Ethelyn Carroll

Ethelyn Carroll

Hero Story
Ethelyn Carroll

Ethelyn Carroll’s love for her community is evident with how she’s devoted her life to serving it.

When she received an email about the neighborhood organization and a recruitment flyer from AmeriCorps, she was interested in how she could further help her neighbors.

“I viewed this as an opportunity to serve my neighborhood,” Ethelyn said. “The residents have a strong sense of community and pride about where they live.”

Ethelyn’s pride in her neighborhood aligns with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program (AMUS)’s goals, which are to reduce crime, make Detroit residents safer in their homes, start and support block clubs, engage the youth, and give resources and information to residents.

AMUS members like Ethelyn go door-to-door to inform residents about how they can sign up for deliveries of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide monitors, deadbolt locks, car clubs, and wheel locks. The best part, though, is that these resources are given to the residents for free, thanks to grant funding.

Throughout this nonprofit work, Ethelyn has started and registered six block clubs within the city of Detroit and currently serves as the president of her neighborhood block club. Her duties include attending events and setting up a resource table, working with state and city officials, keeping contact with police precincts, and setting up both virtual and in-person meetings.

Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethelyn has shifted her focus to spreading valuable information about the virus and increasing the vaccination rate within her community.

In partnership with community pastors, she helped set up two COVID-19 vaccination sites.

Ethelyn also volunteered at the Ford Field vaccination site earlier this year. Her role at the site was to primarily greet patients and make them feel warm and welcomed prior to receiving their vaccination.

“I serve because it is important for my well-being and mental attitude toward life,” said Ethelyn.

She compares volunteering to giving a present–whether that present is her time, valuable information for her community members, or simply chatting with someone about their day.

Regardless of the volunteer work, Ethelyn enjoys giving a part of herself to the community she loves so much.