This summer, Cassi Creason worked with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) as an AmeriCorps Individual Placement Member through WisCorps. Cassi impressed the sisters with her draft climate action plan based on Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ Encyclical, and they will be working on revisions and implementation soon. She also led a letter-to-the-editor writing project with other local Non-Profit Organizations to organize collaborative advocacy efforts.
Cassi led the sisters through a 4-month education program, 'FSPA Go Green'. The training was based on the Bright Action platform, where the City of La Crosse is hosting its Carbon Free Challenge. Many of the sisters do not use smartphones, so she worked with Bright Action to create lesson plans, covering one action category each month. These lessons led to lively discussions about how to act on climate change. One example is putting up posters on what materials are not recyclable.
The sisters are also considering installing rain gardens on their property and organizing visits from US Representative candidates. FSPA has a garden and greenhouse on St. Joseph's Ridge where they source organic produce for their meals. They collect their food scraps for compost, which is then used to fertilize the garden. Cassi worked closely with cartographer Molly Burhans on a StoryMap of FSPA's land on St. Joseph Ridge. She also hosted site visits, researched archival information, and wrote much of the content for this StoryMap.
Cassi nearly lost her position in April due to Federal funding cuts, and there was a lot of confusion about whether the program would continue. Thanks to Wisconsin's involvement in a class action suit and efforts from WisCorps and the FSPA, Cassi and FSPA's other AmeriCorps member were able to complete their terms.
While her term ended in August, she intends to stick around La Crosse and continue to incorporate sustainability into her future career, volunteering with the Sisters in the gardens when she can.