New Staff Spotlight: Huw McDonald

Team Care Force would like to introduce the newest member of the Care Force staff, Huw McDonald!

Hello! My name is Huw McDonald and I have recently joined the Care Force team as a project manager, all the way from South Africa. It has been a long process navigating the roads of US immigration, but I am here at last and absolutely thrilled to be a part of the team. I am a proud alum of the first City Year corps from 2005 in Johannesburg, South Africa - City Year’s first international site.

I spent a life-changing year serving in an extremely underprivileged community called Kliptown (Stonetown), in Soweto - the stage for some of the worst political violence in South Africa during the 1980’s and early 90’s. Residents live in poorly constructed shacks, have no electricity, one tap per 300-500 people and one toilet to share between an average of 50-100 people. There is no school in Kliptown, so our after-school program drew children from schools in the surrounding communities. Despite the shocking levels of poverty and unbelievably difficult living circumstances, I have yet to meet such generous, warm and kind people as those I encountered during my year there.

In 2006, I led a team as a program manager in downtown Johannesburg. Although the living conditions of the children we served were significantly better than those of the children living in Kliptown, they still faced the same social and family problems that we had seen the year before.

In 2008, following a brief stint back at school and a job in the corporate world, I received an offer to join the City Year family in the States, which I gladly accepted. I love traveling, experiencing new places and meeting new people, so I’m super excited about being a part of Care Force. It will give me the opportunity to travel and meet new people, plus spread a bit of love around the communities that really need a hand.

When I’m not working I spend as much time as I can immersed in music of some kind or another. I play guitar and have been in different forms of the same band for the past five years. We were famous in some parts of northern Johannesburg and often played to sold out shows of 20+ people. Pirated copies of our EP have been found in some parts of Asia and South America. When I’m not playing or listening to music I’m often out taking photographs, running (although this happens rarely, it does happen) and watching films.

House backs bill to increase service opportunities

By Ann Sander, Associated Press Writer

March 18th, 2009

Tens of thousands of Americans could see more opportunities to mentor children, help rebuild homes and participate in other national service under a measure passed by the House on Wednesday.

The House voted 321-105 to expand AmeriCorps and other national service programs by 175,000 participants. It would also create new groups to help poor communities with education, clean energy, health and services for veterans.

Supporters say the effort comes at a time when more people are interested in serving their communities and more people could use the extra help.

The bill "reaches out to all Americans from all walks of life and asks them to commit to service," said Jared Polis, D-Colo. "During these difficult times, our nation needs the help of each and every one of us more than ever."

A Senate committee approved an expansion Wednesday that was somewhat similar, adding 175,000 positions to the AmeriCorps alone. That bill, which triples the size of the program, could reach the Senate floor next week.

President Barack Obama said he was pleased by the House's action and was eager for the Senate to pass the bill so he can sign it.

"At this moment of economic crisis, when so many people are in need of help and so much needs to be done, this could not be more urgent," said Obama, who pledged during the campaign to provide government support for national service programs.

The House measure would also create fellowships for people 55 and older and a separate Summer of Service program for middle and high school student volunteers, who would earn a $500 education award to help cover college costs. It also looks for ways to get scientists and veterans more involved in community service.

Some Republicans have expressed concern the government would be taking over work that's done voluntarily by people who are not paid.

"Well, I think it's important that we encourage volunteers, but this is a paid job," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. "This is a government-authorized charity."

The House measure is slated to cost $6 billion over five years. Obama's proposed budget for next year calls for more than $1.1 billion for national service programs, an increase of more than $210 million.

Some AmeriCorps participants get a living stipend while they are working for 10 to 12 months. The stipend ranges from $11,400 to $22,800 for the year. Most participants, who are predominantly 18 to 26 years old, get $11,800. After completing the program, they can receive up to $4,725 to help pay for college or pay off student loans. The bill would increase the education award to $5,350 and requires that it match any future increases in Pell Grant scholarships.

Members of AmeriCorps work for nonprofit, faith-based or national organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity. They provide a variety of services, such as teaching young people or responding to disasters.

Over the last year, AmeriCorps has received three applications for every slot, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the agency that oversees the program.

Team Care Force Spotlight: Alice Newman

(Team Care Force Senior Corps Member Alice Newman, right, with former Baton Rouge City Heroes teammate Jason Miller.)

