Sinclair Community College hosted the fourth annual Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service on April 5. The purpose of the event was to highlight the impact of service in the Dayton community. It was also a call to action and to inspire others to join a service program in the community.
Mayor Nan Whaley attended and spoke about people taking a stand to help better the community from helping immigrants integrate to tutoring kids in reading and later transitioning into adulthood.
“The most important thing in our city is human talent and human capital with each other—that is one of the great benefits of AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps. It really connects with parts of our community,” Whaley said. “It’s a great honor for me to come here and say thank you—it means a lot to the city.”
The Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County AmeriCorps Program (MCMCAP) is part of Sinclair’s Division of School and Community Partnerships, which provide academic support from kindergarten to college. Founded in 1994 by President Clinton, AmeriCorps addresses critical community needs.
“It offers community service opportunities and workforce development to its members. Service assignments are at local nonprofit businesses, community organizations, and schools, which offers ample chances to network,” Jessica Demmings, MCMCAP Project Manager said. “So far this year, our corps has served over 500 Montgomery County youth.”
Kettering ABLE was the first program to be recognized at the event. Kettering ABLE is an adult literacy program that deals with adult learners and GED students. Christie Beck, blah blah said it’s very important for her to engage in building a community. Beck works with Welcome Dayton to help immigrants and refugees get acquainted to Dayton.
“My life has been enriched and it has been enriched by the people I have worked with, by the stories they share with me, by the things I am able to see them accomplish and the community I get to build,” Beck said.
She said the City of Dayton has a lot to offer and many people take for granted the amount of resources we have in order to create a strong community. It’s not just native Dayton residents who make this community a better place, but it’s also immigrants who are willing to call Dayton their home, according to Beck.
“Dayton is very lucky to have these people who want to come here and they don’t just want to immigrate they want to integrate, they want to give back to Dayton and have ownership of this community,” Beck said.
Another person giving back to the community is Tonya Karr, who provides supplemental reading and tutorial services to kindergarten through second grade students who attend Riverside elementary schools through the Ohio Reading Corps.
“Watching a child express pride in academic achievement is a blessing and very rewarding,” Karr said. “I enjoy watching young children move with their heads held high, a bounce in their stride and their lips turned up in a smile.”
She said the people who are associated with ORC are civic-minded and committed to their communities.
“I believe it takes a village to nurture a child,” Karr said.
Henry and Linda Barwick both work with the Foster Grandparent Program with SeniorCorps focusing on helping children learn by giving them a positive role model in their lives.
“One reason why I am doing this is because when I was younger I wasn’t a good boy, but my teacher told me, ‘One day, you’re going to remember something you’ll be able to pass on to students,” H. Barwick said. “I like working with our children of the community today. I see where we are helping our children.”
Levi Wilson, part of the Montgomery County Mentoring Class, spoke about one particular student that he had who was struggling with school. Thanks to the program, he was able to help this student raise his 33 percent in History, to a B, according to Wilson.
“We tackled issues such as organization, in-class engagement and punctuality—once we hit all three of those areas, we were able to succeed,” Wilson said.
Beck explained that it’s important to seek out the differences in people in our community. “My words of wisdom to you is to engage with them and see the ideas that they offer and see the ways that they can enrich your life,” Beck said.
Whaley stated that the city of Dayton is enriched by the community and by people who are taking their time and talent to make it a better place for everyone.
“You’re making the city better, probably more than anybody in the city, and you taking the time and your talent to spend it this way means a lot to us in Dayton,” Whaley said. “We’ve proclaimed it National Service Day in Dayton today.”
Demmings said MCMCAP is looking to expand their corps to 35 members with individuals who are committed to their community. To learn more about becoming an Americorps member visit www.nationalservice.gov or contact Demmings at 937-512-3179.
Gabrielle Sharp
Claudia Gomez
Clarion Staff