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�r f <br /> AMERICORPS CAPE COD ALUMNI <br /> f <br /> The Power of Service <br /> By Riley Moffatt <br /> AmeriCorps Cape Cod is well known for the dedicated and effective service it provides to this community, but there is <br /> a secondary value that is often overlooked. The National Service movement has always highlighted the importance of <br /> member development and the beneficial impact service has on those that serve, and this is certainly true in the <br /> AmeriCorps Cape Cod program. <br /> Over AmeriCorps Cape Cod's 14 years, alumni of the program have been developed into powerful leaders with a <br /> strong commitment to civics. Alumni can be found serving the greater good here on Cape Cod as Natural Resource <br /> Officers, County employees,members of the not for profit community, educators and many other positions where a <br /> dedication to bettering the community is embraced. This is not only true of the Alumni still here on Cape Cod, but of <br /> the many more spread across the country. <br /> My time spent with AmeriCorps Cape Cod may help to highlight the powerful impact that service can have on the <br /> person serving. I applied to the program as I was finishing up college. Like many young men and women I didn't, <br /> know what I wanted to do. I didn't have a focused passion or a clear notion of how I fit into the world. I learned about. <br /> AmeriCorps, saw it as an opportunity to grow and do something meaningful, and applied. <br /> My first year as a member was trying. I was pushed to my physical limit by service and tested emotionally and <br /> personally by living in a strange place with no friends or family nearby. In this first year I grew immensely. I gained <br /> confidence and developed a strong work ethic through the intensive effort that was required of me. In my second year <br /> of service with the program I moved into the role of member leader. Here I was able to develop my skills as a leader. I <br /> was put in a position that allowed me to grow into a guiding force for the program. I lead my fellow Corps members,at <br /> service and in the residence and gained skills that will last a lifetime. <br /> After completing my two years of service I was honored to be offered a staff position in the program. I was hired as a <br /> Program Specialist. This was my first true experience as a professional. At times it was difficult, but with the dedicated <br /> support of my AmeriCorps colleagues, the Resource Development Office, and my mentor, life coach and supervisor <br /> Darlene Johnson Morris, I was able'to develop the skills I needed to succeed. Being given this opportunity changed my <br /> life. For a young person to be given their first chance to enter the workforce, with such powerful and inspirational <br /> leaders above them, is truly immeasurable. Then in November of 2012 I was given one more grand opportunity to <br /> grow and serve the program that had already given so much to me. I was offered a position as the Program <br /> Coordinator. To be able to end my time serving this community as the Program Coordinator is a dream come true. To <br /> be able to give back to the this program, to the members, to the service partners, to the advisory board, to everyone in <br /> this community that has supported us, is truly the greatest honor that could possibly be bestowed upon me. <br /> The bottom line is this, in four short years my experiences with AmeriCoips Cape Cod has transformed me from a <br /> relatively aimless and inexperienced young man into a person with purpose. It has shaped me into the man I am today, <br /> a man who is confident, a man who is committed to serving his community and his nation:And I,am just the tip of the <br /> iceberg,because this program and other AmeriCorps programs around the county have done this for thousands of <br /> young men and women, and we should all be aware of this great power, the power service has to change lives for the <br /> better. <br /> 24 <br />