Of the myriad ways one can serve their country, from the armed forces, public office, Peace Corps, US AID or others, there is one program in particular focused on funneling high-energy citizens into non-profits, public agencies and common-good projects nationwide: Americorps. For many, including myself, this venerable route gives us the opportunity to create substantial change and growth in our communities. Through government cost-shares and grant programs, Americorps and its service members add fuel to projects that would otherwise be unable to afford the labor costs.

There are many different ways that Americorps serves throughout our communities. One program offers high school graduates the opportunity to travel around a region of the U.S. completing many small service projects. Other programs place individuals in specific locations with singular organizations for a full year.

I was matched with the Montezuma School to Farm Project through a program called Americorps VISTA. My job is to build the capacity of MSTFP, taking it from here to here over the course of a year. My work will then be handed off to two more VISTAs over the next two years. Other specific site programs focus on “direct service,” which means aiding in the day-to-day goals of organizations. Almost any Americorps program is open to citizens of all ages. I trained alongside many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Americorps first started in the 1960s as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” Since then it has grown to a program that engages over 75,000 service members every year at more than 15,000 locations. I came to Americorps in 2013 after graduating from college in 2009. I, like many of my peers, spent the time immediately after graduation floundering in an attempt to connect my field of study to my greater life goals. I found a solution in Americorps. Almost all of the positions they offered were creative, dynamic and challenging. The monthly living stipend wasn’t great but the potential for personal growth and professional experience gain far outweighed that fact. I had come across few job descriptions in my searches that combined so many of my interests and employed so many of my skills. Because many of the positions were for small projects or growing non-profits, invention and critical thinking was everything.

And that is exactly what I’ve found working for the Montezuma School to Farm Project. Every week I am faced with new puzzles. In many ways, Americorps is like a training-ground for inspired 20-somethings (and 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70-somethings). We can try out our big ideas, fail utterly, and get up and try again. At the end of the day, any success that we have directly enriches our organizations and communities.

The Montezuma School to Farm Project’s partnership with Americorps has worked so well that we are looking to add another service member to our ranks. This person would head up the creation of the Cortez Middle School Garden. The position will focus on the daily needs of garden maintenance and instruction. Getting the Cortez Garden off the ground will take a lot of energy and we need an Americorps member with some real chutzpah to help us do it. If any readers know someone that would be a good candidate, or would like to apply themselves, please contact me at [email protected] for a more detailed job description. We look forward to working with you.

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This week’s gardening tip will actually to take us out of the garden by 500 to 2,000 vertical feet. It’s from the fun guys, Travis and Gabem and San Juan Mycology.

“Mushroom season is upon us and the rain we’ve been getting is causing many species to start coming up. From about 8,000 to 10,000 feet elevation in the spruce and aspen forests is the best place to go mushroom hunting. Our favorite mushroom guide is called “All That the Rain Promises and More” by David Arora. But if you cant find it, there is a Colorado specific guide for sale at the Mancos Visitor Center. Make sure you positively identify your mushrooms before you eat them!”

San Juan Mycology grows gourmet edible mushrooms and offers their products at the Durango farmers market on Saturdays. Also look for them giving workshops on growing your own mushrooms around Montezuma and La Plata counties.

The staff at the Montezuma School to Farm Project are getting lonely without their students in the garden. Help them out by coming to Dolores on Tuesday evenings from 4-7 p.m. behind the elementary school and Mancos on Wednesdays from 4-7 between the middle school and the high school.

Thanks.

Harrison Topp is an Americorps-VISTA worker at the Montezuma School to Farm Project.