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Get Things Done for America AmeriCorps Orientation

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AmeriCorps Orientation. Get Things Done for America. A few terms before we get started. What is AmeriCorps ? What is a Term of Service? Who is the Corporation for National and Community Service ? How does AmeriCorps fit with Bonner ?. Fast Fact: AmeriCorps members have served more than - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Get Things Done for America

Get Things Done for America

AmeriCorps Orientation

Page 2: Get Things Done for America

A few terms before we get started

• What is AmeriCorps? What is a Term of Service?

• Who is the Corporation for National and Community Service?

• How does AmeriCorps fit with Bonner?

Fast Fact: AmeriCorps members have served more than 774 million hours

Page 3: Get Things Done for America

What is AmeriCorps?

• A National Service Program (Domestic Peace Corps)

• Federally funded, locally implemented • Members complete Terms of Service

– A Term of Service is a commitment of hours to direct service and training

– Terms of Service run from 1 to 2 years • Participants receive an Education Award at the

completion of their Term of Service

Fast Fact: There has been more than 637,000 AmeriCorps members since 1994

Page 4: Get Things Done for America

AmeriCorps Rooted in America’s Tradition of Service

1933: Civilian Conservation Corps

1961: Peace Corps

1964: VISTA

1993: The Corporation forNational and Community Service and AmeriCorps

2009: Serve America Act

Page 5: Get Things Done for America

Corporation for National and Community Service & AmeriCorps

The Corporation for National and Community Service is the federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers three main programs:

• Senior Corps: 450,000 Americans 55+

• AmeriCorps: 85,000 members

• Learn and Serve America:1.5 million students inservice-learning

Page 6: Get Things Done for America
Page 7: Get Things Done for America

Serve America Act

• Signed into law April 21, 2009

• Landmark legislation to expand service

• Expands AmeriCorps to 250,000 members by 2017

• Priority focus on education, health, environment, veterans, and economic opportunity

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What do AmeriCorps members do?Meet critical needs across America!

AmeriCorps aims to meet three different goals

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• Youth, Seniors, and Others In Need benefit from the tutoring, mentoring, health, housing, and other services members provide.

• Communities benefit from having better schools, safer streets, more affordable housing, a cleaner environment, and more engaged citizens.

• Organizations gain from having more reach and impact: 92% of sponsoring groups say members helped increase how many people they served to a large or moderate extent.

• Members acquire leadership and career skills, earn money for college, and learn how to be active citizens.

Who Benefits from AmeriCorps? We All Do

Fast Fact: AmeriCorps members have earned $1.77 Billion in Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

Page 10: Get Things Done for America

AmeriCorps TodayThree Programs

AmeriCorpsState/National

AmeriCorpsVISTA

AmeriCorpsNCCC

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Bonner AmeriCorps

• Administered by the Bonner Foundation in partnership with the College of New Jersey

• Offered at more than 50 Bonner Campuses, including ours!

Fast Fact: More than 2.4 million volunteers were mobilized by AmeriCorps members in 2009

Page 12: Get Things Done for America

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be 17 years of age or older• Must have a High School Diploma or

Equivalency, or must be working towards the GED

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident of the U.S.

• Government Documents Required: State-Issued Birth Certificate; unexpired U.S. Passport; or Permanent Residency Card

Page 13: Get Things Done for America

What Do (Bonner) AmeriCorps Members Receive?

Half-Time Members

Quarter-Time Members

Minimum-Time Members

900 Hours of Service

450 Hours of Service

300 Hours of Service

Education Award = $2,675

Education Award = $1,415

Education Award = $1,132.28

Two-year term (minus one day)

One-year term (minus one day)

One-year term (minus one day)

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Now for the nitty-gritty of AmeriCorps…

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Rules of Conduct

AmeriCorps Members are limited to two full-time terms of service in a lifetime.

Breakdown of Service Hours:• At least 80% of your hours must be devoted to service• No more than 20% of your hours can be done in Training and Enrichment

(T&E) activities • No more than 10% of total hours can be devoted to fundraising

– Granting writing or fundraising for operational expenses is prohibited; however, you can be involved in grant writing for specific service projects, solicit in-kind donations, and organize education events that also serve as fundraisers (i.e. hunger banquets)

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What is “community service?”

Bonner defines service as “service provided to individuals or communities to meet social, educational, or environmental needs.”

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Prohibited Activities

The following activities will not count towards your term of service:– Service outside the country or with an agency that is internationally

focused– Attempting to influence legislation or the outcomes of an election to

any public office– Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes

and/or assisting, prompting, or deterring union organizing– Engaging in religious instruction or proselytizing, and/or working for

an agency that puts religious education/proselytizing at the forefront of its mission

– Work for a for-profit entity or provide services that directly benefit a for-profit entity

– Coordinating or participating in Voter Registration drives– Providing abortion services or referrals for such services– Displacing current employees – Direct service that is paid through an hourly wage other than Federal

Work-Study

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Prohibited Activities Cheat Sheet

AmeriCorps Service Red Flags:• International• For-Profit• Political • Religious • Labor issues

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Suspension

• May be eligible for a leave of absence from AmeriCorps for a “Personal and Compelling” circumstance: – Personal or family illness– Military service– Academic programs abroad– Leave of absence from school

• Essentially “freezes” your term of service – Cannot count/log any hours during the period of the suspension

• All hour logs up until the suspension must be turned in• The Foundation must receive a suspension form no later than 25

days after the date of requested suspension • A Request for Reinstatement Form must be submitted no later than

25 days after the reinstatement date • A suspension cannot last longer than two years from the date of

suspension

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Exiting for Personal and Compelling Circumstances

• A participant who is released for Personal and Compelling Circumstances AND who has completed 15 percent of his or her required term of service is eligible for a pro-rated Education Award.

