What Will We Do Next?- Life After Service

Post written by Rebecca M., CHC member

          Over the past 46 weeks the Chicago Health Corps (CHC) members have been getting things done in Chicago, serving over 23,800 hours to fulfill the CHC mission to “improve access to health services and address health disparities in under-served communities.”  Through health fairs, asthma education programs, diabetes and nutrition education, dental vans, after-school programming and much more it is clear that while some members will be leaving Chicago, the impact that they have had on the city will continue on.

Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning

-Jonathon Lockwood Huie

           As the CHC term of service comes to an end, the impact members have on their community is just beginning.  Here are some of the members plans for next year.

Ayla Karamustafa: "Starting in August, I will be working as the HIV Program Associate for PHIMC, CHC's host agency, working on multiple projects focused on HIV testing, HIV prevention implementation, and community re-entry for detainees living with HIV/AIDS."

Jessica Torres: “I will be moving to Boston to attend Boston University. While there I’ll be pursuing my Master’s in Public Health in International Health with a concentration in Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases.”

Carly Kruse: “My immediate future is with Chicago Health Corps. I will be maintaining the torch as all of the other CHCers move on to explore the world. After that, playing at the Logan Square Farmers Market, eating lots of yummy food, and planning the next steps of my life are all certainly happening.”

Neerja Joshi: “Beginning medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  This will probably lead me to a career in primary care, and hopefully to an MPH in the distant future.”

Maggie Grinnell: “I will be working in the tuberculosis and epidemiology department at the Alaska Department Health and Social Services as a Center for Disease Control Public Health Associate. Wahoo! Anchorage!”

Sydney Weydemeyer: "I loved CHC and my host site, Seven Generations Ahead, so much I'm coming back for round 2! Also, I'm worried that if I didn't come back my fellow farmer Farmer Tim Magner with Truck Farm Chicago wouldn't know what to do without me."

Danielle Nelson: “I am heading home to attend the University of Michigan School of Public Health.  My focus is Health Management and Policy.”

Becca Maddrell: “I will be staying in Chicago and attending Loyola Stritch School of Medicine.   Looking forward to the next adventure and thankful for the last 46 weeks!”

Savannah Jackson: “This summer I am starting a program here in Chicago with 
AUSL, a non-profit that trains teachers to be effective teachers/leaders in urban schools.”

The Chicago Health Corps has put us on a path to future successes and lives of service. The CHC members are grateful  for the wonderful experiences provided and memories that will last a life time!

Meet the Members: Maggie

Name: Maggie Grinnell

Home state: Massachusetts

College attended: University of Massachusetts- Amherst, BS in Biology

Fun fact: I know how to use a nail gun and a sewing machine.

Favorite Quote:
Even if my hands are clenched by mud my fingerprints are my own
Let me be myself
Let me search alone

What you did before AmeriCorps?
 On a Thursday in May a couple decades ago I popped into the world in Geneva, Switzerland... 
 Just before starting AmeriCorps I spent two months chauffeuring a team of robots around the United States for an agricultural robotics company. I spent the two months on the road driving  a cargo van down the east coast, across the country and down the west coast. During stops along the way I set up the robots at large scale agricultural sites and collected data. I also read stories to the robots to make sure that they were entertained (not really).

Did your past work experience/school apply to your year of service?
Yes, I worked as an EMT during my last year at University. The experience of responding to medical emergencies was a huge adventure that taught me a lot. I think that my work as an EMT helped me to see the range of people's access to health care and varied experiences with health.

What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?
During my time as an AmeriCorps member I have been serving as a Health Educator at Erie Family Health Center. I spend the most time teaching sexual health education classes with Chicago Public school students or facilitating prenatal education classes with Erie patients.

Alongside my activities at Erie I have also been volunteering with Howard Brown Health Center in their outreach department. I join the outreach team at a men’s bath house to provide free HIV and STI testing. A couple of us also head out to the Boystown nightlife about once a month equipped with a pink suitcase full of condoms. We chat with people at the bars, offer free condoms and lube, and answer any questions people may have about STIs or Howard Brown.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps?
I will be heading to Alaska! I am joining the Center for Disease Control’s Public Health Associate Program. I’ll be stationed at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and will be focusing on tuberculosis and epidemiology. I’m excited to learn a lot and live near mountains!

 If you could go back and be any age you want for a month, what would you choose?
 I think I would go with age four. I was living in France but don’t really remember much about it. I would love the opportunity to see the homes I lived in and explore the area.

TurningPoint 2012—Sparking Service Nationwide

post written by Karen Berg, Chicago Health Corps Program Director

2012 Service Impact Awardees with the new CEO of the
Corporation for National and Community Service, Wendy Spencer (far right). 

My first experience with service was tutoring kindergartners at a Chicago Public School (CPS) elementary school when I was 13 years old.  Volunteering was part of my religious upbringing and that experience helped to shape my personal and professional commitment to improving social issues.  That was the first time I began to really understand disparities that exist in education, health and too many other facets of society.    Today I am encouraged and inspired by the organizations and individuals dedicated to service. 

