Michelle helps others experience HistoriCorps through a monthly gift. Join her and sign up as a sustaining monthly donor.

I love explaining HistoriCorp to people. As I gush about my experiences, brimming with excitement, folks often start to look confused. “Wait, let me get this straight. For your one-week vacation, when you could do whatever you want, you do…what? You go to Oregon to move heavy logs in the rain? You go to Kentucky in July – really, July? – to work on a roof? For a week?” And I can’t help myself, I just blurt out, “Yeah! It’s awesome!”

Of course, the people who really know me aren’t confused at all. They think about my curiosity and wide range of interests, my excitement about traveling and discovering new places, and above all my passion for learning as an endeavor unto itself. They nod vigorously, mirroring my enthusiasm, and say, “That sounds perfect for you!”

Here’s how it started. I had volunteered for a few archaeology projects in the mid-2000s before adopting my daughter, and I really missed it. In looking for those kinds of experiences in 2018, I came across HistoriCorps, got very excited, and signed up immediately. I just hoped that the part about not needing to have any skills or experience was true! When I got to Kentucky to work on restoring a 19th century building at a Shaker Village, I found out that all was as advertised! The team atmosphere and supportive learning environment was exactly what I was looking for. I learned what mortise and tenon construction is, used chisels and a draw knife for the first time, helped put up scaffolding, painted and installed siding, and became best friends with the speed square. To say I was hooked was an understatement. I did an awesome roofing project the following summer… and then COVID came. 

When it became clear that the pandemic was not going to be just a two-week affair, I was surprised to find myself inordinately worried that HistoriCorps would be one of its casualties. I had only done two projects, and nothing in my life was dependent on the work of this one non-profit, so why was I so concerned? Reflecting on my HistoriCorps experience, I knew that what I had gained could not be reduced to a new set of skills or a new experience. I was beginning to see that historic preservation is a far-reaching and powerful endeavor, and that HistoriCorps truly brings people together.

During these polarized times of red vs blue, HistoriCorps projects operate in solid purple. I made meaningful connections with people very different from me, people whom I never would have met in my everyday life, whose political beliefs were as opposite to mine as they could be. (And, we were surrounded by sharp objects!)

HistoriCorps brings out the best in me, and after my COVID-induced panic, I wanted to make sure that I did what I could to keep this great organization going. I had always made a donation when I registered for a project, but I know that a dependable, steady stream of income, even if small, is important for nonprofits. That’s why I became a monthly donor. 

I love the idea that a little bit from me every month helps people around the country experience HistoriCorps. We enjoy such camaraderie and accomplish so much when we work on HistoriCorps projects together. Let’s keep that feeling of teamwork and accomplishment going all year, with each of us pitching in and contributing as we can.

Michelle Cox works as an administrator at a school focused on experiential learning in Providence, RI. Since first volunteering with HistoriCorps, she has enrolled in a Historic Preservation certificate program. She hopes to use this new knowledge to support communities in low-income historic areas and is especially interested in finding innovative solutions to the housing crisis. She also daydreams about restoring the caretaker’s home at her local cemetery and is making plans for the students at her school to get hands-on opportunities with the historic buildings around them.