PODCAST · society
AmeriCorps Connections
by Nicki Fiocco
The AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a space where alumni, members, and partners share how national service shapes careers, communities, and lives. Hosted by AmeriCorps alum Nicki Fiocco, each episode highlights stories of resilience, leadership, and purpose—showing that while service terms may end, the impact and connections continue.Tune in each week on your favorite podcast platform to listen, follow, subscribe, and share. Check it out and be part of the ongoing story of service.Watch the conversation on You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/@americorpsconnectionsFollow AmeriCorps Connections on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/americorpsconnections/
Episodes
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From Goats in the Classroom to Growing Leaders | Destiny Schlinker, FoodCorps
🎙️ AmeriCorps Connections tells the stories of alumni who were changed by national service. Subscribe and share so these stories keep reaching people. What if your leftover Segal Education Award could make you a better teacher in six weeks? Destiny Schlinker served as a FoodCorps AmeriCorps…
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Ep. 117 Saylor Ogle: I Made Myself Brave
Saylor Ogle has done four AmeriCorps terms and counting, and somewhere along the way she became "the Lorax." She speaks for the trees, plants them, mulches them, prunes them, and waters them across Knoxville, Tennessee. In this episode of our Tennessee alumni series, Saylor walks through every…
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Ep. 116 | IT'S NOT A GAP YEAR. IT'S A GROWTH YEAR | Tavon Johnson
🏀 From Coaching Basketball to Building Careers — One Service Year at a Time Tavon Johnson didn't just do one AmeriCorps term. He did three — and each one built directly on the last. 🌟 Starting as a tutor and basketball coach with Great Oaks Charter School, moving into workforce development with...
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Eps. 115 | From AmeriCorps VISTA to Congressional Candidate — Science, Sustainability, and Solving for What Matters
Michaela Barnett: From AmeriCorps VISTA to Congressional Candidate — Science, Sustainability, and Solving for What Matters What does it look like when a service year becomes a launchpad? Michaela Barnett's AmeriCorps VISTA year at University Tennessee (TU) Recycling in Knoxville wasn't something...
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Ep. 114 | Still Getting Things Done in New York City | Eric Ragone & Laura Rog
Eric Ragone & Laura Rog | AmeriCorps Connections What does it look like when your service year doesn't just change your path — it catalyzes everything that comes after? That's the through line in this conversation. Today I am here with Eric Ragone, Major Gifts Officer for the 40 Forward Capital...
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Ep. 113 Shayna Canty: Pennsylvania's Youth Commissioner is Still Getting Things Done
Shayna Canty didn't find AmeriCorps — AmeriCorps found her. 🙌 From a dermatologist who saw something in her she couldn't yet see in herself, to a service year in Scranton that changed everything, Shayna's story is one of those "just say yes" journeys that reminds you why national service…
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Tisha Vonique: The Third Pillar | AmeriCorps Connections
What happens when your AmeriCorps service doesn't just change your career — it unlocks the final piece of who you are? For Tisha Vonique, two terms of national service revealed the third pillar of her identity: health equity. And she hasn't stopped building since. About This Episode Tisha Vonique...
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20 Years Later, His Mural Was Still on the Wall — Rok Locksley's Life in Service
What happens when an artist, a restless servant-leader, and a lifelong learner become the same person? You get Rok Locksley — AmeriCorps NCCC alum (2003), AmeriCorps State & National alum (2023), and two-time Peace Corps volunteer who spent decades painting murals in small-town Texas, building...
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250 & Beyond | Breaking Stigma Is Hard. But It's Worth It | Catherine Hicks
Catherine Hicks came into her AmeriCorps year with 30 years of tech behind her, a master's in public health ahead of her, and a personal connection to the work that made everything matter more. A fresh alum at the time of recording, Catherine served with the National Coalition Against…
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250 & Beyond | The Best Way to See Your Community Is Through Someone Else's Eyes"
She survived a tropical storm, was at AmeriCorps headquarters on 9/11, and once made sure volunteers were fed during the anthrax scare outside a shuttered DC hospital. And she credits all of it to her NCCC service year. Laura Swier Kotelman served in AmeriCorps NCCC in 2001 — a year that turned…
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250 & Beyond | The Work Doesn't Stop" | Libby McClayton
What happens when your AmeriCorps service year never really ends? Libby McClayton did two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Office of the Mayor in Baltimore, then a third year as a State National member with Children's Hunger Alliance in Dayton, Ohio. The through line? Food. And she's still…
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250 & Beyond It's Okay Not to Be Okay" | David Konkler
What does it look like when a veteran heals — and then turns around to help the next one? David Konkler served in the AmeriCorps VETCO program in Tacoma, Washington, supporting veterans transitioning out of military life. But his service didn't stop there. He co-founded Nine Line Veteran…
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250 & Beyond | An Important Stitch in the Fabric of Who We Are" | Najla Munshower
What happens when you spend your life moving — and you bring your commitment to service with you every single time? Najla Munshower served in the AmeriCorps Veteran Leader Corps in 2012-2013 as the spouse of an active duty service member in Washington State. What she built there — coordination...
