Jackie's Blog- My Year of Service

This summer, we said goodbye to our AmeriCorps Volunteer Services Coordinator, Jackie, who was with us for one service year. Jackie spent a year working and volunteering after graduating from Bloomsburg University with a degree in Anthropology. She knew she wanted a career where she could make a difference in her community, but with so many interests, she was left with more questions than answers. Thankfully, she found an AmeriCorps opportunity with Habitat MontDelco that allowed her to spend a year deciding which area of a nonprofit would be the best fit for her interests and skills. After a fulfilling year of service with us, Jackie will be applying what she has learned in the field and will be attending Bucks County Community College, where she plans to pursue a degree in Accounting. Read her reflection below.
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By Jackie Mehalick, 2018-2019 Volunteer Services Coordinator AmeriCorps
Serving as an AmeriCorps member with Habitat MontDelco offered me the chance to push myself out of my comfort zone each day in order to make a difference in my community, while simultaneously learning new skills and what it takes to make a nonprofit run.
As a Habitat AmeriCorps member, I was given the opportunity to work tabling events, lead volunteer orientations, create a volunteer newsletter each month, do constant outreach and recruitment, and much more as the Volunteer Services Coordinator. It may have been challenging at times, but this year of service with Habitat AmeriCorps was an incredible learning experience for me. It helped me to utilize my strengths and talents while also learning new skills that will help me in all my future career endeavors.
I’ve grown exponentially, both professionally and personally, in the past 10 ½ months as an AmeriCorps member. I’m incredibly grateful for the AmeriCorps program and to Habitat MontDelco for this opportunity. I’ve learned what skills I can offer, where I can improve, and what I want my next steps to be when my year of service is (sadly) over. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished this past year and I’m excited to see what the future holds for me after my Habitat AmeriCorps experience!