Do you have a skill, talent, interest, or idea that you would love to share with other people?
NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley is recruiting 6–9 Community Builders in Residence (CBIRs) for a unique AmeriCorps service opportunity in Woonsocket.
The idea behind CBIR is simple: bring something you already know, enjoy, or care about and use it to bring people together.
You don’t need to be a professional teacher, nonprofit employee, or community organizer. You might be a great cook who would love to teach a cooking class. You might garden, make things, organize volunteers, teach fitness, create art, love math, support local businesses, or have an entirely different idea.
As a CBIR, you’ll take the lead on developing regular community programming around your interest while working alongside other Community Builders to create more opportunities for people to meet one another, participate in community life, volunteer, and build stronger connections in Woonsocket.
What could you bring to the CBIR program?
We’re especially interested in finding Community Builders who can bring some of these ideas to life:
- Local Business Champion: Love discovering local businesses and helping other people find them? Create activities that connect residents with Woonsocket’s small businesses and encourage people to shop, eat, spend, and explore locally.
- Neighborhood Green Thumb: Get people into the garden through planting, growing food, workshops, beautification projects, and seasonal activities.
- Cook It with LOVE Catalyst: Use NWBRV’s commercial kitchen incubator to bring people together around food through cooking classes, demonstrations, shared recipes, and other culinary programming.
- Dream It & Make It Yourself Activator: Build, craft, tinker, fix, invent, or make while helping residents learn and create together in the Millrace maker space and other community spaces.
- Wood-Fired Cooking Hotshot: Turn NWBRV’s wood-fired stone oven into a gathering place through pizza making, bread baking, cross-cultural foodways, cooking demonstrations, community meals, and more.
- Fitness and Health Pro: Get people moving together through group fitness, walking clubs, dance, yoga, sports, or another activity you’re excited to lead.
- Community Art & Beauty Instigator: Use visual art, music, performance, crafts, photography, or another creative practice to bring people together through art.
- We Can Do That Together Organizer: Help people find meaningful ways to contribute to their community by connecting residents, businesses, churches, and other groups with volunteer and neighborhood service opportunities.
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Inspirationist: Help make conversations about financial capability, building wealth, investing, entrepreneurship, and financial security engaging and accessible.
- Honored Neighborhood Math Nerd: Show people that math can be fun through origami, Chisanbop, design, patterns, symmetry, math mind-reading, cards, or your own creative ideas.
- Something completely different? These are ideas, not limits. If you have another skill, talent, interest, or experience that could bring people together, we want to hear about it.
What does a Community Builder do?
Each CBIR takes primary responsibility for an identified programming area and develops regular activities around it. Approximately 30 hours each month will be dedicated to developing, promoting, and delivering programming connected to your area.
You’ll own your ideas from planning and outreach through implementation and follow-up, but you won’t be doing it alone. Community Builders receive training, coaching, access to NWBRV spaces and resources, and the support of a cohort of other people doing the same thing.
CBIRs also get out into the community together. You’ll participate in established volunteer opportunities, conduct neighborhood outreach, connect with residents, and contribute to larger Woonsocket activities such as the Downtown Holiday Stroll and Levitt AMP Woonsocket Music Series.
Some evening and weekend service is expected because that’s often when community happens.
A service opportunity designed to fit into your life
CBIR is a 450-hour AmeriCorps commitment, averaging approximately 45 hours per month. The program is intentionally structured so that Community Builders can serve while also working, attending school, or pursuing other personal and professional goals.
You’ll begin with orientation and receive ongoing training in areas such as community outreach, program planning, facilitation, volunteer engagement, event planning, communication, leadership, data management, and conflict resolution.
AmeriCorps volunteers who successfully complete their 450-hour service term receive a $1,956.35 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and may also be eligible for student-loan interest accrual benefits.
Want to live where you serve?
Community Builders also have the option to apply for affordable housing at 120 North East Street in Woonsocket.
Six riverfront loft apartments are available for $625 per month, plus utilities. Housing is optional, separate from AmeriCorps service, and not compensation for service.
The apartments have income and occupancy requirements and are pet-free, smoke-free, and drug-free in accordance with applicable federal funding requirements. Every resident must be an active Community Builder in Residence. Partners are welcome to apply to CBIR together and may share an apartment if both are independently selected for the program.
Who are we looking for?
We’re looking for people who care about building community, enjoy bringing people together, and are excited to take an idea and make it happen.
You don’t necessarily need professional experience in the area you propose. Maybe you’ve taught, coached, mentored, organized, volunteered, made things, led a club, helped your neighbors, or simply spent years doing something you love.
We’re looking for people who can take initiative while also being reliable teammates; who are comfortable welcoming different kinds of people; and who are willing to listen, learn, adapt, and become part of the Woonsocket community.
Most importantly, we’re interested in what you already bring to the table and what could happen if you shared it with others.
Ready to bring your idea to Woonsocket?
Applications are now being accepted for the 2026–2027 Community Builder in Residence AmeriCorps program.
Selected AmeriCorps volunteers must successfully complete required AmeriCorps background checks and professional reference checks. Applicants who choose to pursue optional CBIR housing will also complete the separate screening required for housing.
