These amazing individuals have been coordinating volunteers, teaching adaptive recreation and helping in every aspect of our center since October of 2010. Having already logged almost 11,000 hours of service between the six of them, they will be dearly missed. If you see them please take the time to say goodbye and let them know what their service has meant to you personally.
As one of the first four service members recruited by the National Ability Center, I can say that the year spent working within the Park City and NAC community is one that inspires. Every member has expressed how much the community support has meant, and how the “magic” keeps occurring to get everything done that needs to be done.
These six members will be closing out an era of AmeriCorps here at the Ability Center. Due to large cutbacks to the federal and state budget and increased competition (a total of 17 applications were received for Utah State’s AmeriCorps program, of which only 7 were approved for funding) the NAC’s AmeriCorps program will not continue in the upcoming year.
Over the last decade AmeriCorps members have made large strides towards leaving the National Ability Center with a sustainable volunteer community to maintain our programming. Many of our volunteers were introduced to the NAC and trained by AmeriCorps members. This year’s AmeriCorps member’s diligence has created one of the best trained, diverse and active groups of volunteers we have seen at the NAC. The solid base that the members will be leaving has provided us with a strong grounding to build upon in the days ahead. The NAC and the Utah Commission on Volunteers are confident that this base combined with a supportive community of volunteers and donors in Summit and Wasatch counties will enable us to continue high quality programs at the same levels National Ability Center participants and their families have come to expect. We hope someday in the future we will be able to welcome the AmeriCorps program back to the NAC and look forward to many of them in their continued participation with NAC activities and programs.
Thank you,
Kim Milikan
Program Manager – Adventure Learning Program & AmeriCorps
