AmeriCorps Featured Members - Leslie & Lydia
Leslie Ortega and Lydia Fitzgerald are members of MACOG’s first AmeriCorps cohort serving with Church Community Services this summer. Leslie is assisting Goshen Health with the Summer Health Lunch Bunch program, providing health and nutrition activities for children at different summer feeding sites. Additionally, Leslie provides support for the Mobile Garden Project ensuring the different sites have the resources they need and assists with the Church Community Services Seed to Feed program.
Lydia is focusing on Seed to Feed, which provides fresh produce to those who do not have ample access to fresh greens and fruits. She assists with the booth at the Elkhart Farmers Market and delivers classes in partnership with Bushelcraft Farm to educate the public on garden care and various other garden related topics. Lydia has helped with Seed to Feed in the past through their teen internship programs, and thus knows how to care and tend to the gardens and greenhouse in an efficient manner.
“Nothing is more fulfilling than being able to see the gardens flourish, and, in turn, help the community to flourish as well.”
Lydia
What AmeriCorps activities have been most meaningful to you? / What project/event has been most meaningful to you?
Winning by a landslide: the Farmers Market. It's a wonderful chance to build community whilst completing my mission of providing fresh food locally, and also spreading awareness of what Church Community Services has to offer to our community.
How has service in the AmeriCorps program at MACOG and living in our region impacted your career aspirations?
Some have found it weird that I am gardening whilst my ambitions remain on digital art, however I laugh at it. It was a little tricky to understand how I can merge both my past internship into what I plan for my future, but after a little while it was actually quite easy to see some correlation. I am given plenty of opportunities to exercise my creativity, be it in the garden, or planning to design certain things for classes, there is an easy line that I can draw between gardening and my hopes in my future career. And on top of it all I am learning valuable life skills through it all, be it that of good communication to the importance of community, skills of which I will be carrying with me throughout my adult life.
What continues to inspire you to serve in this role?
The growing! Seeing the plants day to day just continue to work their magic, with a little help from me and my teammates, and it is just so satisfactory to make a harvest and see the stories these plants create as they grow. And it's not just the plant growth that gives such a warm feeling, but the personal, or rather human, growth that is shown as well. When you do this type of service, a kind of labor that benefits others, it can give a wonderful sense of completion unlike anything else I have yet to experience.
What’s next after your AmeriCorps service is completed?
I will be attending a four-year college and majoring in Graphic Design and Animation.
“I have a passion for community engagement and through my service I am able to be a part of helping bring the community together. Whether I am helping children learn about nutrition or helping with a community garden, I know it makes an impact in someone’s life and brings people together.”
Leslie
How did you find out about AmeriCorps and what led you to this role?
I was looking for an internship or something that I could do for the summer. My college advisor told me about this role in AmeriCorps, because she felt it was a great opportunity for my interests as a public health student. This role has a big focus on health education, which is a specific area that I am passionate about.
What AmeriCorps activities have been most meaningful to you?
The Summer Health Lunch Bunch has been the project that has been the most meaningful to me. I really enjoy working with kids, and I know how important it is for them to have activities they can do in the summer. It is very fulfilling to see how the kids learn and have fun.
How has service in the AmeriCorps program at MACOG and living in our region impacted your career aspirations?
My service in the AmeriCorps program at MACOG and living in our region has further emphasized how important public health is to me. I see the needs in the communities in our area, and being able to help them while serving with AmeriCorps pushes me to further want to do it in the future. I want to keep giving back to those in my community once I graduate, and hopefully establish a career where I can continue giving back to the community.
What continues to inspire you to serve in this role?
There are children that look forward to me coming every week. I tell them that every week I will have a new lesson and activity, and they look forward to it. Additionally, the gardens from the Mobile Garden Project allows a way for people to come together and create something they are proud of. I know that many people are getting joy out of the gardens.
What’s next after your AmeriCorps service is completed?
I would like to finish my final year at Goshen College, and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health. I would like to establish a career where I can help out the communities in our region, especially the Hispanic community. Through being a part of the Hispanic community, I know that there is a lot of need and I would love to be able to give back and help empower the community.
