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Year 31 RARE AmeriCorps Program Group Shot

The mission of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions, through the assistance of trained graduate-level members who live and work in communities for 11 months.

The RARE Program received good news on June 6, 2025 that our AmeriCorps grant for the current (2024-25) service year has been reinstated. We are continuing the current service year, through July. However due to the uncertainty of federal funding, we have made the difficult decision to pause the RARE AmeriCorps Program for the next service year. We are exploring what a future version of the program could look like – if you’d like to stay informed and contribute your voice, please fill out this form.

“Just being present in the community as a dedicated servant of the public has a big impact in this small rural area. I have been surprised over and over again that my ‘reputation precedes me’ simply due to the fact that I have chosen to be here and bring my passion and background to the Illinois Valley.” – Erica Mooney, Year 26, Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District

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RARE – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments

Stories from the Field

  • An Early Morning, a Chipped Tooth, and a Million Dollars
    By Kaitlyn Hardwick, Community Development Coordinator, City of Drain On a Wednesday in July, I woke up in a cabin on the McKenzie River. The air was brisk and the sun won’t begin to rise for another hour. I’m sunburned from the previous day, so I try to enjoy the cool air while it lasts. This day will become very important to me, though at this early hour I

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2024-25 RARE AmeriCorps Placements

View Year 31 RARE Communities in a larger map