Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps Highlights Completed Project for National Service Recognition Day

| April 4, 2018

OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps highlighted a completed project in Oil City for National Service Recognition Day.

(Pictured above: A completed project located at 435 Colbert Avenue, Oil City, Pa., by the House of Trades Program was recognized on April 3, National Service Recognition Day. Pictured above: Front row, left to right – Pastor Chris, Mayor Baker, Mayor of Franklin, and Steve Kosak. Back row, left to right – Commissioner Abramovic, Dylan Stewart, Mike Wise, Mayor Moon, Mayor of Oil City, Brandon Johnson, Jesse Miller, Pam Johnson, Curtis Greene, and Dustin Zitterbart.)

National Service Recognition Day was celebrated on Tuesday, April 3, and AmeriCorps leaders, members, and volunteers were honored for their service to the community.

Keystone SMILES Community-Based AmeriCorps members serve in both full-year and summer programs in Clarion, Mercer, and Venango Counties.

The organization provides youth with academic support, mentoring, safe-havens, healthy meals, and service learning projects. In addition, AmeriCorps members focus on providing hands-on STEM activities aimed to encourage youth to become interested in science, technology, engineering, and math careers.

A unique program in which Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps members serve is the House of Trades Program (HOT). The HOT program is a service-learning based program of Keystone SMILES focusing on young adults ages 16-24 who are neither in work nor school. Joining the House of Trades program provides youth an opportunity to reclaim their education, gain skills they need for employment, and become leaders in the community while building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people in our neighborhood.

Keystone SMILES highlighted a completed project by the House of Trades Program on Tuesday, April 3. The house is located at 435 Colbert Avenue, Oil City, Pa. The house is ready for sale.

The sale of the house will provide resources to remodel the next project located on Front Street, Oil City. Call 814-221-7023 for more information.

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The two-story house is approximately 1,800 sq.ft, with three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, office/bedroom, kitchen, laundry room, dining/living room area, game room area, two walk-in closets, with a third-floor storage loft. Plus, a full basement not included in the above square footage. Outside features include a fenced-in backyard approximately 25ftx40ft with two gated entrances, two-car stone driveway, two front raised planters, and front landscaping with a flower garden.

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The overall project included 40 AmeriCorps members, approximately 250 volunteers, and donations representing local faith-based community members, civic organizations, Oil City Mayor’s Office, Oil City Code Enforcement Office, Oil City Public Works-Water Department, Keystone SMILES Crossroads Alt-ED Program, Venango County Commissioners’ Office, Venango County Corrections Office, Venango County Youth/Adult Probation Office, Venango and Clarion County local businesses/contractors, as well as from our neighbors on Colbert Avenue in Oil City.

Participants had an opportunity to learn many facets of construction: recycling, deconstruction, construction math, landscaping, roofing, rough framing, carpentry, electrical, block laying, heating systems, plumbing, painting, sheetrock, finish carpentry, cabinet making, trim work, flooring, tile work, stair building, local and national building codes, blueprint reading, OSHA 10, construction safety, estimating, construction project management, and first aid/CPR.

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Participants were provided training on local government works, citizenship, civic pride and responsibility, volunteerism, conflict resolution, team building, situational/facilitative leadership, resume building, interviewing for future employment, the ethic of service to America in our local communities.

In addition to our community-based and HOT Program, Keystone SMILES also places AmeriCorps members in schools that have an identified educational need. These members provide schools with much-needed before, during and after-school tutoring to increase the student’s academic engagement. Since 1994, over 50 school districts and non-profits in Northwestern PA have benefited from Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps with a total of 3,054 members who have tutored 81,697 students and mentored an additional 22,814 with academic and/or social-emotional needs.

Applications are now being accepted from schools and nonprofit organizations interested in acting as an AmeriCorps service site. Keystone SMILES provides the administrative support for selected host sites, including providing living stipends, health insurance, and regular technical and professional development training for members. Service sites are responsible for providing meaningful projects, supervision and support, a workspace, equipment, and supplies.

Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps is funded in part through an AmeriCorps*State grant provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

For more information on how to become a host site, join AmeriCorps, or how you can help, visit www.smilesamericorps.org or like Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps Facebook page.

AmeriCorps has an open application process. Interested applicants should go to www.smilesamericorps.org to apply.


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