AmeriCorps Week 2015:
Program Continues to Benefit a High-quality Education at Red Cloud

posted March 13, 2015 

Nationally, 775,000 people have contributed 1 Billion hours of service since the national program started in 1994. At Red Cloud Indian School, 335 members have served since the school began its AmeriCorps program in 2000, making it the largest program in the state of South Dakota. 

Each year at Red Cloud Indian School, AmeriCorps members serve as teachers and aides, counselors, librarians, After School Program prefects, mentors, coaches and more, providing upwards of 40,000 hours of service to make a holistic education of the mind, body and spirit possible for our 600 Lakota students.

“Our AmeriCorps members have a tremendous impact in the school,” says Ted Hamilton, Red Cloud’s superintendent.  He explains that members of the national service program allows Red Cloud to provide an increasingly high-quality, diverse, educational setting for its students.

As AmeriCorps Week 2015 comes to a close, Red Cloud staff and students thanked the AmeriCorps members for their selfless service in support of the school's mission.

"I keep doing what I do for two reasons: the members and the students!" says Margi Bettelyoun, Red Cloud's onsite AmeriCorps director. "I've see our members making a difference everyday. You can see it when Red Cloud students go off to the best colleges, in the number of Gates Scholars, in the opportunities the students have for activity and furthering their study in after school programming. And, our local, Lakota AmeriCorps members are setting a positive example for the students."

For Vonna Blacksmith, a second year member, the opportunity and service has influenced her personally and professionally.

"I look forward to coming to work evryday and helping these children pursue their education," says Blacksmith "I think this experience has helped me think about my college and classes and makes me want to go into education even more than ever. This is more than a job, it's something that I love to do!"

 

Learn more about becoming a Red Cloud AmeriCorps Member. 

Watch a video with Vonna on why she volunteers.  
See why South Dakota's 1st Sec. of Tribal Relations Visited Red Cloud AmeriCorps Members.