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Program Description and Benefits Types of Placement Most Notre Dame- AmeriCorps sites take place in schools and community centers. Therefore, services members most often perform include tutoring and/or assistant teaching (pre-K-12, ESL, and GED), conflict resolution, establishing parental involvement, job and life skills training, environmental awareness, and social services. You can check out our service sites page at http://www.ndmva.org/Service_Sites/index.htm to help you decide which sites might use your skills, interests, and talents the best. You may also contact recruitment coordinator Elizabeth Carroll to discuss which sites might be of the most interest to you at 410-532-6864 x13 or ecarroll@ndmva.org We do our best to place you where you would most like to serve. Serving with Notre Dame- AmeriCorps has a wide range of benefits. As a member, you will gain invaluable experience and skills that you may carry with you for the rest of your life. There are many benefits, both tangible and intangible in nature that a member of NDA will reap from a year of service to others. These benefits include:
Whether you’re a recent college graduate transitioning from school into the working world or a professional making a career change, serving with NDA is a great way to learn new skills and gain experience in education, social work, and the non-profit sector. NDA allows members to experience new situations while offering strong support and relevant training while also nurturing the spiritual and emotional element of the service year.
Because Notre Dame- AmeriCorps is partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service, we are able to offer our members a yearly living allowance which is distributed bi-weekly. During the 2007-2008 service year the pre-tax figure for 11 months is $11,100, which comes to roughly $454.17 before taxes every two weeks. Upon completion of an 11 month service term, AmeriCorps members receive the education award of $4725 (taxable). The education award can be applied to qualified student loans or future education at a Title IV institution. To learn more about the education award and the National Trust, please go to http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/benefits/benefits_ed_award.asp. Members of NDA are eligible for student loan forbearance during their year of service. This means that while a member is serving, he or she does not pay on his or her student loans. In addition, the National Trust will pay the interest that accrues on the loan at the end of the term of service. We provide two options for healthcare while you serve with NDA. Option 1 provides basic coverage with a $100 deductible and 50 percent coverage of prescription drugs costs. Option 2 provides more coverage, but requires that $12 be deducted from each paycheck ($24 for each month). The health care company we use is called SRC and is an AETNA company. To learn more, check out http://www.src-web.com/public/americorps.html. Living in community can be a great way to spend your year of service. Community provides a supportive environment with other members in modest accommodations. NDA offers community living in select cities to members and provides community support to them during the year. Below is a list of cities offering community living or housing this year (2007). Members do pay a modest rent to site directors for housing costs. · Boston If you are interested in relocating to a city to serve where community
living is not offered, talking to a site director may help you to figure
out the housing costs and possibly find a roommate who will also be serving.
NDA members are also eligible for childcare benefits. AmeriCorps CARE pays up to the state’s local market rate for childcare fees and reimburses the member’s caregiver. Members must select a legal caregiver as determined by the state. For more information about childcare benefits visit the National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies website at www.naccrra.net. To qualify for childcare assistance, members must fall into a certain income bracket determined by the state. To check out the qualifications by state, you can download the PDF of this report provided by the National Women's Law Center. State qualifications are listed in a table on page 9. NDA’s establishment is rooted in the work and spirituality of the Sisters of Notre Dame who have been serving the economically poor since 1804. We are committed to nurturing the spiritual growth of our members as an option to them. We are also very inclusive of those members who choose not to participate in spiritual activities. Spiritual retreats are optional and take place throughout the year regionally. Retreats are another wonderful way to get to know the Sisters and other members better and reflect on what serving means for each individual and for the wider world.
Notre
Dame Mission Volunteers - AmeriCorps
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We
offer an Orientation at the beginning of the year for members to get to
know their group and introduce them to their service year. Orientation
takes place regionally (For example: Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington
D.C. all meet in Baltimore for Orientation).