Team UP AmeriCorps members serve to improve the well-being of children & families in Southwest Colorado. Our members provide direct service to improve outcomes in Education, Economic Opportunity, & Healthy Futures.

We are currently searching for our next cohort of 15 members to join our team, starting in September 2020. These members will serve at various locations throughout Southwest Colorado for 1 year. Members receive a monthly living allowance, insurance (F/T), child care assistance (F/T), mileage reimbursement, countless training and professional development opportunities, and an education award upon successful completion of their term.

Who: Anyone with a passion for service between the ages of 18-99
What: A one-year commitment to community and service (view full list of open positions here)
When: Positions start on September 3, 2020 (but apply today)
Where: Various non-profit organizations & schools throughout southwest Colorado, including:

• San Juan Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES)
• Montelores Early Childhood Council (MECC)
• Pagosa Peak Open School
• Battlerock Charter School
• Children’s Kiva Montessori School
• Piñon Project Resource Center
• Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County
• Housing Solutions for the Southwest
• Four Corners Child Advocacy Center
• Reaching Our Community & Kids (ROCK)
• STUDents tackling UNhealthy Decisions (STUD)
• Dove’s Nest Childcare Center
• The Good Samaritan Center Food Pantry

Why: Because now, more than ever, our communities need you!

How: To apply to be an AmeriCorps member, you will need to create an account with the AmeriCorps Recruitment System. You can find all live Team UP positions on the AmeriCorps website here by typing “Team UP” into the Program Name search bar and clicking “Search”. Once on the listing page, click “Apply Now” and you will be prompted to create an account with the AmeriCorps Recruitment System. Please also email your resume and cover letter to Team UP AmeriCorps Program Director Al Huckins @ alh@unitedway-swco.org.

Note: United Way values the diversity of our community. In principle and in practice the diverse nature of our board, staff, and volunteers is recognized as one of our best assets. We respect each individual’s unique gifts and prohibit unfair or discriminatory practices against anyone because of age, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and any other protected category.

United Way of Southwest Colorado’s Most Active Volunteer

Meet Christine, though she’ll tell you that you can call her Chris.

Although her first job was working for the telephone company, she worked many volunteer hours before that in the thrift store that my grandma owned. In her early 20’s, she gave birth to me and by her late 20’s she had become a single mother. In looking for work, she applied to both the Police Academy in Denver and to the local Air Force recruiter at the same time. The Air Force called her back first and so we spent the next 15 years of her Air Force career in San Antonio, Texas. Determined to keep me in the same high school during this period, she successfully changed fields in the Air Force multiple times: supply, recruiter, and contracting. Her time in service also helped pay for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, all while working part-time as a waitress and nightclub singer to help make ends meet. I never knew we were poor until I looked back and realized the dark apartment with the tiny black and white television on a plastic table were not ideal. For instance, though I had a bed, my mom slept on an inflatable mattress on the floor. After retiring from the Air Force, she went to work for the Federal government, retiring for a second time just a few years ago. After a month-long visit to the area, I helped convince her to relocate from Aurora to Cortez, where she has now resided for nearly two years as she hones her skills as a leadership and life coach.

In this past year, by my calculation, she has worked well over 300 volunteer hours for United Way of Southwest Colorado: picking up items for our Radiothon, working a full day for the Bloomers Chocolate event, helping with registration and photos for our Archuleta golf tournament (as well as taking photos for our Prohibition party), repeatedly loading and unloading event materials, stuffing hundreds of envelopes and folding piles of letters. Although I’m sure her first motivation was to simply hang out with me and be my encouraging sounding board, she also gave her hard-earned money for every donation request I made to support a cause she believes in. She also offers her life coaching skills for free to veterans and has recently completed domestic abuse training so she can volunteer as an advocate. I know how extremely blessed I am to have her in my life after my recent stroke. Not only did she drop everything, hop on my emergency transport flight, and spend every day with me for a month at a hospital in Grand Junction, she also cared for me herself for an additional month in her home while I recovered.

Chris is about service to her country, her family and her community. I call her Momma.

Jodi Jahrling
Marketing, Events, and Digital Initiatives Manager
United Way of Southwest Colorado

On this Mother’s Day United Way of Southwest Colorado pays tribute to all mothers who make daily sacrifices for their family and still find time to give back.

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs committed to addressing critical community needs. Approximately 75,000 people across the country commit to AmeriCorps each year. When someone decides to commit their time to the greater good by becoming an AmeriCorps member, they take the following oath:

AmeriCorps Member Update

United Way of SWCO currently hosts eight AmeriCorps members, all of whom took this oath on their very first day of service. The current pandemic has brought challenges and adversity to every community, and our members have served as beacons of light in these difficult times as they have continued to persevere. They have found ways to adapt their service to respond to needs arising from COVID-19. One member, serving in Food Security in Pagosa Springs, sent take-home garden kits to her students to share with their families during the stay-at-home order. Many AmeriCorps members in Cortez have come together to collect and distribute food and resources to community members in need. Through all of this, members are also adapting their original programming to be done virtually in order to continue to be able to support their clients while maintaining distance. As we all continue to adapt our lives to the changing times, our AmeriCorps members continue to serve as an example to our community.

Learn more about UWSWC’s current Team UP AmeriCorps members here. These members will continue to serve their communities through the end of August, and a new cohort of members will take their oath and start their year of service in September 2020. If you are interested in serving with Team UP AmeriCorps, contact Team UP AmeriCorps Program Director Al Huckins @ alh@unitedway-swco.org.

CAN YOU HELP? A full-time AC member costs about $32,000 per year.
United Way secures grants and contributions to cover approximately $18,000. We ask host sites to raise/obtain the other $14,000 (which is a bargain for a full-time person with benefits). Donors can contribute to further reduce the cost for a non-profit to obtain this wonderful support. Recommended contribution to offset the AC cost = $500 or more. DONATE