It's AmeriCorps Week! Meet our 2025-2026 Kansas eeCorps service members

Celebrate AmeriCorps Week with us! March 9-15, 2026

This AmeriCorps Week, we're sharing the powerful stories of how #AmeriCorpsWorks. National service turns everyday acts into extraordinary change.

It's AmeriCorps Week! Meet our Kansas eeCorps service members: Led by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), the Environmental Education Corps (eeCorps) AmeriCorps Program places AmeriCorps members at organizations throughout Kansas to focus on increasing environmental literacy for PreK-12 students and building capacity for environmental education in the region.

Hello, my name is Kelly, and I am currently serving at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center in Topeka, Kansas! At the core of what I do at KCDC is contribute to the museum’s mission of accessible, inclusive education through joyful discovery and play, but through the lens of my personal passion, environmental education! I get to increase the impact of environmental education programming, while helping to provide access to equitable learning experiences.

At KCDC I create programming and lead playful, nature-based learning experiences for children and families to increase environmental literacy and foster connection.These activities have an emphasis on Ecology, Sustainability and STEAM principles. I hope to create opportunities for children and families to connect with each other and with our natural environment.

I am also fostering relationships with local environmental organizations to build partnerships and promote collaborative environmental stewardship. Eventually, I will lead staff sustainability efforts and help to maintain the outdoor play and learning areas.

My name is Megan and I am serving at Milford Nature Center. In my current role, I deliver educational programming at the nature center and at off-site locations focused on Kansas wildlife and habitats, environmental stewardship, and the importance of preserving biodiversity and natural spaces.

Drawing on my background in behavioral science, I also assist with training animal ambassadors for participation in educational programs. I am especially passionate about inspiring young students to appreciate animals that are often misunderstood or stigmatized by the public, such as skunks, vultures, and snakes. Because aversion to these species is frequently learned through observing adults, I encourage children to embrace their natural curiosity and explore the important role each species plays in the ecosystem. I believe fostering curiosity and excitement about nature in young people is a key step in cultivating environmental stewardship in future generations.

My name is Angela Kendall, and I am an AmeriCorps member serving with KACEE. I am a Nebraska native who grew up in a small farming community.  

I help KACEE with “behind the scenes” support, serving their mission of expanding environmental literacy across Kansas. From writing blog posts to researching and planning future projects, I build organizational capacity so that the staff can focus on providing educators with high quality environmental education professional learning.

One of my favorite memories while serving with eeCorps was helping with the regional and state Eco Meets, a competition that tests high school students’ knowledge of Kansas’ wildlife and plants. I loved seeing environmental education in action. The excitement and dedication of the students competing showed there is another generation of individuals who are willing to care for the environment. 

I believe serving as an eeCorps member is important because environmental education is the foundation for teaching the next generation to understand and care for the environment. 

My name is Amanda Campanella, and I am an AmeriCorps member serving with the KACEE staff in Manhattan, KS! I help strengthen connections between environmental education providers in our community. I have fond memories of learning about natural resources and the environment in elementary school, but I didn't realize until I started working with this team a few years ago that the environmental education my school used was Project Learning Tree from KACEE! What I learned about the outdoors and sustainability as a child has informed decisions throughout my life. I am excited to help connect more members of our community to the joy of outdoor learning through my AmeriCorps service year at KACEE!

Learn More about the eeCorps

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Ordinary Citizens. Extraordinary Impact. AmeriCorps Works.

America’s greatness comes from the extraordinary acts of ordinary citizens. From a pioneering group of 20,000 Americans who first raised their hands to serve, AmeriCorps has grown into a nationwide force for positive change. Today, millions of AmeriCorps participants have contributed billions of hours of results-driven service across all 50 states and U.S. territories, creating lasting impact in communities nationwide.