United Way of Southern Nevada Honors National Service Members
United Way of Southern Nevada honored 45 national service members (38 AmeriCorps and seven AmeriCorps VISTA) for their commitment to service with a special recognition ceremony held at Desert Rose Adult High School on Friday, Aug. 19.
Pictured above: Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley (left) and Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder (right) acknowledge AmeriCorps member Meagan HoChing’s (center) volunteer achievements in the community
Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley and Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder attended the event and commended volunteers for their work in the Las Vegas community.
During the ceremony, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members shared heartfelt messages about the importance of volunteering, the impact it has on their lives and those in need. One of the highlighted members included Meagan HoChing who served at HELP of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit organization offering resources to individuals seeking self-sufficiency.
“I wish every college student would participate on an AmeriCorps service team; it is such a great opportunity to learn about the community,” said Fuilala Riley, Chief Operating Officer for HELP of Southern Nevada. “There are thousands of families that are better off because of Meagan’s work at HELP of Southern Nevada. In her two years, she raised more than $1,000,000 worth of in-kind donations including food, toys, turkeys, furniture and household and personal hygiene items.”
AmeriCorps members provide 900 hours of service for programs designed to assist at-risk youth, unemployed and working families, disaster preparedness, community service and volunteer recruitment. AmeriCorps VISTA members serve fulltime for 12 months and assist with grant development, volunteer recruitment, donations management, training and capacity building tasks at their assigned nonprofit. In total, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members have dedicated more than 43,000 hours of service to the community, a value of $832,523 in equitable salaries.
The mission of the United Way of Southern Nevada’s AmeriCorps Program is to provide direct services for nonprofit agencies, build agency capacity and promote community collaboration. As a community partner, United Way understands the importance of supporting agencies that serve vital needs to Southern Nevadans. Through highly motivated, talented AmeriCorps members, nonprofit agencies are better able to serve those in need of social services.
About United Way of Southern Nevada
United Way collaborates with volunteers, stakeholders and community leaders to uncover key strategies designed to develop community-based solutions to our community’s most pressing health and human service issues. Beyond quick fixes, these strategies are delivering lasting solutions, aligned with benchmarks and achievement standards, to change community conditions. For more information about southern Nevada’s most pressing needs and how United Way’s Community-based Agenda is improving lives, visit uwsn.org/connected and join United Way’s social network.
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