AmeriCorps to Book Harvest: Three Staff Member Reflections

Our employees have arrived at Book Harvest through diverse and winding career paths, but three of them share one common step: an AmeriCorps year of service at Book Harvest through NC LiteraryCorps.

Last week, we were thrilled to welcome back Daniela Dunn as our new Community Engagement Coordinator. Like Daniela, two other employees began their Book Harvest journey through AmeriCorps: George Hendrix, Program Coordinator, and Kalyn Milot, Inventory and Procurement Coordinator. As a warm welcome and re-welcome to celebrate all three staff members, their reflections on growing with the organization are featured below.

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Daniela Dunn

"My time as an AmeriCorps member allowed me to become deeply aware of the profound impact Book Harvest has on so many members of the community. A portion of my work involved attending tabling events in Durham County. It was wonderful to hear the stories of those already impacted by Book Harvest and get to teach those who had not heard of all the amazing services Book Harvest provides to families. When the opportunity arose to continue spreading the knowledge and services of Book Harvest to the community, I was so excited to get to continue working on this with such a wonderful team!"

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George Hendrix

"I started my internship with the goal of securing a position here so my transition into a full-time staff member was especially rewarding. I had previously only worked for small community-based nonprofits, so the chance to work at an organization like Book Harvest, having gone from that type of small organization to this larger more refined business, was huge for me as an opportunity to develop professionally. I never would have thought I'd be working in a youth-focused, especially early childhood, field but I also wouldn't have imagined that a workplace could be this welcoming and empowering - I really didn't want to pass up on that. Overall my transition has been fulfilling and fairly seamless. During my internship I was only working with the Book Babies team and now I'm also collaborating with my colleagues in Family and Community Engagement, so lots of learning and planning out new ideas. My position is also tied directly to supporting the Executive Director, so I'm of course leaning in to the mentorship potential there. I'm passionate about nonprofit, charity work in general and like seeing the impacts from my work; my role at Book Harvest lets me collaborate with brilliant people to improve our work internally and I'm indirectly supporting all of the incredible things being done in communities so it's a win-win."

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Kalyn Milot

"When I onboarded with Book Harvest while in AmeriCorps, I immediately knew that this was a good place to be. The welcoming I received from everyone on staff made me immediately feel accepted. As a queer person who had been very used to hiding my identities while at work, it was so refreshing to see diverse perspectives and identities openly represented and celebrated, which truly made Book Harvest special. 

My team while in AmeriCorps made me feel valued, seen, and respected in ways that I haven't felt in so many jobs I've had; their support meant I could really learn and grow, all while trying new things. I was encouraged to explore parts of my work skills that I hadn't been able to expand before, and in turn I was able to use those skills to help my team and the whole of the organization. Very quickly, I knew that I wanted to be part of the Book Harvest team permanently, and I was very lucky that my skills suited the growing needs of the organization. 

I chose not to take time off between my last day of AmeriCorps and my first day as a full time staff member of Book Harvest, so my transition was a little bit funny. I came into the office at the same time, continued doing my same work, and more or less have done so continually. If anything, being a staff member has meant I've had an even better work-life balance than when I was in AmeriCorps! Even with the additional responsibilities of being a full-time staff member, I've only continued to feel that Book Harvest as an organization (& the people that make up that organization) has supported my ability to take breaks, focus on my mental and physical health, and improve myself as an individual and a professional."

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Though each staff member was only prompted to share a few sentences about their transition, Daniela, George, and Kalyn all exhibited their passion for their roles through these incredibly thoughtful reflections. We are so grateful for their continued journey with Book Harvest, as AmeriCorps Members and beyond! 

You can learn more about NC LiteracyCorps, the arm of AmeriCorps members working in literacy programs like Book Harvest, here.