On May 16 and 17 the Parasol AmeriCorps members teamed up with the students of Incline Elementary School in Nevada, to embark on a two day service project that resulted in the creation of remarkable outdoor learning spaces. Each year the AmeriCorps team is responsible for completing 3 service projects to serve their community. This year the team reached out to the North Tahoe community to see how they could give back. In January the team created an application for community members to propose a compelling community need that would benefit from the help of all 17 Parasol AmeriCorps members. After the proposals were submitted the team voted on the Incline Elementary School project. “One of the best ways that we can give back is to educate and instill in America’s youth a respect for service to our community and environment,” (Megan Heatwole, Tahoe SAFE Alliance).

Part one of the service project, titled IES Rocks! A Day of Dirt, Service and Community, took place in March when the Parasol AmeriCorps team members were welcomed into the IES classrooms to present on community service, volunteering and the AmeriCorps program. The students were educated on teamwork, community service, and the seventeen different roles that the AmeriCorps members of North Lake Tahoe fill in their community.

Part two of the project consisted of two days of volunteerism and the construction of outdoor classrooms. All students participated in activities outlined per grade. On day one of the service project the first grade painted bird houses, the fourth grade built a trail that wrapped around the campus and the kindergarten class painted colorful virtue rocks to decorate and line the trail. On day two, the fifth graders created plant identification markers for the trail, second graders planted 3 native garden beds and the third graders painted murals.

Parasol AmeriCorps would like to thank everyone who participated and recognize the following organizations for their donations: Lake of the Sky Garden Club, Village Ace Hardware, Home Depot – Carson City, High Sierra Gardens, F.W. Carson, I.V. Coffee Lab, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, and IVGID.

About the Parasol AmeriCorps Program

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation AmeriCorps Program, now in its thirteenth year, has grown to 17 full time members. This program has become essential in helping agencies enhance services and meet the needs of our rural community. AmeriCorps members come to Lake Tahoe from all parts of the country, bringing with them their knowledge, talents and passion for building a better world. They dedicate a year of their lives to increasing local non-profit capacity by improving existing programs and creating new ones, developing relationships through effective outreach and recruiting new community volunteers. Visit https://www.parasol.org/ to learn more.