Samantha Majjad (pronounced Ma-jad) wants to make a difference in her community. In January, she devised a plan to do just that. Samantha joined AmeriCorps and applied for a posting at Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH). Samantha now serves as the community outreach coordinator for the affiliate and will remain a part of the team through most of 2023.
AmeriCorps is a government agency that promotes volunteer work with nonprofit agencies. In turn, participants receive a stipend to support living expenses. Members can also earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which is offered to individuals who complete a term of service and can be used to pay for a range of educational expenses, like repaying qualified student loans or future tuition payments.
“Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity has participated as a host site for AmeriCorps volunteers for over 10 years, we have worked with National, VISTA, and Senior Corps members, and NCCC teams,” said GSHFH Executive Director Aimee Giroux. “We were very excited early this year when Springfield native Michael Smith was confirmed to the position of CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the government agency that oversees the AmeriCorps program.”
As the community outreach coordinator, Samantha builds and fosters strong relationships with the Hampden County community. She plans, coordinates, and executes projects in collaboration with community partners.
“I hope to deepen my understanding of the needs of the community and ultimately, I aim to help families in need,” said Samantha.
Samantha is a Western Massachusetts native with her roots planted in Easthampton and is a full-time seventh-grade teacher. In her free time, she said she loves traveling and learning about different cultures, languages, and religions. Samantha said she learned about GSHFH through a Google search of “nonprofits in Western Massachusetts.” Once on the Greater Springfield Habitat website, she discovered the AmeriCorps job posting.
Although still new to the organization, Samantha said she is impressed by what she’s seen so far.
“We take pride in our staff for the excellent representation of women in our workforce,” she said. “In fact, the majority of our team is composed of remarkable and dynamic women who are leading the way with their exceptional skills and abilities.”
GSHFH has another AmeriCorps position open and is hiring a Volunteer Services Coordinator. For more information, go to habitatspringfield.org/join-our-team