Fifteen ShoreCorps/PALS Members Recognized at Annual Ceremony

Standing from left to right: Dr. Diane Allen, Lynn Rising, Cody Wehlan, Brandon Moore, Dr. Maarten Pereboom, Mayor James Ireton, Jack Parker, Randolph McFadden, Dr. George Whitehead and Sara Heim. Seated from left to right: Rachel Bennett, Jessica Lindner, Amy Jacocks, Shakeara Jones, Joana Weaver, Untia Bigelow and Brittany Goff. Not pictured are Andrei Barjoveanu, LaToya Bell, Taylor Henry, Brandon Jones and Tasha King.

SALISBURY, MD---ShoreCorps/PALS (Partnership for Adolescents on the Lower Shore), the AmeriCorps program at Salisbury University, recently celebrated the accomplishments of its members during its annual recognition ceremony.

Fifteen members were honored for their year of service with local organizations and agencies in Wicomico, Dorchester and Caroline counties. They include: Andrei Barjoveanu of Morton Grove, IL; LaToya Bell of Delmar, MD; Rachel Bennett of Chester, MD; Untia Bigelow, Tasha King, Randolph McFadden, Joana Weaver and Cody Wehlan of Salisbury; Brittany Goff of Damascus, MD; Taylor Henry of New Market, MD; Amy Jacocks of Queenstown, MD; Brandon Jones of Rosedale, MD; Shakeara Jones of Chestertown, MD; Jessica Lindner of Princess Anne, MD; and Jack Parker of Waldorf, MD.

Salisbury Mayor James Ireton keynoted the celebration. Dr. Maarten Pereboom, dean of SU’s Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Diane Allen, SU provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, also addressed the graduates. ShoreCorps/PALS alumnus Brandon Moore reflected on the impact his AmeriCorps experience had on his life. Family, friends and site supervisors joined in the gathering.

ShoreCorps/PALS began serving the community in 1995, the year after AmeriCorps was founded. The program is committed to providing members and sites with excellent service and an attitude of “getting things done.”

Members serve in positions providing mentoring, homework assistance and conflict resolution; emergency preparedness and health education programs; establishing peer support groups; conducting community outreach activities; and recruiting and managing volunteers to increase the capacity of the partner site.

This year, members provided assistance to over 10,000 youth on the Eastern Shore. They also recruited and managed more than 1,200 volunteers, resulting in over 6,700 volunteer hours in their communities.

“I continue to be impressed with the dedication of AmeriCorps members to the Eastern Shore community,” said Dr. George Whitehead, project director.

Community Partners for 2013-2014 included the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore in Denton, MD; Mid-Shore Community Mediation in Cambridge, MD; and Stop the Violence, the Epoch Dream Center, the Village of Hope, Salisbury Zoological Park, the Wicomico Mentoring Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the City of Salisbury, the Wicomico Health Department, the Wicomico Library, Kids of Honor and SU’s Ward Museum in Wicomico County.

ShoreCorps/PALS is currently recruiting community partners and new members as the program begins its 20th year. For more information call 410-543-6137 or visit the organization’s website at www.salisbury.edu/americorps.