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250 & Beyond | Selfless, Targeted Service. A Labor of Love." | Shawn Durnen
Shawn Durnen will tell you that national service saved his life. And then he built an organization so it could do the same for others. A veteran and AmeriCorps VETCO alum, Shawn is the founder and CEO of Nine Line Veteran Services — built from the ground up over 15 years. His service year in...
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250 & Beyond | Show Up. Do What You Can. Be Ready to Leave." | Alex Schwartz 👉Happy Earth Day! 🌍🌎🌏
Happy Earth Day! 🌍🌎🌏 Alex Schwartz has a philosophy for volunteering that he picked up from a hospice care essay he read on a spring break service trip in college — and it's stuck with him through every service experience since. Step 1: Show up. Step 2: Do what you can with what you have. Step...
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250 & Beyond | You Should Always Roll the Dice | Rok Locksley
What if volunteering looked like helping someone turn a lifelong dream into a board game? 🎲 Rok Locksley has been living in an Airstream with his family for four years, traveling all 48 states — and everywhere he lands, he brings community with him. Sparked by his AmeriCorps service in Macomb,...
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250 & Beyond | Once You Walk in Redbird Creek, You Always Come Back | Shelbie Simmons
Three years later, she still goes back to volunteer. That's how deep service runs for Shelbie Simmons. Shelbie served as an American Connection Corps Fellow in Clay County, Kentucky — one of the top 25 poorest counties in the US — tackling digital equity, broadband access, and literacy in a place...
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250 & Beyond | Service Is an Open Definition | Shayna Canty
Shayna Canty didn't know what she was doing with her life — and then AmeriCorps happened. Now she's a two-time state service commissioner, a national Youth 250 representative, and one of the most energetic advocates for young people in community engagement you'll ever hear. Based in the Pocono...
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250&Beyond | Service Heals the World | Addie Madchen
What does service look like 25 years after your AmeriCorps year? For Addie Madchen, it never stopped. In this special edition of AmeriCorps Connections — part of our 250&Beyond: Our American Story series — Addie shares what brought her from Connecticut to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and why she never...
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Ep. 99 Serving Delaware — His Next Stop? The US Senate! Christopher Beardsley | Public Allies
From Serving Abroad to Serving Delaware — His Next Stop? The US Senate! | AmeriCorps Connections Podcast 👉We are NOT a political podcast. But when a US Senate candidate shows up who is also an AmeriCorps alum, Peace Corps volunteer, AND a Fulbright Scholar — we open that door WIDE! 🚪…
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Ep. 98 What AmeriCorps Doesn't Tell You with Callie Fishburn | VISTA
What really happens during an AmeriCorps service year? Callie Fishburn did her VISTA year in Bennington, Vermont in the middle of a global pandemic — and came out the other side with lessons nobody prepared her for. She gets real about the financial sacrifice of national service, the hard truth...
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One Year of Service. A Lifetime of Impact. | AmeriCorps Week 2026 Compilation
🎙️ AmeriCorps Week 2026 — A Celebration of Service, Purpose & Impact "AmeriCorps just gave me purpose. It gave me perspective. It gave me passion." - Alex Schwartz (eps. 94) This special AmeriCorps Week 2026 Compilation is a love letter to the 1.3 million AmeriCorps alums who have shown up — for...
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Ep. 96 Any Service Year Works -VISTA with Cali Moore
Cali Moore knew she would serve in AmeriCorps before she ever graduated college. After growing up in a community center staffed by AmeriCorps members, she intentionally chose to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Horton’s Kids in Washington, DC. From there, she became a Segal Fellow at AmeriCorps...
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Ep. 95 Luis Sierra Moncion on City Year: The Service Year That Shaped His Career
In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with Luis Sierra Moncion, a City Year alum whose service year brought him full circle—back to his own high school in Miami. Luis shares how his City Year experience helped cement his identity as a community member,...
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Ep. 94 Alex Schwartz: From Service Member to Supporting the People Who Serve
What happens when you say yes to service — and keep saying yes? In this powerful and deeply human episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with Alex Schwartz, an AmeriCorps alum whose journey spans nearly every corner of national service: AmeriCorps NCCC, State &...
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Ep. 93 This Is What Service Looks Like at 73: Inside AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP
What does service look like after retirement—and why is it more important than ever? In this powerful episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with Sarah, an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Program Manager in Minnesota, and Carolyn, a 73-year-old AmeriCorps Seniors...
