WT AmeriCorps Recruiting Partnerships Throughout Panhandle Communities

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - West Texas A&M University's AmeriCorps program is seeking collaborators to help rural communities in need.

WT AmeriCorps recruits members to work with its partners in nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies and educational institutions around the region.

"We are a capacity-building organization that helps nonprofits grow in scale or scope of the services they offer in the community," said Laura Seals, assistant director of WT AmeriCorps. "We want to collaborate with and support organizations to see more community resilience throughout the Panhandle and Texas High Plains. Our partners are doing such great work, and we want to come alongside them to see the organizations and communities thrive."

The WT AmeriCorps program focuses on economic opportunity, health and nutrition, education, environmental stewardship and disaster recovery. Members may serve as a resource navigators; work as English tutors; help in community gardens; or distribute food at food markets and pantries for low-income adults. Members also serve in city offices, providing community liaison and infrastructure support with police departments and program support at area public libraries. Peer mentors also offer support in first year classes at WT and for high school seniors as they make plans for college or career.

Seals said AmeriCorps members may find opportunities to serve from 10 to 30 hours a week.

"Nonprofits looking for a way to expand their services will find that a part-time AmeriCorps member can be a great help in building their organization's capacity," Seals said.

In the last year, 64 WT AmeriCorps members completed nearly 35,000 hours of service in 24 community-based nonprofits, 15 educational institutions and more in 16 communities around the Texas Panhandle.

Past and current partners include the City of Dalhart, Don Harrington Discovery Center and Wildcat Bluff, Speiro Legacies, Square Mile, Cactus Nazarene Ministries, Pampa High School, Wellington Senior Center, Tulia High School, and Frank Phillips College's Rahll Campus, among others.

"I love serving with AmeriCorps," said Farzana Zahir, a recent WT graduate who has served at a nonprofit organization and as an educational mentor. "I have gained experience at every site where I have served. I've learned different ways I can impact the community and help others."

WT AmeriCorps works with partners to recruit members from those communities; existing members also may be assigned to new sites.

Partnering with AmeriCorps can expand an organization's capacity to further its mission and reach organizational goals, as well as increasing the opportunity for greater impact, Seals said. WT AmeriCorps focuses on economic opportunity, education, healthy futures and environmental stewardship. The AmeriCorps program provides up to 75 percent of the benefits a member receives.

WT AmeriCorps, now in its fourth year, is a program of the University's Office of Academic and Regional Collaboration, funded in part by grants from Amarillo Area Foundation, Texas Pioneer Foundation and the federal AmeriCorps Agency through Texas' OneStar Foundation.

Mentors can be students from WT, Amarillo College, Frank Phillips College and Clarendon College, as well as retirees and other members of the community.

"Members are people who want to make a difference and serve their community," Seals said. "AmeriCorps service is a great way to become part of an organization and is perfect for young people getting started in a job path, students or retirees."

To be eligible to serve in AmeriCorps, applicants must be 18 years or older, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and must pass appropriate background checks.

Addressing regional challenges and emphasizing educational attainment and economic opportunity in the Panhandle are major components of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

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