Meaning of Service

Meaning of Service Makes an Impact

What does it mean to serve others? How does volunteering affect you personally and impact other volunteers? This program, Meaning of Service, allows volunteers to explore these questions using the humanities as a spring board for discussion.

What is Meaning of Service?

The Meaning of Service program invites service volunteers to join in discussion groups. These facilitated groups read short texts to stimulate conversations about what it means to serve, give and lead. These Meaning of Service sessions allow volunteers an opportunity to share their service experiences and reflect together upon why they chose to dedicate themselves to service. A humanities scholar provided by the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) will facilitate discussions.

Who can use this program?

Meaning of Service is a national reading and discussion series available free of charge to any Maryland AmeriCorps program or other volunteer service organization.

AmeriCorps members participating in Meaning of Service reported that the reading and discussion sessions challenged them to think more deeply about their impact on others, helped them examine the complexities of service and improved their ability to communicate their values and ideas to others. Additionally Meaning of Service helps them make sense of their AmeriCorps experience and improves relationships with other members.

Meaning of Service 2011-2012 Program Sites

Experience Corps Baltimore, Baltimore City
Community Mediation Maryland, Glen Burnie
Project Change, Bethesda
ShoreCorps/PALS, Salisbury
Frostburg EchoStars, Frostburg
Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism, Baltimore

If you are an AmeriCorps program director or a volunteer service organization and would like to participate, please contact Jean Wortman at  jwortman@mdhc.org or 410-685-4187.