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Ep. 92 You Don’t Realize It Until Later: An NCCC Story Zach Steaple
In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with AmeriCorps NCCC alum Zach Steaple (Class 23A) to talk about the kind of service you can’t unsee — and how those experiences quietly reshape who you become. Zach shares how a gray AmeriCorps sweatshirt from his...
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Ep. 91 AmeriCorps at Risk: Disaster Response, Funding & The Path Forward - Philip Kolling
🎧 Podcast Platform Description (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) Episode 91: National Service Advocacy & the Power of AmeriCorps — with Phil Kolling In this episode, Nicki Fiocco talks with Phil Kolling, Executive Director of Serve Vermont, about the enduring impact of national service — from...
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Ep. 90 Service After Success: Finding Purpose Through AmeriCorps Seniors Gina Ottrando
🎙️ AmeriCorps Connections Podcast: AmeriCorps Seniors Voices — Featuring Gina Ottrando In this special episode, host Nicki Fiocco kicks off the AmeriCorps Seniors Voices Series — celebrating those who continue to serve after their professional careers have ended. Today’s guest, Gina Ottrando of...
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Ep. 89 Finding Purpose Through AmeriCorps with Willie Brooks
From FEMA Corps deployments after Superstorm Sandy to leading AmeriCorps teams and serving as Program Manager for Serve Indiana. Willie Brooks has lived the full spectrum of national service. In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, Willie shares how his three terms of service…
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Ep 88. Find Your Piece of It | Denise Fowler on the Power of AmeriCorps
✨ AmeriCorps Connections Podcast | Episode #86 – Denise Fowler ✨ What happens when a confused college student searching for direction finds herself in the room where AmeriCorps was first unveiled? For Denise Fowler, that moment changed everything. In this powerful conversation, Denise reflects on...
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Ep. 87 | Still Work to Do | Sneha Gandhi - 2025 AC Recruitment Series
Still Work to Do” — Sneha Gandhi on Service, Identity & Purpose | AmeriCorps Connections Podcast 📌 This episode is part of our 2025 Recruitment Series. BayAC is currently recruiting AmeriCorps members to serve youth in San Francisco and the East Bay! 👉 Learn more: https://www.bayac.org/ In this...
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Ep. 86 | We Are the Vessels with Jordan Snipes
🎙️ We Are the Vessels: Jordan Snipes on Youth Leadership, Service, and Fighting for AmeriCorps In this powerful and heartfelt episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with Jordan Snipes—a dynamic South Carolina native whose national service journey took him from...
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Eps. 85: From AmeriCorps to Advocacy: Alex Tran on Identity, Resilience & Building Community
In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, we reconnect with Alex Tran, a dedicated AmeriCorps alum who has fearlessly served multiple terms in various capacities across the country. Alex returns to discuss the turmoil and uncertainty facing AmeriCorps amidst funding cuts and the...
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Ep. 84 Kate Morton on Serving with Heart—and Leading with Purpose
🎧 Kate Morton: From AmeriCorps to Presidential Leadership AmeriCorps Connections Podcast | Episode Title: “Purpose Finds You” In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco reconnects with Kate Morton, an NCCC alum and fan-favorite from Episode 5 (March 2023). Now a…
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Ep. 83 AmeriCorps on the Line: What’s Happening & What We Can Do
📢 This is not your average AmeriCorps Connections episode. We're issuing an urgent call to action. On April 22, 2025, AmeriCorps Connections host Nicki Fiocco sat down with national service leaders Maureen Eccleston (Service Year Alliance) and Chad Driscoll (America’s Service Commissions) to...
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EP 82: From AmeriCorps Service to National Movement Leader: J.R. Jamison's Inspiring Journey
From AmeriCorps Service to National Movement Leader: J.R. Jamison's Inspiring Journey In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, we delve into an illuminating conversation with J.R. Jamison, an AmeriCorps alum whose year of service in 2001 with the Indiana Reading Corps shaped his...
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Eps 81: From Service Year to Global Impact | AmeriCorps Connections Podcast with Sarah Middleton
In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, we sit down with Sarah Middleton, a passionate social impact leader whose AmeriCorps service year in 2001 sparked a lifelong journey in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and corporate volunteerism. Sarah shares how a single year of service...
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EP 80: From NCCC to Law School – A Journey of Service with Griff Ryan Roberts
In this episode of AmeriCorps Connections, we sit down with Griff Ryan Roberts, an AmeriCorps NCCC, NCCC Leader & VISTA alum, who’s now in his final year of law school. Griff shares the honest, often humorous, and deeply impactful story of how a surprise call from Vinton, Iowa changed his life...
