"I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I will take action."
"AmeriCorps State and National provide grants to non-profits, faith & secular community-based organizations, public agencies, Indian tribes, and institutions of higher education. These programs provide Americans, young and old, with opportunities to serve as AmeriCorps members in communities across the country."
The Ketchikan Afterschool Program (KAP) became a host site for three AmeriCorps Vista Members in 2020 after working with Rural Cap to recruit and bring members to Ketchikan. Since the launch of the program and seeing how successful it has become, we decided to create Revilla Island Corps, Ketchikan's very own AmeriCorps program. This means we will continue KAP, serve our partners through our AmeriCorps Host Site program, and be able to provide more opportunities within the community of Ketchikan.
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Andrew Vazquez, AMeriCorps VISTA Member serving with KAP
Who Is a RICorps Member?
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Stella Yelich, AmeriCorps VISTA Member serving with KAP
Above all else, a RICorps Member is essentially an AmeriCorps State/National Member. The goal is to support the already existing AmeriCorps mission, the only key difference with RICorps is that it was made specific to our Ketchikan Community. You will go through AmeriCorps and choose to serve with our community-specific program, RICorps/KAP, during the enrollment process.
As a RICorps Member, you will be serving youth throughout Ketchikan through direct action- doing to help strengthen the community. You'll have the opportunity to partner with local organizations called host sites that are also making a positive difference. Members will be responsible for creating, initiating, and facilitating workshops/activities. Below you will find the general details of your service as a Revilla Island Corps AmeriCorps Member.
Committment
We truly believe the act of volunteering is selfless, enduring, and rewarding all at the same time. Becoming a member is easy, but committing to truly being one takes genuine passion and perseverance. Our beautiful quaint island town of Ketchikan is not always beautiful. We want to make sure we provide all of our prospective members with transparency when it comes to what most of our youth and families experience here. Statistically, due to the nature of where Ketchikan is located, all of our kids here are at-risk. Many youth and families don't have access to resources, and many have been affected by generational/historical trauma, the pandemic, the weather, and much more which has led to higher rates of domestic violence, addiction, and suicide.
This means our children need members like you now more than ever. Despite of all of this, many community members and organizations continue to show up for our youth and commit to facing these challenges. We're finding out that although we've made progress, there is still more work that needs to be done.
Skies are often gray here in Ketchikan, but there are many days full of sun too. Enjoy quiet rainy days during the Winter and the local beach or hiking trails during the warmer Summer months. You'll be serving in a community where you will see both good and bad days. But the impact you'll have on our community is priceless. Many of our youth absolutely need positive influences, healthy discipline, and emotional/behavioral competence as many of them have never received that type of care at home. We kindly ask you to consider these factors before applying.