Mission: Established under the federal national and community service act of 1990, in new york, the service collaborative of wny creates opportunities for all individuals to serve their communities, challenging them to turn their ideas into action and their passion into positive change.
Programs: Able (americorps builds lives through education) - improvement of literacy rates for children living in buffalo's neediest neighorhoods through one-on-one tutoring with the service collaborative's members at selected schools and after school programs.
serve new york - addresses the injustices and causes of poverty in new york state through various financial development, financial literacy, economic development and independent living initiatives.
youth build - transformational force in the lives of young men and women embodied in a diverse team-based national service environment; empowering individuals with purpose to improve their community and equipping them with the essential skills for a productive and vibrant future.
the purpose of the service collaborative of wny is to provide opportunities for citizens of all ages to help improve the nation through service to communities by making western new york's environment cleaner, children healthier, schools better, and streets safer. Other program services provided by the service collaborative of wny include beds for buffalo, economic development and regional volunteer center.
I got involved with WNY AmeriCorps in the late 90’s when they became neighbors with a community organization I was involved with. We had a number of shared projects, and over the years it blended to me following their accomplishments and occasionally volunteering to assist AmeriCorps with some of their own projects.
When I think of WNY AmeriCorps I am reminded of the good they do (1) They feed the hungry (Distribute food to the 100+ food banks and shelters in Western New York (2) They educate (They give high school equivalency classes) (3) They tutor (In local elementary schools) (4) They teach the trades (Construction, renovation, building) (5) They care for our elderly (shovel driveways, etc…) (6) They care for the sick and infirmed (Build wheelchair ramps) (7) They care about beauty and nature (They do neighborhood cleanups and plant flowers and trees) (8) They understand and support tourism (Volunteer for local conventions) (9) They support the other not-for-profits by providing workers (10) They renovate (Schools, other not-for-profits, homes in low income areas)
