Great Stories, Part 3

As I’m sifting through great stories, deciding which ones to share with you, I am noticing a theme.  People.  It’s all about human connection.  The power of the American Red Cross is the way it allows people in vulnerable situations to reach out to each other.
Here’s a story from Michelle Barbaresso, an AmeriCorps member in [...]

Tulips are good for the soul

As part of our AmeriCorps term of service, we participate in a service project each month, usually working outside the American Red Cross with another organization.  For our October Service project, one of our members found a volunteer needs posting entitled “tulip planting.”  So we piled into a van and made our way to Holland, [...]

Great Stories from AmeriCorps, part 2

My favorite part about coming into work every morning is knowing what wonderful people will be there to greet me when I step into the office.  (Or what wonderful people I will pick up on my way; we kind of have a car-pooling system going on.)  This next great story coming from the AmeriCorps office [...]

Saturdays + Pancakes = Goodness

I cannot tell a lie – I love to sleep in on Saturday mornings.  There’s something so refreshing about waking up slowly to the sun shining through my window, staying warm under the covers, maybe reading The Dark Is Rising until I feel like eating breakfast.
My other favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings is [...]

AmeriCorps Great Stories, part one

We AmeriCorps, as part of our reporting duties, are on the lookout for great stories to write down at the end of each month.  We have quite a few stories piled up by now, and I thought it was time to tell them – that’s what great stories are for, after all.  The first one comes from [...]

One Dollar Can Save a Life

Make a list of all the things that $1 can buy.  Two packs of gum.  A song on iTunes.  A cup of McDonald’s Sweet Tea.  Really, really, really cheap socks.
A chance for a healthy life.
It only costs $1 to immunize a child against the measles.

The American Red Cross is part of a movement called the [...]

Meet Cassidhe, Our Newest Blog Contributor!

Greetings and Salutations, friends of the American Red Cross!

My name is Cassidhe Hart, and I’m a new AmeriCorps member working as the Community Visibility Coordinator.  (If you’re curious about AmeriCorps and what AmeriCorps members do, check out the website: http://www.americorps.gov/.)
As the Community Visibility Coordinator, I’ll be promoting the Red Cross in events and programs throughout [...]

AmeriCorps Hit the Pavement as They Head to Iowa

This morning, we waved goodbye to 17 Red Cross AmeriCorps from around the state as they revved their engines and headed out to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. AmeriCorps members from the Grand Rapids, Bay City, Muskegon, and Lansing Red Cross chapters piled into 5 vans and hit the road to celebrate National AmeriCorps Week.
This week-long service [...]

In Honor of the Serve America Act!

In an effort to make our blog a little less information-heavy and a bit more interactive, I am looking for ways to engage YOU, our readers. (If you have ideas, leave a comment!) During my travels, I stumbled across this fun game on the Oregon Trail Chapter blog (which is fabulous and will soon have [...]

Check Out This Great Article!

The Grand Rapids Press just did a fantastic article on our AmeriCorps and Red Cross volunteers out in North Dakota, working hard to provide relief for victims of flooding!

Check it out!