I’ve had many of my participants or class members thank me, but they don’t realize that they have probably helped me more than I helped them.
To learn more about how AmeriCorps members are making a difference in West Virginia, check out “Bridging West Virginia’s Employment Gap,” in West Virginia Executive’s Spring 2017 issue.
