Author: birdamericorps

Author: Olivia Whatley, CAC AmeriCorps Member at Sevier Solid Waste (21-22)

My time serving with AmeriCorps at Sevier Solid Waste (SSWI) emphasized to me the importance of the little steps that it takes to make something big happen. Some days it was easy for me to forget the point of putting a “Keep it Out” sticker on a dumpster, or picking up litter out of a landfill (sounds like an oxymoron, right?), but the impact that this place has as a whole kept me going.

Article Author: Lane Mochow, CAC AmeriCorps VISTA Member (21-22)

I have spent the past couple of days visiting sites around Knoxville to see the daily lives of my fellow AmeriCorps and photographing my experience. It has been beautiful being up close and personal with my new friends’ service experiences.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Our Corps is large and members serve the local community in a wide variety of ways. Take a look at the following list to get a snapshot of just some of the ways members have gotten things done for East Tennessee.

By Michaela Barnett, Alum 2017-2018, Founder of KnoxFill

In early 2017, I was feeling adrift. After quitting a job in the service industry, I craved purpose and connection. Readers of this blog won’t be surprised at what happened next to fill those two yearnings – I found an AmeriCorps posting on a jobseeker’s website. 

It turns out, I had stumbled upon CAC AmeriCorps just in time. They only had three positions left, and it looked like those remaining spots would be filled quickly. When I got the call that I had matched with UT Recycling, I was delighted – it was the perfect fit for a person completely obsessed with waste. (To paint a picture: as a child, I frequently rifled through roadside debris looking for “something good” with my equally trash-obsessed mother. As a teenager, I was so distraught at the lack of recycling in my high school that I started a program. Same thing in college, but that time I started a composting program. It really has been a lifelong preoccupation). 

Article Authors: Annalisa Tarizzo, 2018-2020 CAC AmeriCorps Member
Christine Doka, CAC AmeriCorps Staff; Alum 2015-2018

Annalisa Tarizzo is a CAC AmeriCorps member currently serving a second term with the University of Tennessee, first with UT Recycling and now with the Office of Sustainability.

1. Tell me about your role within the University of Tennessee Office of Sustainability, and why you chose to serve at this site. 

I spent my first term during the 2018-19 corps year as the Zero Waste Coordinator with UT Recycling. I chose this site and this role in particular because I wanted to gain experience working in sustainability at a large institution, and the Zero Waste Coordinator role seemed like one where I could take on a lot of responsibility fairly quickly. Continue reading “Trash & Treasure”

Article Author:
Christine Doka, CAC AmeriCorps Staff; Alum 2015-2018

One of the roles of CAC AmeriCorps staff is to conduct at least 2 yearly site visits for all of our members. While the idea of a “site visit” from program staff might seem intimidating, the true purpose of these is to check on regulatory requirements (is your AmeriCorps Serving Here sign up?), check in with the site supervisor, but most importantly, talk to and get to know the member a bit better to help guide them in their current projects as well as help them identify long term goals to get ready for life after AmeriCorps.

Continue reading “A Day in Cherokee National Forest”

Article Author:
Christine Doka, CAC AmeriCorps Staff; Alum 2015-2018

A year of service through CAC AmeriCorps can look different from person to person. Depending on your service site, you could be engaging in anything from hiking to remove invasive plant species, performing environmental education, or building capacity through the office or organization you are serving with. As staff, we often tell Continue reading “Chasing Conservation through ConServe Knoxville”

Article Author: Megan Geer, serving at Ijams Nature Center (2018-2019)

What made you decide to join AmeriCorps? Was it what you thought it would be?

When I decided to join AmeriCorps it was very much an opportunity to boost my resume with actual work experience in a field that I had no experience in. It turned out to be much more than just some entry level opportunity. I wish I had joined with the sole intention of giving back to the community that has given me so much but that wasn’t the case when I started. However, after joining I quickly realized that AmeriCorps was going to be a year filled with meeting wonderful people and making a big difference in a wonderful community. My time serving has shown me ways to connect with people that Continue reading “Self-Discovery through AmeriCorps Service”

Article Authors: Christine Doka & Randall Eaker (CAC AmeriCorps 2018-2019)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been a cornerstone in East Tennessee since the 1930s. The TVA Act, which created TVA, was part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal to help residents of East Tennessee recover from the Great Depression through employment, access to electricity, and otherwise generally improving the quality of life in the region. Since then, TVA has grown to serve over 10 million people in 7 southeastern states. If you ask a local about TVA, you may hear about the noticeable steam plants that overlook our rivers, or the large dams that were built to control flooding in the area. However, TVA does much more than providing electricity and controlling flooding; TVA also offers outdoor recreation spaces and economic development opportunities.

Continue reading “Behind the Scenes – Randall Eaker”

Article Author:
Stefanie Perosa, CAC AmeriCorps VISTA member 2017-2018 with introduction by CAC AmeriCorps VISTA Leader, Christine Doka

Stefanie Perosa is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at UT FUTURE. Hailing all the way from the sunny state of Florida, Stefanie came to the East Tennessee hills to make a difference in the lives’ of others – and that she has done.

Continue reading “Preparing Students for the Future – Preparing the Future for Them”

Recruitment season is in full swing here at the CAC AmeriCorps office! From the time we begin recruitment to the time we fill all the positions in our corps, our office can go through close to 300 applications. With that many applicants, the positions can be quite competitive. We all want each of our applicants to succeed, so each of us here in the office sat down and thought of 5 things that impress us (and other general advice) during the CAC AmeriCorps application and interview process…you’re welcome!

Continue reading “5 Things to Consider When Applying to CAC AmeriCorps”

Article Author: 
Michaela Barnett, CAC AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2017-2018

I spent some time this morning googling variations of “how to write an impact narrative.” It should be a simple task: list the work I have undertaken since arriving at my site and extrapolate on the impact of said work. I was told that I could write one that is qualitative, or quantitative, or both. While sitting at my workstation and struggling with the task, an employee from my site mercifully interrupted. He wanted to talk to me about furniture donations.

            “It makes me sick!” he said, after describing thousands of dollars’ worth of high-quality furniture thrown into dumpsters and destined for the landfill. I understand – it makes me ill, too.

Continue reading “Tenacity: A Narrative of Invisible Work”

Article Author: 
Deidra Rogers, CAC AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2017-2018

Since the start of my AmeriCorps VISTA journey, I have had an eager heart to serve and be of service to those who are in need.  What better way to do this than by assisting with making a difference in the life of a community helping individuals with their search for local jobs, or better yet, a career.

Continue reading “Small Access with Huge Impacts”

Article Author: 
Christine Doka, CAC AmeriCorps Member & VISTA Leader 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 in collaboration with Nicole Fernandez, CAC AmeriCorps VISTA member 2017-2018.

For over twenty years, CAC AmeriCorps has recruited groups of people to spend a year of their life in service to East Tennessee. In the past, CAC has hosted a robust State/National Environmental Corps. This year, twelve AmeriCorps VISTAs, or Volunteers in Service to America, were added to the mix. VISTA as a program has been around since 1965, engaging Americans of all ages in working with non-profits and government organizations to alleviate poverty; CAC’s VISTA members focus on creating healthy futures and economic opportunity.  VISTAs are different from State/National members in that they work behind the scenes building capacity for organizations by recruiting volunteers, securing donations and funding, and creating projects that help the organizations they support better serve the community.

Continue reading “Bridging Together Passion and Purpose”