Anna’s Journey to VM

Our very first VM Story from the class of VM 33 begins now! Today we’ll be meeting Anna who is serving at Court Appointed Special Advocates of PG County, a partner site who has been with VM for the last few years!

Who are you?

“My name is Anna, I graduated college in May of 2020 and am so excited to be serving with AmeriCorps this year. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia where I lived with my parents and my three younger siblings. In the fall of 2016, I moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania where I attend Dickinson College for four years (with the exception of the few months I spent studying abroad in Norwich, England my Junior year) and studied Law and Political Science. In my free time I enjoy skiing, hiking, sunrise yoga, and playing with my dogs.”

Why did you join AmeriCorps? How did you end up on this path?

“I joined AmeriCorps because when I graduated college I knew that I wanted to work with nonprofits. After contacting my service site (CASA) about possible job opportunities, I learned about their connection with AmeriCorps and Volunteer Maryland. It seemed like an excellent learning opportunity and a great way to gain experience and to start my journey into a nonprofit career. I was so happy when I was accepted and I am so excited about my service year!”

What Site are you serving at and why?

“My service site is Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program in Prince George’s County, they train and assign advocates to children in the foster care system. I chose to serve with CASA because I have always respected the work that they do and the impact that they have on the community. The work of a CASA is difficult but very important, as they can have such a great impact on a child’s life. I’m very glad I have the opportunity to work with such an amazing organization.”

What are you most excited for during the next year?

“During the next year, I’m very excited to get to know all the volunteers that I will have the chance to work with. I have always been very passionate about volunteering and community service, so I’m excited to work with people who share a similar passion.”

What do you hope to learn/experience in the next year?

“This year I hope to learn how to best communicate with volunteers and learn more about what running a nonprofit organization looks like.”

What about community service gets you motivated?

“Community service motivates me because I love knowing that I’ve done something for someone other than myself. Volunteering and community service help me step back from whatever problems I have or issues I’m dealing with and help me focus on something else that’s more important.”

Where does your inspiration to serve stem from? Why do you care about giving back?

“My inspiration stems from my parents, who taught me from a young age that it’s important to give back to your community and to help those in need. I realized that it’s everyone’s job as a neighbor and or community member to look after one another in times of need and distress.”

What are your goals for this Service Year and beyond?

“My goal for the service year is to recruit as many advocates as I can within the next year to help get as many children as possible assigned a CASA. I would also like to enhance my professional development and my public speaking skills.”

Stay tuned weekly to learn more about the rest of the cohort serving in the 2020 – 2021 Service Year with Volunteer Maryland! To serve in AmeriCorps with Volunteer Maryland please visit volunteer.maryland.gov/ACM or to become a partner site nonprofits may visit volunteer.maryland.gov/ServiceSites. If you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities at CASA PG please view below.