Flathead Valley Community College Campus Corps members are celebrating AmeriCorps Week, spotlighting the group’s impact on communities across the nation.  

In addition to an appreciation banquet and service reflection held earlier this month, the celebration includes a photo display of Campus Corps service and volunteer efforts in Blake Hall on the college’s Kalispell campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday.

Janaya Okerlund, in partnership with Montana Campus Compact, supervises the Montana Campus Corps, an AmeriCorps program operated through the Service Learning Office. The program engages college students in meeting community-identified needs through meaningful service by placing them with community agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools and health-care facilities to address Northwest Montana’s most challenging problems.

 During the 2010-2011 academic year, the Campus Corps team consisted of Team Leader Wendy Jeschke and eight students who were placed with agencies on campus and throughout the community.

 These student members and the agencies they served included: Tanya Turner, Community Action Partnership/Volunteer Income Tax Program; Shaunna Ogden, Edgerton Elementary School; Kendra Solberg, FVCC Recycling Program; Deb McPherson, Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter; Logan Anderson, Troy Community Center;  Doug Smith, Upward Bound; Katie Hausauer, Whitefish After-school Program; and Margaret Stell, Whitefish Care.

 In addition, 74 Service Learning Campus Corps members addressed community needs through their areas of study including accounting, criminal justice, early childhood education, education, human services, medical assistant, paramedicine, practical nursing, radiological technology and surgical technology. Altogether, the Campus Corps team and Service Learning members provided approximately 42,000 hours of service within the local community.

 The Service Learning Office is currently recruiting students to serve on the Campus Corps team during the 2011-2012 academic year. Applications are available in the Service Learning Office inside Blake Hall or by calling Jeschke at 756-3372 or Okerlund at 756-3908.