Bringing a Voice for Animals to the Planning Table

In New Mexico, APNM, concerned citizens and dedicated Emergency Managers (EM's) are beginning to make a big difference for animals in community planning and preparedness efforts around the state. A number of local, county and state agencies are taking action to assess their emergency sheltering capacity, develop new policies, purchase equipment, offer training, and create planning and response teams to better meet the needs of animals during wildfires and other emergencies.

Community leaders in areas that experienced some of our biggest wildfires, such as Ruidoso and Los Alamos, have seen the importance of building relationships with local animal shelters, animal control agencies, agricultural extension services, state agencies, and other organizations both within and adjacent to their own jurisdictions.

For just over a year, APNM has been participating in a wide range of meetings and events, working within the emergency management community to help keep the conversations going and encourage interagency cooperation at all levels. Introducing APNM and our Disaster Preparedness Program to EM's at some of their quarterly meetings has provided a great opportunity for building new relationships and learning more about what's happening in each county.

Read more: APNM Disaster Preparedness Program Update

On Tuesday May 9th the Wellness Coalition's AmeriCorps members made a presentation to the Silver City Town Council and Mayor. The Part of the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service led by the Corporation for National and Community Service. AmeriCorps members Tim Miller and Mellisa Cano made the presentation to the Council and where supported by the presence of members Richard Leves, Krista Joslin-Gay, Justin Blanton, Kimberly Brown and Jackie Olea.

Tim spoke about his work with youth in the Youth Volunteer Corps program and at the SPOT a youth drop in center hosted by the Wellness Coalition. He was particularly proud of the work he is doing supporting the Grant County Youth Leadership Program.

Mellisa presented statistics that helped underline the impact AmeriCorps is having in our community and how members are helping local nonprofits address critical needs.

Read more: Mayors Day of Recognition Silver City Style

Rio Grande Community Farm was honored to participate in the first ever national AmeriCorps Mayor's Week on April 9, 2013 by assisting and enjoying Mayors Day of Volunteerism at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque. The day began rainy and windy as our crew gathered at Civic Plaza to help prepare for the festivities. Along with 4 other AmeriCorps programs, we moved indoors to the Mayor's Office. Here we met with staff from the Mayor's Office of Volunteerism and Engagement and received several assignments including greeters, table registration, and equipment movers. We then deployed out to the Albuquerque Convention Center where we prepared for over 80 separate volunteer groups and non-profits that would participate in the noontime events. RGCF AmeriCorps members were on the front lines as several hundred individuals came to the event. At noon Mayor Richard Barry began the ceremonies by honoring all the non-profits and volunteers that have contributed so much to the Albuquerque community. Over 30 individuals were nominated and received Certificates of Appreciation. Several speakers talked about the role of volunteerism and how essential this is to the wellbeing of our community. Several organizations were honored as making a particularly strong impact in the community. Michael Garcia, State AmeriCorps VISTA Director spoke about the hundreds of AmeriCorps members deployed throughout the State. We were treated to pizza and then our RGCF members helped cleanup after the event. Members got a chance to view the over 60 booths that were setup to describe volunteer activities in Albuquerque. We are proud to be a part of the larger volunteer community that is doing so much to make Albuquerque a great place to live.

Read more: AmeriCorps Mayors Volunteerism Day - RGCF

On March 11, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps celebrated AmeriCorps week in Tucumcari New Mexico.

Pictured here is the RMYC/AmeriCorps Energy Efficiency crew along with representative from City of Tucumcari , Quay County Commissioners ,and Romaine Serna

In honor of AmeriCorps Week, Teach For America corps members focused on community engagement by inviting speakers into their classroom to teach a guest lesson. Two of the guest lessons are profiled below.

AmeriCorps Member: Tracey Tomlinson

Tracey is in her first year as a 9th grade biology teacher at Gallup High School in Gallup, New Mexico. Tracey graduated from Colby College in 2012.

My guest speaker is Shruthi Rajashekara. Shruthi is in-between her third and fourth of medical school as Harvard and is currently living in Gallup as she finishes up her field work for her master's degree through the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research focuses on access to healthy food on the Navajo Reservation. She and her team and identifying areas of need and are working on a number of strategic interventions to increase healthy food access for people living in the more remote parts of the reservation.

Read more: AmeriCorps Week Reflection

Washington, D.C. – On April 9, more than 680 mayors, who collectively represent nearly 100 million Americans in all 50 states, will join together to recognize the impact of national service participants in AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs who are making a difference in their communities.

The first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service is being led by Cities of Service, the National League of Cities, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.

Read more: Hundreds of Mayors Line Up to Recognize AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Programs

In honor of the United We Serve initiative, the President's call to national service, the San Juan County Partnership (SJCP) AmeriCorps members planned and implemented activities with elementary school students in Aztec and Blanco. The SJCP AmeriCorps members worked for several weeks to plan a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after school programs at Park Avenue, McCoy and Blanco Elementary schools. The message they wished to share was of MLK's belief in freedom and justice for all by encouraging citizens of all ages to come together through service to strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers and create solutions.

Read more: AmeriCorps Members Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a Day of Service