• The situation must be absolutely beyond the member’s control

• Members wishing to exit with a partial Award must:– Update and submit any missing hour logs– Complete and submit an exit form – Send a letter explaining the Personal and Compelling

Circumstances

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Release for Cause

• Release for cause encompasses any circumstance other than Personal and Compelling Circumstances, this includes:– Personal decision to leave the program– Termination from the program due to inactivity – Convicted of a felony– Convicted of the sale or distribution of a controlled

substance during a term of service • Members released for cause will not receive any

portion of the education award and must disclose this fact in any subsequent applications to participate in an AmeriCorps program.

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Exiting with Full-Award

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The Education Award

• The Education award can be used to:– Repay qualified existing or future

student loans,– To pay all or part of the current

cost of attending a qualified institution of higher education

– Pay current expenses while participating in an approved school-to-work program

• Important things to remember:– You have 7 years to use the award– It is taxable in the year that it is

used– It may be paid out in increments

• The National Service Trust (which holds the award) has an online payment system. )

Page 24: Get Things Done for America

Time to Enroll!

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Before we get started…

• You must use a pen• If you make a mistake, neatly cross it out and

make the change – both you and I must initial the cross-out

• Your Enrollment/Start Date is today August 25, 2011

• Your End Date is August 24, 2013 if you are enrolling in a two-year, 900-hour term

• Reminder this is an official and binding contract; read over everything carefully

• At any point, please let me know if you have any questions

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Member Application and Enrollment Form

• Fill-out:– The Cover– Member Application (page 2)– Member Enrollment Form (pages 3-5)

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Member Contract

• Fill out: – Member Contract (pages 6-13) – read carefully!

• Helpful Info for you:– Start Date: August 25, 2011– End Date: August 24, 2013– Campus administrator: Melissa Medeiros

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Grievance Procedures (page 10)

In the event that informal efforts to resolve disputes are unsuccessful, AmeriCorps members, labor unions, and other interested individuals may seek resolution through the grievance procedures detailed on page 10 of the Member Contract. These procedures are intended to apply to service-related issues, such as assignments, evaluations, suspensions, or release for cause, as well as issues related to non-selection of members, and displacement of employees, or duplication of activities by AmeriCorps Members

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Nondiscrimination Policy (page 12)

Participation in AmeriCorps is based on merit and equal opportunity for all, without regard to factors such as race, color, national origins, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, marital or parental status, military service, or religious, community, or social affiliations

It is also unlawful to retaliate against any person who, or organization that, files a complaint about such discrimination. Each campus and/or service site that receives the services of an AmeriCorps Member agrees to abide by Federal laws and CNCS policies on Equal Opportunity

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Reasonable Accommodation (page 12)

Programs and activities must be accessible to persons with disabilities, and the Bonner AmeriCorps Program at your campus must provide reasonable accommodation to the known mental or physical disabilities of otherwise qualified members, service recipients, applicants, and staff.

All selections and project assignments must be made without regard to the need to provide reasonable accommodation

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Bonner AmeriCorps Submission of Documents Procedures (page 14)

Due to the high volume and detail of documentation required to enroll members and provide sufficient verification of completion of a Member’s term, Bonner AmeriCorps Program Staff have outlined procedures for the proper submission of documents. Adhering to these procedures will help facilitate the successful completion of an AmeriCorps Member’s term.

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Drug-Free Workplace (page 15)

Consistent with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and The College of New Jersey are committee to providing a workplace that is free from the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of controlled substances– Program members must notify the Bonner Program in

writing within five (5) calendar days, if he or she is convicted of a criminal drug violation in the workplace

– Violations of the Drug-Free Workplace policy will result in personnel action again the program member, up to and including dismissal pursuant to The College of New Jersey procedure relating to program member discipline

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Prohibited Activities, Suspension Procedures, and Emergency Notification (pages 16-17)

Please read through and fill-out related information for :– Prohibited Activities– Suspension Procedures– Emergency Notification

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Informed Consent and Waiver of Responsibility (page 18)

Bonner Foundation Staff, your Campus/Site Supervisor, and the Corporation for National and Community Service with your consent may:

• Release your name, interests, and any training you have received

• Write a recommendation or give a verbal recommendation for employment, etc. at the end of your term of service.

• Photograph you at your service site for recruitment/promotional purposes

NOTE: You may opt out by checking the box on page 18 of the enrollment book.

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Eligibility Documentation

Along with your completed Enrollment Workbook, you must:• Submit a legible copy of a government-issued citizenship,

naturalization or resident alien documentation (e.g., state-issued birth certificate, permanent resident card, etc.) AND a legible copy of government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID);

• OR, an unexpired US passport issued to you as a US citizen

Also, provide documentation of any legal name change

I will staple copies to the top of the page after I review your Enrollment book

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Almost there…

Please read through and complete the following sections:• Bonner AmeriCorps Orientation Certification (page 19)• Background Check Authorization (page 20)• National Sex Offender Registry Check (page 21)

And finally, look through the book to make sure you have signed every line, checked every box, and filled in all the information needed to enroll you in AmeriCorps

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Any Questions?