AmeriCorps

Goodwill manages AmeriCorps programs that strengthen communities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont by placing volunteers in local nonprofits, municipalities, and schools. These AmeriCorps members support the long-term health of communities through their selfless commitment.

The Goodwill VISTA Partnership

Since 2015, the Goodwill VISTA Partnership has sought to alleviate poverty in communities across Maine and New Hampshire from the most rural areas to the most populous cities. At present, members are placed in partner agencies situated from the Seacoast of New Hampshire to the border towns of Lubec and Limestone, Maine. 

The diverse work of our AmeriCorps VISTA members contributes to the capacity-building and organizational-development goals of local agencies, including schools and nonprofits, providing invaluable boosts to the wellbeing of communities. Our VISTA Members work to reduce poverty at these organizations through indirect service such as creating new programs, assisting with community assessments, fundraising and grant writing, communications work, increasing social media presence, and recruiting and managing volunteers among other projects. The organizations we partner with focus on important community issues including but not limited to affordable housing, support for seniors, food security, assisting New Americans, educational support, and accessible transportation. 

In 2023, our VISTA members provided over 3,000 hours of service, working to recruit over 1,405 new volunteers, leveraging over 1.1 million dollars for host-site organizations, and creating 243 new and enhanced systems and business processes. The positive impact VISTA members offer their local communities is remarkable and continues to build year after year.  

To learn more about becoming a Goodwill VISTA Partnership host site or member, please contact Scott Dupee at Scott.Dupee@goodwillnne.org or (603) 229-7235.

Public Health AmeriCorps – Maine and New Hampshire

Goodwill NNE’s Public Health AmeriCorps program helps build the public health workforce in Maine and New Hampshire. We partner with health centers, substance use recovery centers, public schools and other types of agencies meeting public health needs to provide AmeriCorps members. Those members: engage youth in programs to prevent substance misuse; create food security programs, provide vaccination education, create community integration opportunities for people with disabilities, and research and implement public health interventions to meet the pressing public health needs of underserved communities. Members gain strong skills through their experiences and often get hired for professional public health positions immediately upon completion!

Goodwill NNE Public Health AmeriCorps members gain experiences in the public health field, they are given CDC-suggested training and may attain certification as a Community Health Worker. These trainings and experiences will build a strong foundation for members who want a career in public health. The overall goal is to improve the public health workforce in the long-run, while serving the community.

To express interest in becoming a member or hosting a member please complete an interest survey or contact Program Coordinator, Delaney Donovan at Delaney.Donovan@goodwillnne.org or call (207) 298-8828.

Goodwill Youth Development Programs

Goodwill NNE’s Youth Development programs place members with community organizations in Maine and New Hampshire to directly serve youth from grades 4-12, many of whom have been impacted by trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Determined by the CDC as a public health need, ACEs can have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, and life opportunities such as education and job potential. The negative impacts of ACEs can be counteracted by mentoring and building relationships with youth to increase the likelihood that those at greater risk will become well-functioning, self-sufficient adults.

Goodwill Youth Development programs aim to introduce stability and positive relationships into the lives of youth by pairing them with AmeriCorps members. These mentors regularly meet one-on-one or in small groups with a caseload of ten students, implementing a personalized approach, and moving away from a “one size fits all” program. Members utilize their strengths through an immersive learning experience, social and emotional development, and college and career readiness programming. This approach aims to increase youths’ confidence, sense of contribution, self-management, resilience, and social and emotional skills—in essence, serving the whole child.

Members work with community partner agencies to develop and carry out localized evidence-based interventions, directly serving youth while helping the program grow. Granite State Education Corps youth development members are placed at host site organizations across NH, from the Seacoast’s Portsmouth, Stratham, and Dover to Franconia, by the lakes and mountains, to the southern cities of Concord, Manchester, and Nashua. Maine Public Health AmeriCorps Youth Development members serve diverse populations of students, including New American multilingual multicultural youth, migrant farm-working populations, or members of the Wabanaki tribe. From Greater Portland, in the Lakes and Mountain and Maine Highlands regions, and up the MidCoast as far as to the Downeast Region, members strive to impact all young Mainers.

To learn more about becoming a Goodwill Youth Development program host site or member, please contact Jen Craven at Jenifer.Craven@goodwillnne.org or (603) 703-1811.

Manchester Excels

Goodwill NNE AmeriCorps partners with the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) campus-based School of Education for the Manchester Excels program, an innovative program to help aspiring teachers realize their dream. 

“When I heard about the Manchester Excels program, it so perfectly aligned with my desire for community engagement and working towards a teaching certificate and education degree that I applied to it within an hour of hearing about it.”

Manchester Excels AmeriCorps members are co-enrolled in the Master’s in Secondary Education and initial licensure program in partnership with Southern New Hampshire University. Manchester Excels members engage directly with middle and high school students in the greater Manchester area, serving for 13 months while taking classes on campus to become a certified New Hampshire teacher. A dedicated faculty advisor and three professors at SNHU, along with experienced on-site teachers, provide expertise, support, and real-time guidance throughout the program. This program prepares members to confidently become certified classroom teachers in middle and/or high schools in one of five content areas. In addition to earning their master’s degree, members earn a certificate in trans-disciplinary competencies including STEM Education Badges.

Cohorts start every June and conclude at the end of June of the following year. This includes serving full-time as a clinical teaching assistant in a local classroom September–June. The cost of tuition at SNHU is supported by the AmeriCorps Segal Education Award as well as a bi-weekly stipend from AmeriCorps. 

Interested candidates should submit an application to the Manchester Excels program through Southern New Hampshire University. To learn more from our staff, please contact please contact Scott Hardy at Scott.Hardy@goodwillnne.org or (207) 229-9400. 

Benefits to being an AmeriCorps member:

AmeriCorps member benefits vary by program, and may include:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($7,395*) 
• Bi-Weekly Living Allowance (up to $1,000 bi-weekly; varies depending on location)
• Student Loan Forbearance for eligible federal loans (interest paid by AmeriCorps) 
• Childcare reimbursement if eligible
• Health Benefits
• Training and Professional Development 
• Food Stamp Eligibility (depending on financial situation)
• Relocation Assistance (VISTA only)
• Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal employment (for 1 year after program completion; VISTA only) 
• Life Navigator (on-staff licensed counselor for members)

*Individuals are limited to two full Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards in their lifetime

Is AmeriCorps paid? What is the living stipend for AmeriCorps?

Yes, AmeriCorps members are paid a living stipend that varies by program and county. Living stipends average $24,000 per year but members also earn an education award worth $7,395 (for a year long term) and qualify for health care. An AmeriCorps benefits package is often worth more than $30,000 per year. Contact us to find out exactly how much your stipend would be if you join AmeriCorps.