Ripple Effect: How Sarah Got Things Done

Greetings,

My name is Sarah Haber, and I am an AmeriCorps VISTA alum. Here is how I got things done. It was the summer of 2017, and I was sitting in my childhood bedroom, panicking that I hadn’t found a job since graduating from college just a month before. I remembered a girl on my rugby team mentioning she had joined this cool program where she traveled around doing community service in different cities, sporting a super comfy-looking hoodie with a big ‘A’ on the front. That program was AmeriCorps. I decided to visit their website to explore opportunities where I could dedicate some time to service before landing a job. This seemed like a natural fit, especially considering my mother had been a Peace Corps volunteer from 1983-1985.

I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for or fully understand what AmeriCorps was, but through the my.americorps.gov portal, I found an opportunity in Prescott, Arizona. I applied, interviewed, and was offered the role of an AmeriCorps VISTA. Two months later, I packed my bags, swallowed my nerves, and headed west. As my mother, fish, and I drove through many states, I reminded myself that no matter what happened, it was only a year. Now, 7.5 years later, I’m still here.

Like many AmeriCorps alums, becoming a member of National Service was an extremely pivotal moment in my life. My first role was serving as the Volunteer Program Coordinator for the Chino Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. I had never been to Arizona, much less heard of Chino Valley or Prescott. This small rural town was very different from where I grew up in New York. I had left my comfortable bubble and stepped into a whole new world where I knew no one. Much to my surprise, I made connections and grew a family in what locals affectionately called “the redneck capital of Arizona.”

I was there to serve the people, but I wondered: How do I do this? Where do I start? I was fortunate to have incredible program staff who helped me understand my role and approach to service. Their advice: Ask questions, get to know people, and listen. National Service members aren’t the heroes of the work that needs to take place—they’re catalysts who engage with the community to evoke change.

Through my community connections and support from people like Mayor Daryl Croft, I built a platform that recruited community members for various volunteer opportunities. From finding drivers for Yavapai Regional Transit to staffing the Territorial Days Parade, these opportunities got people involved. I didn’t realize how much my Chino Family had grown until my own family came to visit for the annual Sequins and Saddles fundraiser.

The impact of connecting individuals to volunteer opportunities goes beyond just providing necessary help. Volunteers learn more about themselves and discover innovative ways to utilize their skills. It felt natural to enroll in another year of service as a VISTA team leader for Arizona Serve, connecting passionate people with transformative community projects.

Under the guidance of our brilliant Program Manager, Annie Haseley, our office recruited and supported 10 AmeriCorps VISTAs serving across Yavapai County. As a team leader, I further developed my communication and program coordination skills. We focused on increasing public awareness of our opportunities through two main channels: internally, by creating a podcast called “This AmeriCorps Life” that shared service stories from current and past members; and externally, by recruiting an additional 130 community members for our Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, which earned us the cover of the Daily Courier.

An organization that encourages professionals to explore new projects is rare. As a young professional, this was an extremely valuable space to be part of. At Arizona Serve, there was a lot of pie at the table. The advice was to try all of it—and if there’s a pie missing from the table, make it yourself. Which is exactly what I did next.

After my two years in Prescott, I headed south to Tucson, Arizona. It was big, bright, and hot—not ideal when you’re at the peak of marathon training—but the opportunities were even greater than I could have imagined.

Welcomed by my southern Arizona Serve family, I continued my work to enhance community events and overall messaging in the Old Pueblo. Over the next five years, I continued to grow my skills and work my way up to the role of Deputy Executive Director for Arizona Serve.

Although my time with AmeriCorps concluded in August 2024, to this day I still tell people that Arizona Serve is the best place to work. Why? The people.

Annie is a fearless leader who took this program to its fullest potential. She puts others before herself and is the reason why many of us are where we are in our careers. She is why so many nonprofits have seen an increase in their funding. She is why our local cities have an increase in community engagement. A leader like this, who combines vision with genuine compassion, creates ripples of positive change that continue long after the service year ends.

This is why this work MUST continue. Each year, over 200 Arizona Serve AmeriCorps members support more than 50 nonprofits across Yavapai and Pima County. That’s 200 individuals building connections, gaining skills, and ultimately weaving our community together, thread by thread. They’re getting things done the same way I did—by showing up, listening deeply, and taking action where it matters most.

“I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond” to my community, my colleagues, and myself. I’m no longer in my childhood bedroom looking for jobs. I am at the University of Arizona’s Education Career Fair recruiting teachers to work in the Tucson Unified School District.

Through service, I discovered that getting things done isn’t just about completing tasks; it’s about building relationships, fostering connections, and creating sustainable change that outlasts any single person’s service term. That’s the true AmeriCorps legacy, and it’s how I continue to approach my work today, even if I am not rocking that “A” on my sleeve.