Overview of Scott County AmeriCorps
The Scott County Poverty Busters AmeriCorps Program recruits AmeriCorps members during the months of June and July. Members are recruited from the participating communities, local colleges, and from the national AmeriCorps recruiting website. As an AmeriCorps member, you will gain valuable experience in an area that interests you that can translate directly into job experience in your chosen field. You will learn teamwork, communication, responsibility, and many other essential skills that will help you for the rest of your life while gaining the personal satisfaction of taking on a challenge and seeing results while serving your community.
Scott County AmeriCorps Poverty Busters members perform many duties within the community that address the educational and crisis intervention needs of adults and children. Members may serve at the Community Clearinghouse, at after school programs, or the Circles Campaign. Service project activities occur at various sites throughout the community with partner agencies throughout the course of the year.
For the 2014/15 year, AmeriCorps Members will serve at the following sites:
The Scott County Community Clearinghouse: Owned and operated by the Scott County Partnership under the Clearinghouse Advisory Council in cooperation with the Ministerial Association of Scott County and the Salvation Army. The Scott County Community Clearinghouse serves people of Scott County in crisis situations. At the Clearinghouse they may receive emergency food, clothing vouchers to use in the Community Thrift Store, Red Cross assistance, Salvation Army assistance, energy assistance, access programs to make homes more energy efficient, and other such immediate kinds of help.
21st Century Community Learning Center, Scott School District 1: The Austin Learning Center located in the old Austin Middle School along with Partnership�s Family/Education Resource Center. This program provides academic enrichment opportunities and friendship to students involved during out-of-school times.
Scott County School District 2: SCSD2 contracts with the Scott County Partnership to provide members to SMS & SHS. This program provides academic enrichment opportunities and friendship to students involved during school times.
YMCA Out-of-school program: Tony Stidham is the Program Director for this program. Out of school time programs exist at Johnson Elementary School, Lexington Elementary School, and Scottsburg Elementary School. This program provides academic enrichment opportunities and homework assistance before and after school, and in the summer months for elementary school students.
Scott County began a high impact, strategic program addressing poverty began in 2009/10. This program was through what is now Circles USA and, Circles USA provided support and direction for many years. In 2017, the Scott County program changed its name to Conquer the CHAOS (Change Happens After Overcoming Struggles. Built on the original foundation of Circles, our program has changed a bit from the original model, hence the new name and focus!
Conquer the CHAOS works with over poverty-alleviation programs throughout the state of Indiana. Working with these programs, the Poverty Busters AmeriCorps program provides AmeriCorps members to assist at the various locations. Members serve with the “Thriving Connections” program in Bloomington, IN, with St. Joseph Bridges program in South Bend, IN, with a similar program in Muncie, IN and Marion, IN, with Propel in Indianapolis and with a Circles site in Indianapolis. Individuals wishing to address the issue of poverty living in Scott County will apply through the Conquer the CHAOS site. Individuals from the outlying communities may complete the application and send it to one of the addresses listed below that is most appropriate.
For Muncie: TEAMWork for Quality Living
PO Box 468, Muncie, IN 47308 ( Attn: Carrie Summers)
For Bloomington: South Central Community Action
1500 West 15th St. Bloomington, IN 47401 ( Attn: Linda Patton)
For South Bend: St. Joseph County Bridges Out of Poverty
PO Box 1078, South Bend, IN 46624 Attn: Bonnie Bazata)
For Indianapolis: Julian Center Shelter
2011 N. Meridian St, Indianapolis IN 46202 ( Attn: Kiev Tolka)
For all Other Areas and for Circles in Scott County:
Scott County Partnership, Inc.
PO Box 214, Scottsburg, IN 47170 (Attn: Michelle Shelton)