Member Spotlight: Katherine Holmes, Mobile Baykeeper AmeriCorps Program

Meet Katherine Holmes, Volunteer Coordinator, currently serving with the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a partnering agency of the Mobile Baykeeper AmeriCorps program.

1. What motivated you to join AmeriCorps?

I was motivated to join AmeriCorps because I wanted to forge new connections with my community while gaining experience in my career field. I believe that being of service to my community and my environment is more important than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. What would you like to get out of this service opportunity?

I want to grow into a more effective advocate for environmental conservation and take more personal accountability in protecting my community’s waterways. I want to develop my outreach skills, gain experience in event coordination, and develop presentation skills for accumulated data.

3. What will your service focus on for the 2021-2022 program year?

During this program year, my service will focus on recruiting new volunteers, reigniting existing volunteers, organizing strategic and intervention activities that cultivate a sense of responsibility while building skills for environmental stewardship across the 17-county Black Warrior River watershed. I will host several community cleanups, recycling projects, and other activities for volunteers, in addition to streamlining volunteer sign-up and communication processes. Also, I will coordinate and collaborate with local community groups and non-profit organizations to increase overall participation in environmental stewardship activities.

4. What are your plans after AmeriCorps?

I will seek a position in the Southeast to address a multiplicity of interconnected environmental concerns and work to protect the biodiversity of our country’s unique and irreplaceable ecosystems.

Thank you for your service Katherine!