Relay AmeriCorps Member Spotlight: Alicia Wells

​What is your motivation for serving in AmeriCorps?

I find inner peace in doing for others. I always think about how every summer my grandmother made me, my siblings, cousins, and other neighborhood children pick up trash from the side of the road in her neighborhood. When I would ask and complain “why do we have to do this”, she would say, “The good Lord did not put us on this-here earth just serve self, find yourself some peace child!”. I didn’t know what that meant until I got much older.

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What is your connection to the local community served by your AmeriCorps program?

I was born and raised in Memphis and the surrounding area. The people that are being served are neighboring Memphians. Serving them is like serving family.

 Do you have an example about impact? How a project or relationship was impacted by your service?

My children have seen me volunteer. With no questions asked, they are now asking to volunteer was well.

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What are your plans for "Life After AmeriCorps & relay"?  Have your plans been influenced or changed by your time in the Relay AmeriCorps program?

I plan to never stop learning. In the near future, I plan on obtaining an endorsement in Early Childhood Education/Special Education Pre-K to K. I would love to work with children with special needs. Working with children with special needs gives me a sense that I’m serving a great purpose than just guiding and teaching. I plan to continue volunteering as much as I can. I will continue to give back. I feel that I owe it to myself and my late grandmother to embark on that path. My family and I have made plans to find somewhere to volunteer our time every Thanksgiving.

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