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A Legend in Service | Bill Basl
🚀 New Episode! The Legacy & Future of AmeriCorps with Bill Basl 🎙️ Join us for an incredible conversation with AmeriCorps legend Bill Basl, a VISTA alum from 1970 and a pioneer of national service. Bill has shaped service programs at every level—from founding the Washington Service Corps &...
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🌍 From AmeriCorps to Global Change: How Service Transformed Dimer’s Life & Community 🌱🎙️
🌍 From AmeriCorps to Global Change: How Service Transformed Dimer’s Life & Community 🌱🎙️ 📢 In This Episode: We’re wrapping up our special series with IPSL Global Engagement by diving into an inspiring conversation with Dimer Castro, a three-time AmeriCorps alum who has turned his passion for...
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Where is Your Ithaca? Muses with Zandy Gordon | IPSL Alumni
🎙️ AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a platform dedicated to sharing the transformative journeys of AmeriCorps alumni and service-driven changemakers. Through inspiring interviews, we explore how national service shapes careers, builds community impact, and fosters leadership. Whether you're an...
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From Local Service to Global Learning: Paige's Inspiring Story
🎙️ AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a platform dedicated to sharing the transformative journeys of AmeriCorps alumni and service-driven changemakers. Through inspiring interviews, we explore how national service shapes careers, builds community impact, and fosters leadership. Whether you're an...
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🌍 T. Jamal Lee - Strategic and Intentional Service 🌍
🎙️ AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a platform dedicated to sharing the transformative journeys of AmeriCorps alumni and service-driven changemakers. Through inspiring interviews, we explore how national service shapes careers, builds community impact, and fosters leadership. Whether you're an...
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2024 in Review Part 2! - Service, Growth & Impact
🎙️ 2024 End-of-Year Highlights Part 2! Growth, Connection, and Impact 🌟 In this special year-end reflection, the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast looks back at a year of powerful stories, impactful service, and transformative growth. Throughout 2024, we celebrated the voices of AmeriCorps alumni...
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Best of 2024 AmeriCorps Connections Podcast | Part 1
🎙️ 2024 End-of-Year Highlights: Growth, Connection, and Impact 🌟 In this special year-end episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, we reflect on the transformative power of national service through the stories of inspiring alumni. Despite their diverse experiences, shared themes of…
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Nisah Abdul Sabur | If You Are Going to Bet, Bet on Yourself | Dual Service AmeriCorps & Peace Corps
Join us in this illuminating episode of AmeriCorps Connections as we dive deep into the transformative journey of Nisa Abdul Sabur. From her early introduction to volunteerism through the Girl Scouts and church community service to her impactful roles in AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, Nisa shares…
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Nicki | In Service Training for VISTA 2024 | Service Will Heal Us!
Nicki stepped out from behind the camera and got on stage with AmeriCorps VISTA members in Chicago, USA. 🤠 Remember it's NOT the challenges that define you, but how you respond to them. It is your resilience and commitment to “GET THINGS DONE” In the AmeriCorps Pledge we agreed “TO MAKE OUR…
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Antonio Mendez | Give me 2 Years and I Will Give You a CAREER! | Dual Service AmeriCorps Peace Corps
AmeriCorps Connections: From Teach for America to Peace Corps with Antonio In this episode of AmeriCorps Connections, we have a fascinating conversation with Antonio Mendez, an AmeriCorps alum who has transitioned from being a Teach for America member to serving as the Country Director for Mexico...
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Now or Never - Service as a Launching Pad with Sadie Botine | Dual Service Member
Connecting Through Service: AmeriCorps and Peace Corps Journeys In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections podcast, hosted by Nicki Fiocco, we explore the inspiring story of Sadie Botin, a dual service member who has served both in AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. Sadie shares her journey from...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a space where alumni, members, and partners share how national service shapes careers, communities, and lives. Hosted by AmeriCorps alum Nicki Fiocco, each episode highlights stories of resilience, leadership, and purpose—showing that while service terms may end, the impact and connections continue.Tune in each week on your favorite podcast platform to listen, follow, subscribe, and share. Check it out and be part of the ongoing story of service.Watch the conversation on You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/@americorpsconnectionsFollow AmeriCorps Connections on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/americorpsconnections/
HOSTED BY
Nicki Fiocco
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does AmeriCorps Connections have?
AmeriCorps Connections currently has 117 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is AmeriCorps Connections about?
The AmeriCorps Connections Podcast is a space where alumni, members, and partners share how national service shapes careers, communities, and lives. Hosted by AmeriCorps alum Nicki Fiocco, each episode highlights stories of resilience, leadership, and purpose—showing that while service terms may...
How often does AmeriCorps Connections release new episodes?
AmeriCorps Connections publishes regularly with 117 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to AmeriCorps Connections?
You can listen to AmeriCorps Connections on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts AmeriCorps Connections?
AmeriCorps Connections is created and hosted by Nicki Fiocco.
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