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黑料正能量 celebrates the valuable contributions of AmeriCorps volunteers by starting a new student-led initiative to fill unmet community need.
黑料正能量 students are among the 200,000 AmeriCorps volunteers who annually "get things done," helping communities combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more.
黑料正能量 is in its third year as an AmeriCorps host institution in partnership with the MetroHealth Institute of H.O.P.E., Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation and MetroWest Community Development Organization.
Twelve part-time AmeriCorps members, six 黑料正能量 students and six community members, are trained annually as CHANGE INC. Community Health Empowerment Navigators (CHENs) and stationed at partner host sites.
The CHENs help community members experiencing food or health services insecurities to get the resources and services they need through the host sites and other programs around Cleveland.
As part of AmeriCorps Week, 黑料正能量 student AmeriCorps volunteers are launching a new 黑料正能量 CHANGE INC. Resource Closet to fill some of the unmet need they've uncovered as they've worked with community clients.
"Our communities have resources for healthy food and healthcare, but many of our clients face additional barriers to meeting their nutritional needs, such as access to appropriate kitchen equipment to fulfill a required soft food diet or access to sanitary products," explains Asya Aretskin-Hariton, MPH '25, a 黑料正能量 graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health degree and serving as an Ohio AmeriCorps LeaderCorps representative.
"We envision this resource closet will stock items to fill those gaps."
The resource closet is just the latest way 黑料正能量 volunteers are making a difference. When the third year of 黑料正能量 AmeriCorps service wraps up in July, CHANGE INC. AmeriCorps members will have put in more than 29,000 hours of service.
To date, their community impact also includes:
"Research confirms that service affects more than just the communities served, but also the volunteers themselves," notes Dr. Laura Hopkins, assistant professor of public health. "Students involved on our campus find their service develops leadership and problem-solving skills that we know employers value."
AmeriCorps programming is administered locally by ServeOhio, the state's Commission on Service and Volunteerism. To learn more about AmeriCorps, visit .
