On Monday April 28 Kacey Griffen and Isaac Nache reported to work an hour before the first round of 150 fifth-graders would arrive for outdoor camp. They were shocked to read an email stating, “The AmeriCorps VISTA project to which you have been assigned has been terminated.” Effective that day, the email, signed “AmeriCorps VISTA,” said they were removed from their project, placed on administrative hold status for up to 30 days, and were not allowed to report to or participate in any activities related to the project.
“I was immediately very scared,” Griffen, 26, said.
The workers were fired as a result of President Trump’s declared effort to cut “waste, fraud, and government abuse.” The federal government funds AmeriCorps; the program also partners with other agencies and community organizations to help cover costs for its projects and events. In April, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeted AmeriCorps, a federal community-service program created in 1993 by the Clinton administration, by cutting 85% of the AmeriCorps staff and terminating nearly $400 million in grant programs. On April 29, 24 states and DC filed suit alleging illegal action by the President, who does not have apparent authority to demolish any agency created and funded by Congress.
The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps engages young adults aged 18 to 26 in community-service projects. The workers are paid small stipends — $1,800 per month in Griffen’s case — and offered education rewards at the end of their service to help repay student loans or pay college tuition or expenses.
Even though the notice said Nache and Griffen would continue to receive their regular living allowances during the administrative hold, what might happen after that ends was distressing. Griffen’s apartment rent is $1,400 per month, and she relies on friends and food-bank contributions when the rest of the stipend can’t cover bills or unexpected expenses.
The email told Griffen she could seek reassignment to another project, and it was up to her to secure an alternate assignment if one was available. She had less than a month to accomplish this.
“I thought of possible jobs I could apply for. But if I missed one rent payment, I would lose the lease. I would be kicked out,” she said. “I don’t have people I could ask for $1,000.”
Nache, 22, lives with three other people and has been able to save a little each month from his stipend. Sometimes he uses his savings to help out friends “who have less flexibility with money. I help when I can.” Recently he relied on his parents to help with car repairs. “I don’t want to be a burden,” he said, referring to his share of the rent and his roommates.
Both have been working with Prescott Unified School District’s Outdoor Learning program and the City of Prescott Park Rangers. Ellen Bashor heads up the two organizations and is the site supervisor for AmeriCorps members.
Nache and Griffen teach a year-round, standards-based outdoor-learning program to every student in the district, kindergarten through sixth grade, Bashor said. They also work with the Nature Niños of Prescott serving 250-300 participants each month.
In addition to educational programs, AmeriCorps members do much of the maintenance in the Community Nature Center and across the city, and participate in events such as the Wildflower Celebration, Granite Creek clean-ups, and the annual Watershed Program for fifth-graders. They also work behind the scenes with grant-writing and fundraising, Bashor added.
When the termination arrived at the beginning of that Monday work day, Bashor said, “They didn’t know if they were getting paid, they had no idea. They just decided they were going to do this no matter what. They were invested in the project and the camping experience for the students.”
Knowing that some students might have this camping experience once in their lifetime, the two decided to volunteer without pay as community supporters, since they were barred from participating as AmeriCorps members. “That to me was so powerful, that they would still be showing up like that,” Bashor said.
Part of what Griffen and Nache teach to students is how to identify edible plants, scat and animal tracks. They set up an animal “crime scene,” where students write about and draw their observations. They provide instruction on how to build a fire and a shelter, how to connect with nature, and how to think and plan with their peers.
Nache said he receives notes from teachers about students who have improved their behavior in the classroom following their outdoor-learning experience. “Kids are so curious and open,” he said.
Griffen concurs. “I think this is the most important work, that we can be helping children learn and think for themselves.” She is looking to return to college next year to pursue a Master’s degree in linguistics. Nache has earned dual credits through Yavapai College while in high school, and will further his studies at the college in science as time and income allow.
The DOGE termination notice affects about 32,000 people nationwide, including young-adult VISTA volunteers as well as those in three AmeriCorps Senior programs. They had to stop their work in education, environmental stewardship, public health and disaster recovery. But perhaps it’s not unexpected that the organization’s funding was on the chopping block. It has had issues with improper payments and incidents of fraud in the past.
The AmeriCorps Office of the Inspector General reported at least a dozen violations of the False Claims Act since 2020. They involve Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, the University of San Francisco, East St. Louis School District 189 in Illinois, husband-wife embezzlers in Hawaii, the Denver Public Schools, the State of Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, and an individual in Puerto Rico convicted of misappropriation of funds. In April 2024 YouthBuild, a large AmeriCorps grantee, did not comply with Federal or AmeriCorps requirements and identified a monetary impact of $6,692,146.
Locally, however, Bashor said her experience with those in administrative positions and the AmeriCorps workers themselves confirm nothing but commitment and professional performance. She mourns the impact of what the cuts mean to local residents and schoolchildren .
“At this point AmeriCorps positions for next year don’t include even one full-time position. We went from four full-time members and up to 16 to 18 part-time members through the year, to not even one,” she said. So after the first email notification and three days before the deadline, a second email to Griffen said she now had until June 5 to find another position; by June 7, her service would be terminated. “Such an early termination from the VISTA program would be for a lack of suitable assignment.” A third email extended the hold yet again, to July 2.
Finally, on June 6 a fourth and final email arrived. A preliminary injunction by the US District Court of Maryland ruled that AmeriCorps must return to service VISTA members serving on the terminated programs as of April 25, 2025, if they are willing and able to return. The order applied to grants in 24 states, including Arizona. The state’s volunteers serve at more than 500 locations, helping in schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans facilities and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations.