Yes, hello there. My name is Alice Newman, but I go by a variety of nicknames here at the office, such as Newm, Side Special and my personal favorite, Ninja Newm. I am from San Antonio, TX and graduated from the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton. Not only is UNT home to some famous alumni such as Norah Jones, Meatloaf and Dr. Phil, but it is also where the 1991 cinema gem “Necessary Roughness,” starring Scott Bakula and Sinbad, was filmed. While at UNT I was the evening voice of KNTU (the best jazz station in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex), served as a resident assistant and also dabbled in the fine art of playing Scrappy, UNT’s mascot.

After college, I moved to London where I worked at the very first Apple store in the UK. I worked at the “Genius Bar” trouble shooting iPod issues and also gave presentations in the store's theater training customers on Apple software. Sadly, after seven months of living the dream my visa expired and I went back to Texas, where I worked various jobs that were not satisfying in the least.

Although I am proud Texan, my ancestral roots run deep into the ground of Southern Louisiana. About a year after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I left my house and moved into an abandoned school building in the 9th Ward. Six days out of the week I spent my time gutting houses, and on the seventh day I handed out food and supplies, and prayed with those in need. After several months I became physically and emotionally exhausted and decided to move back to Texas. Shortly after my return, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart, telling me to return to Louisiana. In my search for a way to get back there to continue the work I started, I came across City Year.

I was so happy to be a part of the founding City Heroes team in Baton Rouge, and planning our service days was my favorite part of the job. I was asked to participate in the NBA Cares Day of Service in New Orleans in February 2008, which provided me with my first Care Force experience. I had such a great time that I decided to apply for Team Care Force. My favorite project so far has been the T-Mobile project in Colorado Springs. Not only was I was able to design a T-Mobile Huddle Up Zone, but all of the teachers at the school were very welcoming and the weather sure was beautiful. My favorite non-work related experience, brought to you by Care Force, was the early morning walk along the beach in Naples, Florida last November with my teammate Amy and program managers Meggan and Chris.

After City Year, I plan to move back south where the tea is sweet and the weather is hot. I am looking for a career in a higher education environment because working with college students is super exciting and fun! Outside of work, you can hear me talking about Harry Potter, reading Twilight, eating sweets, playing guitar hero or swimming with the masters team at the YMCA.

City Year CEO Michael Brown Tesifies in front of Senate Committee

Kennedy promotes national service bill

February 23, 2009

(Excerpts from an article appearing on Boston.com by Susan Milligan, Globe Staff)

WASHINGTON -- A national service bill aimed at drawing Americans from elementary school children to retirees won bipartisan plaudits today from key senators, who said they are hoping to get the measure passed before Easter.

The measure -- a joint effort by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican -- would provide $5 billion over five years to fund 250,000 volunteers in energy, the environment, healthcare, and education. President Obama mentioned the Serve America Act in his address to Congress last month.

While US soldiers are serving overseas, "Americans should be able to serve on the homefront as well, addressing the national problems of our times,´´ Michael Brown, CEO of the Boston-based City Year community service program, told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Kennedy did have a statement entered into the record. "Americans young and old are looking for new ways to serve their communities and give back to their country." The full statement and summary of the bill, provided by Kennedy´s office, is below:

THE SERVE AMERICA ACTA Legislative Initiative to Expand and Improve Domestic and International Service Opportunities for All Americans by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch

Use service to meet specific national challenges. Put service to work to solve our most pressing challenges, such as tackling the dropout crisis and strengthening our schools; improving energy efficiency; safeguarding the environment; improving health care in low-income communities; expanding economic opportunities for low-income individuals; and preparing for and responding to disasters and emergencies.

I. Ask Many More Americans to Give a Year to Solve Specific Challenges: Building on the success of AmeriCorps, the legislation will create new, effective “Corps” focused on areas of national need. It will ask 175,000 Americans to give a year of service through these corps as part of a new national commitment to solve these challenges, expanding the number of national service participants to 250,000.

II. Increase Opportunities to Serve by People of All Ages: For Students, Increase Service Early in Life: Service early in life will put more and more youth on a path to a lifetime of service. The legislation will improve opportunities for young people in low income, high-need communities to engage in service to improve their own communities.

To read the full artice, click here.