March 12, 2024
This week Shawnee State University and the Southeast Ohio History Center will join hundreds of volunteers across Ohio to celebrate AmeriCorps Week (March 10-16) and the valuable contributions of the AmeriCorps members who pledged to “get things done” in their communities.
In Portsmouth, SSU hosts AmeriCorps member, Wesley VanderWeg. In Athens, the Southeast Ohio History Center hosts AmeriCorps member, Logan Lambert. VanderWeg and Lambert serve as a support to the organizations and other local history groups in the region as members of the Ohio History Service Corps (OHSC) – an AmeriCorps program dedicated to providing members the resources to support growth and development at local history organizations across Ohio.
“Serving at the SSU Center for Public History has given me the opportunity to gain experience in the local history field, preserving collections, assisting local history organizations in projects that promote their missions and enhance their overall capacity,” said VanderWeg. “One of the largest projects I have assisted with this service year has been developing a volunteer program for the SSU Center for Public History which will involve volunteers assisting with projects related to the preservation of the Center’s Newspaper, Photograph, and document collections.”
“Being at the Southeast Ohio History Center gives me a great advantage to help preserve the history of my home region of Southeast Ohio,” said Lambert. “For example, I have been helping put together regional meetings with sites to create a cohesive network of folks to interact with and bounce ideas off each other. These meetings have helped smaller museums and historical societies interact with one another in a way that they probably would not have. These meetings also allow me to meet the individual sites that I could individually help do projects with such as Collections Management, Volunteer Recruitment, and Strategic Marketing to make sure they are seen and heard by their communities.”
Since 2010, OHSC members have served to promote and preserve Ohio’s strong history through organizational capacity building, creating educational experiences for community members, and promoting economic development through preservation activities. The program also works to train emerging museum professionals.
AmeriCorps Week also honors the contributions and support of local organizations that make AmeriCorps programs possible. In South Bloomingville, Ohio, 10 OHSC members are serving alongside AmeriCorps members from COMCorps and Rural Action by revitalizing a community garden at Camp Oty’Okwa. OHSC members are also creating promotional materials about the history of Camp Oty’Okwa and AmeriCorps for students and campers.
“Being with AmeriCorps has allowed me to gain new experiences in communities across Southeast Ohio,” said VanderWeg. “I have had the privilege to meet and work with many wonderful history professionals and inspired community members at local history organizations. The experiences I have gained throughout my service years will help me continue into the future.”
“After serving almost three years in two different AmeriCorps programs, AmeriCorps has given me the tools necessary to make a difference in my community and it has allowed me to meet like-minded people who I have created lifelong bonds with,” said Lambert.
AmeriCorps programming is administered locally by ServeOhio, the state’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. To learn more about AmeriCorps, visit www.serve.ohio.gov. To learn more about Ohio History Service Corps, visit ohiohistory.org/americorps.