Stories from the Field

  • From Service to Sustainability: The Impact of the Ozark Conservation Corps

    From Service to Sustainability: The Impact of the Ozark Conservation Corps Each April, Earth Day and National Volunteer Week remind us of two incredibly powerful ideas: protecting our planet and environment and showing up for our communities. However, beyond awareness campaigns or one-day events, there are organizations across Arkansas that are helping to turn these…

  • Celebrate Earth Day 2026 in Arkansas: Ways to Get Involved Across the Natural State

    Celebrate Earth Day 2026 in Arkansas: Ways to Get Involved Across the Natural State Every year on April 22, individuals around the world come together to celebrate and support environmental protection efforts, including those right here at home in the Natural State. This day is a reminder that protecting our planet relies on our actions.…

  • From Service to Leadership: The Impact of Global Youth Service Day/Month

    From Service to Leadership: The Impact of Global Youth Service Day/Month Each April, young people around the world step forward to serve, lead, and create change on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), which has since expanded into Youth Service Month. Coordinated by Youth Service America and in collaboration with organization sponsorships, including its primary sponsor,…

  • What is AmeriCorps and National Service?

    In March, we celebrated AmeriCorps Week. AmeriCorps Week is a time to recognize the individuals, programs, and organizations that have dedicated themselves to serving their communities. It is also a time to celebrate and recognize the millions of AmeriCorps members and alumni across the United States. As the state of Arkansas’s primary coordinating entity supporting…

  • Growing More Than Food: The Impact of the UA Little Rock’s Campus Garden

    Growing More Than Food: The Impact of the UA Little Rock’s Campus Garden In our modern, fast-paced, technology-driven world, spaces that help us reconnect with nature, community, sustainability, and hands-on learning experiences are more important—and more sought after—than ever before. One such space is the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s (UA Little Rock) Campus…

  • AmeriCorps in Arkansas: A Legacy of Service Rooted in Leadership and Community

    When talking about the history of AmeriCorps in Arkansas, we’re not just talking about a federal program. We’re talking about a culture of service that has been deeply embedded in the state’s history and identity. Long before AmeriCorps was formally created as the organization we know today, Arkansas had leaders who helped shape the national…

  • Arkansan Women of Service: Highlighting the Women Who Have Shaped Our State

    Arkansas Women of Service: Highlighting the Women Who Have Shaped Our State Throughout Arkansas’s history, many women have led the charge for structural, social, civic, and societal change throughout Arkansas. These women’s contributions span areas such as volunteerism and public service, healthcare access, education, and civil rights. During the month of March, we pause to…

  • Arkansas Civic Leadership Academy: Preparation for a future as a Civic Leader

    Arkansas Civic Leadership Academy: Preparation for a Future as a Civic Leader Throughout this academic year, I have had the unique opportunity to participate in the inaugural Arkansas Collegiate Civic Leadership Academy. Organized through the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, it brings together junior- and senior-level undergraduate students from colleges and universities across Arkansas who share a…

  • Smart Start Member Interviews: Preparation for Arkansas’s Next Generation of Leaders

    AmeriCorps Member Experience: Preparation for Arkansas’s Next Generation of Leaders Over the past week, the Engage Arkansas team interviewed two members of the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative’s Smart Start Program for February’s civic challenge, spotlighting youth leadership across Arkansas. Smart Start, an AmeriCorps initiative, provides reading and math tutoring to K–5 students in Southeast…

  • Volunteer Community of the Year: Jonesboro’s Investment in Youth Leadership

    Volunteer Community of the Year: Jonesboro’s Investment in Youth Leadership In December, the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, was named the 2025 Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year in the Most Youth Engagement category. The Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Awards—administered by the Governor’s Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism (Engage Arkansas) and the…