Youth Achievement AmeriCorps (YAA) members focus on getting things done in East Central Iowa by strengthening our communities, encouraging responsibility, expanding opportunity, and serving to provide solutions. Tommy is a second year AmeriCorps member who lives our motto every day. His impact on the lives of children he serves is a testament to how he has become a true leader!
Second year Youth Achievement AmeriCorps member, Tommy Govert
Two years of AmeriCorps! It’s difficult to fathom that my second year serving with YAA is ending. It seems like only yesterday I was packing everything I could in my car to move from Kansas to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My time spent with YAA, Kids on Course, United Way, and a cast of middle school students have made for the fullest, quickest two years of my life.
Before my life in Iowa, I worked as a Head Start Preschool teacher. When I discovered AmeriCorps, I thought it would be the perfect chance to continue helping young students in a new community. Plus, it had been awhile since my days hitchhiking through national parks, so I was overdue for an adventure.
I moved from Kansas for that adventure; I stayed in Iowa for the people. When someone asks why I serve as a YAA member, the answer is always the people. During the flood in Cedar Rapids this past fall, AmeriCorps members bagged sand until sunset instead of taking a break. AmeriCorps brings food and books into homes, connects mentors and friends at the lunch table, and gives young minds a helping hand with math and reading — all to make a difference in our community.
I am more grateful than I can express for my time in YAA and Cedar Rapids. All I can do is hope to successfully serve the community again as the AmeriCorps VISTA for United Way of East Central Iowa. That’s right, Cedar Rapids: one more year of AmeriCorps!
—Tommy Govert, May 2017