AmeriCorps at Willowell
Willowell currently hosts AmeriCorps service members through the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and ECO AmeriCorps. Members serve at Wren’s Nest Forest Preschool, Pond Brook Middle School, Walden High School, After school Programs, and more!! Joining the dedicated teaching staff in their mission to foster curiosity, joy, and community through outdoor play and exploration.
Members will also help run the vegetable garden and select summer camps. While each AmeriCorps member supports existing Willowell programs, they also have the opportunity to forge their own path and exercise creativity in the projects they pursue.
AmeriCorps members at Willowell put on many hats to build happier, healthier, and more sustainable futures for the youth and residents of Addison County. All members at Willowell gain invaluable hands-on experience implementing and managing outdoor education programs. This involves developing community resources, planning curriculum, teaching, expanding community networks, fundraising, mentoring youth, and organizing volunteers. We told you, many hats!
Past Member Snapshots:
Corinne goldman (Wren’s Nest)- now staff
I began service at the Willowell Foundation, specifically Wren’s Nest Forest Preschool this September and truly love what I do. A typical day of service for me includes hiking through forests, climbing rocks and many other outdoor activities, all while educating the youth about the wonders of nature. I recently graduated from Castleton University with a B.S. in Environmental Science & Chemistry before deciding to join AmeriCorps and serve the community. I was raised to love, respect and protect nature and I hope to instill that love and passion into the youth that I serve. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year with Willowell!
Rowan Kamman, 2020-21, two year member writes: “a typical school day begins on Willowell’s Monkton property. We meet at the garden and grab some fresh vegetables for lunch, then head downhill to the cedar grove “classroom,” several benches ringing an ashen fire pit. Morning philosophy discussion often evolves into a current events seminar. Students share news stories and the resulting conversation frequently jumps ship to explore the (sometimes murky) foundations of our society. Lunch often consists of fire-sauteed kale chips and a veggie stew. We orbit the fire to escape the wind-blown smoke, and move on to afternoon classes like literature, psychology, environmental studies, and more. This is my third year in the Walden community, and I’m proud to return to this small program in the woods to help keep the magic alive.”
Addison Tate (Walden Project) Now staff
On a pleasant afternoon in the midst of mud season Addison was born, a wee potato in the clay. As an inquisitive young tuber he played with chickens and splashed in the streams of the Champlain Valley. Popping out some youthful green leaves, he spent his summers farming and his winters skiing before living as an exchange student in Bolivia. During the late Obama years Addison thrived in the Hudson Valley as an Environmental Studies major at Vassar College, deepening his commitments to social justice, critical thinking, and plants. Most of his working life has been devoted to ecological restoration and environmental education, including a temporary transplant to San Francisco spent ruminating with goats. Now a hefty spud craving that good good Addison County clay, he has once again found himself in Vermont amidst the mysterious yet welcoming cedar grove of the Walden Project.
Ian Gramling (New Roots, Wren’s Nest, Summer Camps) now staff
My name is Ian, and I am serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Willowell Foundation. I am a lifelong resident of Ferrisburgh, Vermont and a Walden Alum. I graduated from the Walden Project in 2017 and am taking a gap year from Norwich University, where I’ve been pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Studies in War and Peace. I enjoy working with kids, and have lots of experience with it from volunteer positions at Ferrisburgh Central School, Shelburne Farms and working at New Roots during the first session this past fall. In my spare time, I enjoy historical reenacting, primitive camping, hiking, metal detecting, playing Celtic music, and spending time with my family and my cats.
More About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a nationwide program that connects talented and passionate individuals to community organizations that need them. AmeriCorps members can be any age over 18, at any stage in their career, and come to serve their communities for many different reasons. Depending on the host organization’s needs, terms of service range from three months to a year. Members receive a modest living allowance, an education award to help pay for higher education or federal student loans, training, and the opportunity to serve and learn from their communities in innovative and sometimes life-changing ways.
Interested in serving at Willowell?
Contact us to learn more!