Last week Chicago hosted the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, bringing together over 5,000 people who are passionate about national service and volunteering.  Over three days youth leaders, AmeriCorps members, program coordinators, volunteers and government leaders shared experiences and learned new ways to spark service and volunteerism across the country.  Notable speakers included First Lady Barbara Bush, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, IL Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Actor Kevin Bacon,

Lisa Joyner, PHC Program Director, heads up to the stage to accept the Service Impact Award.

Recognized at the conference was CHC’s sister program, the Philadelphia Health Corps (PHC), as a recipient of the Service Impact Award for Healthy Futures awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).  My colleague Lisa Joyner was on hand to receive the award for PHC’s Prescription Assistance Programs.  PHC members help patients of Philadelphia’s District Health Centers to navigate through the complicated system of prescription assistance programs.  Members make sure patients get their medications while alleviating the cost burden to the city.  Over the past six years, the program has helped more than 12,646 patients gain free access to medications, saving the City of Philadelphia over $8.5 million. 

Service programs like Chicago and Philadelphia Health Corps play a valuable role in delivering services in communities where access disparities are inexcusable.  CHC members are serving to reduce disparities related to asthma, diabetes, cancer, HIV/STIs, and more.  CNCS’s grantee announcement was another time for CHC to celebrate at the conference.  The National Health Corps—comprised of Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, North Florida and Atlanta—was awarded one of the 276 grants for 2012-13.   These grants will support 46,000 AmeriCorps members—including 16 in Chicago—serving coast to coast.

 Did you know 70% of people who volunteer do so because someone asked them to serve?  Share your first experience with service in the comments. 

Meet the Members: Savannah

At the Annual COPD Boat Cruise
with the Respiratory Health Association.

Name: Savannah Noel Jackson

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

College attended: Brigham Young University, B.S. in Public Health and minor in Nonprofit Management

Fun fact: I don’t eat anything white and gelatinous. This is on a whole spectrum of gelatinous textures. Examples: whipped cream, sour cream, pudding, mayonnaise, yogurt, flan, marshmallows, cheesecake.

A favorite quote: "There are no other people's children." -Terrie Williams

What you did before AmeriCorps?
I was working the best student job at Brigham Young University. I was a clerk in the office for parking services. They say if you find work that you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Apparently that's also true if you are fortunate enough work with good friends. I think fondly of my days back at BYU Parking, where I answered phones and sent faxes with wonderful people who practically became my family, and it never felt like much work at all.

Did your past work experience/schooling apply to your year of service?
I was lucky to work with great people at my past jobs, which was perfect preparation to work with more great people in the Chicago Health Corps. School was also a definite help, and I feel like I found the most perfect AmeriCorps program. Public health AND nonprofits. A perfect marriage of my two study areas.

Why did you choose to do AmeriCorps?
I was inspired by the mission and the opportunity to give direct service in underserved communities. There were health-related AmeriCorps programs just about anywhere in the country, but CHC was notably organized, professional, and the mission resonated with my own values. Also: Chicago is the greatest city in the world. I feel very blessed that I was accepted into the Chicago Health Corps.

What are you doing as an AmeriCorps member?
I serve at the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. It’s an incredible non-profit that funds research, educates, and advocates, all in the name of lung health for Chicago. I am a health educator for the asthma programs, which means I get to teach kids who have asthma (and the adults—teachers, parents, day care workers—who spend time with kids) on ways to recognize triggers and respond to warning signs before an asthma episode gets serious. Basically we’re trying to help the adorable asthma kids of Chicago spend less time in the E.R. and more time out doing good, fun, kid stuff.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps, and how does your year of service apply to your future plans?
Originally I thought I was bound for a Masters in Public Health program. Then, after about two days as an asthma educator in the Chicago Public Schools, I had the unsettling feeling that I might really want to be a teacher. Time passed, the CHC retreat happened and during the retreat there was a reflection activity where I realized how much I love being in the schools and with the students, and I seem to have some strengths that lend themselves to teaching. I have been accepted into a teacher residency program with the Academy for Urban School Leadership where I will receive teacher training in a high-need Chicago Public School. That program will start in the 2013-2014 school year. In the meantime I will do odd jobs and look for opportunities to do some volunteering with literacy programs or GED tutoring.

Favorite part of CHC so far?
It’s been a remarkable process, gradually becoming a part of the Chicago community and to be providing meaningful service, day-in and day-out. And nothing can compare to meeting these friends in the health corps, who I am convinced will be lifelong friends. It’s truly priceless.

Deep Thoughts from the Chicago Health Corps: Would you rather be two feet shorter or two feet wider?
I’ve thought a lot about this. Two feet shorter puts me at 3 foot, 7 inches. I can see that working to my advantage as an educator because I’d be right at eye-level with the kids. I see few advantages to being two feet wider. I’m going with shorter. Final answer.