Celebrating a Year of Service

We recently bid adieu to our Museum-based team of AmeriCorps members as they completed their year of service. Since last August, these 13 energetic individuals engaged children in building fountains in Water Ways, greeted toddlers in Littlewoods, and were spotted sporting capes and serving “porridge” in Coming to Rhode Island. They planned and facilitated playful programs like “Boo Bash” and “Seussational!” Their handiwork showed up in artful displays like Forest Stories in the atrium walkway and the new 9 to 5 marionette exhibit.

But this only scratches the surface – AmeriCorps members were instrumental in ensuring that the Museum served children most in need with enriching, engaging and fun learning experiences for the thirteenth year. This year’s team brought lively, hands-on science and nature activities to over 1,200 preschool children in Providence-area Head Start centers and transformed Pawtucket school classrooms into hives of after-school investigation for more than 250 kids.

They welcomed a dozen inner-city community centers and over 300 of their children to Museum Learning Clubs to play, conduct experiments and explore in the exhibits.

And they kept the Museum continually staffed with well-trained, enthusiastic volunteers. In total, the AmeriCorps team served a remarkable 22,900 hours during the 2009-10 service year.

Museum staff, friends, family and community partners gathered for a moving ceremony to celebrate the year of transformative service performed by these incredible AmeriCorps members. Upon their graduation, our sincere thanks and admiration to Annie, Cat, Erin, Gina, Jenny, Jessica, Julianne, Kate, Kelly, Kerrie, Max, Turenne and Zack.

A collage commemorating the team's service year.