MANKATO — Recent listening sessions held in Mankato reinforced the need for math and reading tutors among other AmeriCorps members in the community, said ServeMinnesota CEO Julia Quanrud.
ServeMinnesota administers AmeriCorps’ 16 programs in the state, adding up to 2,254 members in total. Quanrud’s Mankato visit recently was part of a statewide tour to identify needs and learn how AmeriCorps members can respond to them.
Mankato has 24 AmeriCorps members currently serving, Quanrud said, and more will start their work soon followed by another expected increase in the summer.
“We’ve got a lot of Reading Corps and Math Corps tutors who are in the schools and I think we’ve heard in every listening session to keep doing that and do even more of that if possible,” Quanrud said. “Kids are a really important priority in the community and continuing to support them and helping them is key.”
Math and reading tutors can be assigned to local elementary, middle, charter or private schools, working closely with teachers and administrators. AmeriCorps members range from young people deciding their next steps after high school or college to parents of school-age children to retirees looking for a community service opportunity.
All the organization’s programs can benefit from a wide range of people getting involved, said Lisa Winkler, ServeMinnesota’s vice president of external relations.
“That’s part of the beauty of it is that combination of people who are concerned and care about their community with the needs that are present there,” she said. “There’s that alignment between AmeriCorps resources and how to address those issues.”
Other service programs in Mankato include Conservation Corps, an environmental program, and Recovery Corps, which recruits members to work as peer support specialists and resource navigators through Wecovery.
Sectors represented in the listening sessions included education, nonprofits, housing and faith.
A stop in Chisholm on the Iron Range preceded the Mankato visit, followed by St. Cloud and Austin. More stops around the state are planned.
Quanrud has noticed common themes emerging during her visits, particularly education support, mental health, housing and substance abuse.
“People are really concerned about what COVID-19 did in terms of isolating people,” she said about mental health.
On housing, concerns about unaffordability are common. On substance abuse, one of the discussions on Thursday centered around whether to expand the Recovery Corps program.
AmeriCorps members can receive between a $800 to $1,100 living allowance every two weeks, along with health insurance, child care assistance, student loan forbearance and interest repayment, and up to $6,895 in tuition payment or repaid student loans.
Summer recruitment for AmeriCorps programs will soon begin, while recruitment for the next school year is set to begin in February. For more information about programs in Minnesota, go to serveminnesota.org.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
