Vanessa Ruff is a 22 year-old from Crawfordville, Georgia who says she is, “Just trying to change lives.” She is doing so in a big way through the AmeriCorps Program that she learned about while a student at the Muhlenberg Job Corps in Greenville, Kentucky. While completing her trade in Medical Office Support, Vanessa realized she did not really know what she wanted to do with her life. She did know that she enjoyed working with people and after hearing about AmeriCorps believed it was something she could do. According to the AmeriCorps website, www.americorps.gov, “AmeriCorps is an opportunity to make a big difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. It’s a chance to apply your skills and ideals toward helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. In addition, full-time members who complete their service earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans; members who serve part-time receive a partial Award. Some AmeriCorps members may also receive a modest living allowance during their term of service.” On February 27th, 2012 Vanessa Ruff began her time with AmeriCorps and it has been “all about work,” since she began.

On her first spike, which is term used to describe travel or the next place they are going, she went to New Orleans, Louisiana. While there she and her team helped rebuild homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She got to meet the people and hear their stories of the event that took their homes. There is always work to do, but she has also been able to enjoy some time in her travels. In New Orleans she was able to attend “The Lion King” musical and meet many different stars.

After New Orleans she traveled with her team to Saucier, Mississippi. Their task in Saucier was to assist a children’s home. The team pruned trees, made birdhouses and completed other landscaping work to beautify 100 acres of land. They also made signs and cleared bike trails so the children could ride their bikes. Their next stop was Virginia. They laid new water pipes for a community that didn’t have the money to pay for a contractor to do the work. All types of work is performed by the team: painting, building homes, working with kids, cutting grass and hanging dry wall. “There are a lot of people that my team and I have touched through our work,” Ruff stated. “AmeriCorps is a great program where you learn so many skills, get the chance to travel and meet great people.” Ruff said, “My goal in life is to help as many people as I can, especially children.” Through the AmeriCorps program she is getting that chance on a daily basis.