April, 2019
The AmeriCorps Utah Member of the Month for April is Maria Soriano! Each month, one AmeriCorps member in Utah is recognized for their commitment to the pledge they took to “Get Things Done.” Maria is currently serving in the AmeriCorps Most Vulnerable Populations Program in Salt Lake City. Members in this program help the homeless obtain housing, provide assistance to the formerly homeless, and connect them to other mainstream services to increase self-sufficiency. Learn more about AmeriCorps programs in Utah here!
Maria serves at The Road Home Homeless Shelter on Rio Grande Street. Without fail Maria has attended every meeting and event held with our AmeriCorps MVP program. Maria is such a pleasure to work with and always one of the first to volunteer when requested to participate for something needed.
JaNea Raines, Program Coordinator, Salt Lake County, Housing and Community Development
The Road Home has been lucky to have such a dedicated, bright, and empathetic AmeriCorps member. Maria fills a much needed gap in our team’s capacity in helping the entire community access the resources at the Deseret Industries and Bishop Storehouse from our grant with the LDS Church. Her service ensures individuals, families, and Veterans moving out of homelessness and back into homes have a bed to sleep on, essential furniture items, and food to fill up their pantries. She interacts with clients in a trauma informed manner and we have had many clients share how appreciative they are of her demeanor and assistance. Her ability to manage the funds, tracking, and maintenance of our gran is also invaluable to our team.
Kevin Austin, AmeriCorps Host Site Supervisor, The Road Home Shelter.