See You at the Buffalo Wing Festival Labor Day Weekend!WNY AmeriCorps has been chosen as one of the numerous charities in the City of Buffalo to benefit from the 2010 Buffalo Wing Festival taking place this Labor Day weekend, also including The Food Bank of WNY, Meals-on-Wheels, Alzheimer’s Association, and Cystic Fibrosis Association. So watch out for our members, alumni, and staff to be helping out around the festivities. For more information, visit http://www.buffalowing.com! Our Impact: WNY AmeriCorps 2009 Annual Report ReleasedIn 2009, 493 WNY AmeriCorps members served across Western and Central New York. With the City of Buffalo acting as WNY AmeriCorps’ primary impact area, members also served in Niagara Falls, Angola, Ithaca, and Albany. Our members served 386,126 hours at 164 non-profit organizations and schools, achieving an impressive list of accomplishments:
WNY AmeriCorps' 2009 Annual Report is now available. Click Here to download our 2009 Annual Report. WNY AmeriCorps Staff HonoredKate Sarata, Director of ABLE, and Deirdra Wright, ServiceCorps Program Manager, were honored this past week for their service to the community. Forty individuals – all under the age of 40 – are being recognized for their professional success and community involvement, including WNY AmeriCorps' ABLE Director, Kate Sarata. Read more:'40 Under Forty' winners announced - Business First of Buffalo Deirdra Wright, ServiceCorps Program Manager, was honored the night of Friday, July 30, 2010 with the "Service to Humanity" Award by the Masjid Nu'Man community, as a part of their weekend of celebration and service, "Putting the Neighbor Back in the Hood." Greenhouse Goes Up at Queen City Farms (Buffalo, NY) - On Thursday, June 24th, 2010, WNY AmeriCorps, in partnership with The National Conference of Volunteering and Service, The Home Depot, Queen City Farm, the Glenwood Block Club and The Community Action Organization engaged hundreds of volunteers and WNY AmeriCorps members in a “green” day of service at Queen City Farm in the City of Buffalo. The volunteers assisted with a number of improvements to the farm land and surrounding neighborhood to help promote the benefits of sustainable farming techniques and increase the o WNY AmeriCorps' Celebration of Service 2010On Friday, May 21, 2010, WNY AmeriCorps held our annual "Celebration of Service" day to recognize the accomplishments of our members and their service to the community. Special guests Mark P. Lazzara, CEO of WNY AmeriCorps, and Tom McDonnell, founder of the non-profit Dog Ears Bookstore, spoke to the crowd of members before the Directors of ABLE, ServiceCorps, and VISTA presented the WNYAC Awards to deserving members. The winners of this year's WNYACs were: Mahatma Gandhi Award The MVM (Most Valuable Member) Award
Erin Bennett
Danielle Rainforth
Corrie Vogel
Denyel Beiter
The ABCD Award, for going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
Briana Roy
Rachel Matthews
Sarah Quintal
WNY AmeriCorps Hall of Fame
Ed Draper
Alison Liedkie
Elise Garvey
An appreciation raffle for the members was also held, with gift certificates and items donated by the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo’s Best Restaurants, Chef’s Restaurant, CVS Pharmacies, DiTondo’s Tavern, Kavinoky Theatre, Lancaster Opera House, Sue’s NY Deli, and The Washington Square.
WNY AmeriCorps Week Wrap-UpThe Fourth Annual AmeriCorps Week, May 8-15 2010, provided the perfect opportunity for AmeriCorps members, alums, grantees, program partners, and friends to shine a spotlight on AmeriCorps and to motivate more Americans to serve. During AmeriCorps Week, WNY AmeriCorps members continue to serve the community in the capacity they serve every day, delivering food the hungry, providing one-on-one guidance to local students, and building the capacity of non-profit organizations focusing on poverty elimination, while also engaging in special initiatives such as community based lead abatement and organizing the first “Be a WNY AmeriCorps Member for a Day” experience.
Volunteer to "Wipe Out Lead" During AmeriCorps Week 2010This national AmeriCorps Week 2010, WNY AmeriCorps is partnering with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to create two days of “Wiping Out Lead” in the City of Buffalo, creating a safe environment for the children and residents of the Fruit Belt and University Heights neighborhoods. We’re looking for volunteers to serve on Thursday, May 13th or Friday, May 14th with trained WNY AmeriCorps members, safely eliminating deteriorating lead paint from homes.
Project days will begin at 8 AM. This project will engage volunteer leaders and volunteers in lead abatement training and give you the resources needed to safely remove lead paint from homes in the City of Buffalo. All of the homes that have paint safely removed will then be painted by volunteers later this summer during a volunteer service trip. WNY AmeriCorps welcomes volunteers for this project.
You must be 18 years of age or older to volunteer. All volunteers must read through a quick introduction to lead safety before they participate: click here to download and view the PDF presentation.
Sign Up to Volunteer:The Home Depot Foundation and WNY AmeriCorps Partner to Revitalize Nun's Community on the East Side of BuffaloWNY AmeriCorps, The Home Depot, and the Response to Love Center celebrated Earth Day 2010, April 22, 2010, with a large scale neighborhood revitalization as part of the “Keep Our Neighbors in Good & Green Homes” project on the East Side of Buffalo, renovating homes and improving the streets surrounding Felician Sister Mary Johnice’s The Response to Love Center. Houghton College & WNY AmeriCorps Announce the Wesley Service CorpsMarch 31, 2010 -- Houghton College publicly announced on March 31, 2010 the launch of two new Houghton College initiatives in Buffalo, New York: Wesley ServiceCorps (in collaboration with WNY AmeriCorps) and City Semester. These programs aim to expand the college’s outreach and engagement in the city of Buffalo during the next decade. The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation has pledged $106,000 towards the first year of both programs. Community Clean-Up on Friday, March 26, 2010Join WNY AmeriCorps this Friday, March 26th from 8:30 AM until 12 Noon for a community clean-up focusing on the side-streets surrounding our new headquarters at 2188 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY. We’ll be picking up debris from streets and sidewalks, so dress appropriately for the weather and bring your work gloves. We will be meeting in the parking lot behind 2188 Seneca Street at 8:30 AM. See you there!  |