MPF Spring Newsletter
No Images? Click here
MPF Newsletter
Spring Edition
In This Issue:
- You're Invited: Pass the Wagon 2019!
- Winter Retreat
- Alumni Spotlight: Kerri Foley
- Welcome to our FAM!
- New 2019-2020 Host Site Profiles
Upcoming Dates and Reminders
Celebrating 20 years of Empowerment
Pass the Wagon 2019 is here!
Our big 20th Birthday Bash is April 23rd at Northeastern. Will you be there to help us celebrate 20 years of empowering Fellows, youth, and communities. We sure hope so! Buy Your Tickets below, you are in for a special treat!
MPF Takes On Winter Retreat!
Class 20 enjoys three days of training, team bonding, and relaxing in Western MA.
As the service year winds down - and just as the leaves began peeking out of the trees - MPF hosts our annual Winter Retreat. This year we returned for three days to Jiminy Peak Resort in Hancock, MA. There, Fellows had the chance to showcase skills and talents, engage in social justice workshops, take a dip in the pool, and reflect on their year of service.
Skill Shares: Fellows shared their talents with their peers in hour-long workshops.
Tamia, Josh, and Hakeem ran a skill share on Everything Black Hair
Isabella led a relaxing yoga session.
Iracely and Jasmine taught Fellows some Latin dance moves.
Jenny led a pottery-making workshop.
Continuing our Social Justice Work: One of the goals of Winter Retreat, is to continue Fellow growth as culturally responsive educators. This year, Senior Fellow Michel-lé and first-year Fellows, Josh and Tamia helped lead a training on Microaggressions, as well as a Culture Share activity where Fellows shared more with each other about their culture and where they come from.
“It seemed like a lot of Fellows responded really well to the workshop and it resonated with them,” says Michel-Lé, “they had questions and they got answers and guidance, and now they’re really thinking about the topic more - not only for themselves but for their youth as well.”
Fellows warm up before a day of Social Justice training with Improv Games.
Senior Fellow Michel-lé and first-year Fellow Josh lead a morning training on Microaggressions and provide resources for how Fellows can conduct a similar training with their youth.
Who Wore It Best? Fellows and Staff sport similar outfits throughout retreat!
Michel-Lé summarized her thoughts about Winter Retreat, “We have the first Fall Retreat where we don’t really know each other, but this one we got to see a lot more people out of their comfort zones and push their boundaries, which was great to see.”
Another Successful Retreat in the Books!
Alumni Spotlight: Kerri Foley
It’s no secret that our alumni go on to engage in incredible work following their time with MPF. In this edition, we highlight Class 11 & 12 Fellow Kerri Foley, an impressive alumna who continues serve her community through disaster response work with the American Red Cross.
“The mission [of the Red Cross] is to prevent and alleviate human suffering. What kind of better service is there?”
Kerri Foley (MPF Class 11 & 12) works with the American Red Cross as a Disaster Program Manager in Vermont and New Hampshire. She helps towns prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. She also deploys nationally a few times per year to help with large events - recently such deployments included responding to Hurricane Florence in South Carolina and the Camp Fire in California.
Kerri explained that over 95% of the Red Cross workforce is comprised of volunteers. Because of this, Kerri has the opportunity to serve with and learn from a wide range of people from around the US. “The Red Cross gives me the opportunity to offer a hand up to communities on some of the worst days of their lives.”
In many ways, this service to communities through the Red Cross is a continuation of the service to young people Kerri engaged in as a Fellow. Beginning in 2009, Kerri served at the Stoughton Youth Commission and then at the COMPASS School in Dorchester. Some of her favorite memories from her time as a Fellow include starting a community garden in Stoughton, MPF retreats, helping high schoolers get their first jobs and bank accounts, and working on a substance-abuse prevention coalition inspired by her best friend.
Kerri shared that her two service years with MPF impacted her greatly: “MPF made me a better supervisor to my staff, a better teacher to the kiddos in my programs, and a better community member. The graduate classes in nonprofit management have been helpful in managing professional relationships and departments. It also gave me the opportunity to coordinate coalitions which I do often now.”
In addition to her work with the American Red Cross, Kerri also picks up shifts as an EMT and works with the YMCA. Before, during, and after her service years with MPF Kerri worked for the YMCA, and she now serves on the Board of Directors for the Meeting Waters YMCA, which focuses on delivering youth development programs to families in Southern Vermont. In each of these endeavors, Kerri carries the lessons she learned while a Massachusetts Promise Fellow with her: “It’s an honor to pass on what I’ve learned in Nonprofit Management and youth development to others.”
“It’s immediate comradery and respect when I come across other AmeriCorps Alum “You served? I served.” It’s something that I continue to be proud of.”
Welcome to Our FAM!
Class 20 kicks off another exciting year of the Fellow Alumni Mentoring Program
“I am blown away by how spot on my FAM match is. Abbie and I both studied Social Work in undergrad and are passionate about serving marginalized populations, particularly low-income and immigrant communities. We clicked immediately!”
- Jasmine Scott, Class 20
This January, Fellows and Alumni gathered to kickoff the eighth year of MPF’s Fellow Alumni Mentoring Program, also known as FAM. Piloted with the Senior Fellows of Class 13, FAM is designed to match current Fellows with Fellowship alumni in a professional mentoring relationship. The pairs are matched based on professional and personal interests, and mentors provide ongoing support to their Fellows throughout their year of service and beyond.
This year, we are excited to have 16 Fellow-Alumni matches! THANK YOU to everyone involved in and who has supported our FAM!
“My match has been supportive and given me the tools necessary for my job search post-Fellowship. Meeting with my mentor has created a relationship with a professional who is willing to extend themselves as a resources and willing to connect you with opportunities.”
- Joshua Etienne, Class 20
New 2019-2020 Host Site Profiles
Boys & Girls Club of Taunton
Love STEM? Love building relationships with youth? The Boys & Girls Club of Taunton is recruiting a Fellow to implement daily Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math curriculum and launch a pilot sciGIRLS after school program. The new Fellow would help to build relationships and connect with other resources in the community to support their programming. Someone who has a welcoming personality, is great at taking initiative, and is both organized and adaptable would be a great fit in this Fellow position. The staff can’t wait to welcome their new Fellow and build up this portion of the Club’s after school programming: says Director of Development Monica Lombardo of the incoming Fellow’s work, “we don’t want the youth to just come to the program, we want them to actually like it.”
Plymouth Public Schools
Serve in “America’s Hometown” as the Fellow with Plymouth Public Schools! This Fellow will support Leaders in New Connections students who are at risk of falling through the cracks in Plymouth North High School. Being enthusiastic, passionate, and self-motivated, as well as a glass-half-full person are all important qualities for the incoming Fellow. Besides great restaurants and being right on the ocean, the best reason to serve in Plymouth? The town is celebrating its 400th birthday next year!
In addition to these great new host sites, MPF is excited to welcome ALL of our 2019-2020 Host Organizations! Click HERE to learn about the different sites and Fellow positions we will be hosting!
Upcoming Dates and Reminders
MPF is Recruiting for Class 21 Fellows!
Know someone who would be a great fit for the Fellowship? Encourage them to check out our website and learn more about the incredible service positions available across the state!
