The money allowed the newly formed coalition to buy two computers and other supplies, and provide a financial base for supplies and the future of the program. It didnt take long for the coalition to prove itself. Last summer, along with The Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Union 98 and MDI High School, they put together the islands first-ever Water Quality Academy of Math and Science. The workshop resulted in a migration of teachers and their students into the great outdoors. Along with Dr. Disneys sophomore class, which has conducted water quality tests along the islands shore for years now, other instructors are out there teaching their students about the environmental and biological complexities of Eddie Brook, Seal Cove and the Bass Harbor Marsh.
Collaboration is the key.
Ms. Avila is a do-gooder in her own right, but she is also a great example for the AmeriCorps system. Created with the support of President Clinton and Congress in 1993, Americorps is one of three national service initiatives under the public-private umbrella, the Corporation for National Service. The AmenCorps network comprises hundreds of programs nationwide, including a broad array of nonprofit organizations on the national, state and local levels. In exchange for training and a year or two of service, recruits of all ages and backgrounds receive education awards, along with a modest living allowance and health coverage. More than 100,000 people enrolled in the program over the first four years.