Today is the Millionth Member Celebration of AmeriCorps National Service, celebrating its one millionth member serving communities in need all over this great nation. AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country.
When I was 24 years old, I was living in Los Angeles, and feeling miserable about my life and my failed acting career. I was working at a bank, and trying to find acting work, with very little luck. I felt so selfish and unfulfilled, and was volunteering my time at a soup kitchen just to try and at least help someone else — if I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to give back, and finally made the difficult decision to leave Hollywood, and put my acting dreams aside…at least for a bit. I decided that I wanted to live a life of service. Three months later, I enlisted in AmeriCorps National Service, and was assigned to an inner-city high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The year I served in AmeriCorps was one of the best years of my life. I tutored and mentored at-risk inner city kids, and at the end of the year, I wrote and directed a play with them for my community service project. It dealt with racism, sexism, homophobia, and other social issues. It had a huge impact on the community! Many of my students’ parents had never even seen a play in their lives before! They were incredibly warm, and receptive, and some of those students still tell me how much that moment meant to them. It was unforgettable. It was also the first play I ever directed. It wouldn’t be my last.
The school was so impressed with my service, they hired me to teach English and Theatre the very next year. I went back to school, and earned a second degree in Theatre Education. I went on to teach high school for four more years, and later, I taught at a university. I eventually went on to earn my Master of Fine Arts degree — in Directing — something I had learned to love during my year of service.
AmeriCorps changed my life, folks! And I’m not even exaggerating. I may never have gone back to school, and gone on to a life in education. I may never have discovered my love for directing, and gone on to get my MFA. I may never have had that close contact with the African American community, and learned to love that culture — for all it’s triumphs and challenges. I also made some best friends for life. AmeriCorps gave me the experience and tools I needed to be an educator and director, and to live a life of service. I still teach and direct, and perhaps even more importantly, I am still an active volunteer in my community. I currently volunteer as a Media/ PR/ Marketing Assistant for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, tutor and mentor adult literacy students, and work on several local and state political campaigns. AmeriCorps helps change lives…starting with your own!
If you want to give back, and live a life of service, I would suggest you consider serving in AmeriCorps for 1-2 years. Apply today!
To apply, please go to www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps.
#AmeriCorpsWorks #1of1Million
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