Keith Smith’s journey to AmeriCorps began more than 50 years earlier at the height of the Vietnam War. As a 19 year-old, Keith joined the United States Navy and served aboard surface ships directly engaged in combat operations. The experience left an enduring impression on Keith, both in answering the call to serve and in dealing with the memory of war.
In the decades that followed, Keith went on to forge a career in logistics, including leading his own trucking company. After retiring, however, Keith was finally forced to confront the trauma of his time in Vietnam.
Through counseling and access to the veterans benefits available to him, Keith began to find his way back to his sense of self - a journey that accelerated once he found a new sense of purpose. It was in a meeting at the VA with a care provider from the department’s Whole Health initiative that Keith first learned about AmeriCorps. While the mission was new, the call to serve was a familiar feeling.
Beginning in 2022, Keith began his AmeriCorps service through Seniors in Service. The organization connects volunteers, age 55 and over, to meet the needs and challenges of at-risk seniors, veterans and children in the counties in and around Tampa, Florida. Naturally, Keith found a role in the nonprofit’s veterans-focused program, Operation: Veteran Connect.
During his service year, Keith supported veterans in his community with one-to-one help in accessing new VA resources. This included helping veterans access services online through a new digital platform. While some would grow frustrated with the new system, Keith worked patiently with them to ensure they successfully navigated the process.
It was often in conversation with veterans that he would learn of a particular need or gap in service. When multiple veterans told him that they lacked transportation to reach job interviews, Keith found a way to help. The closest bus stop was too far to walk multiple times a day, but close enough - Keith determined - to ride a bike. As a result, he began sourcing available, used bikes that could be donated to each veteran, providing them a hand-up rather than a hand-out.
At a move-in event for veterans at a temporary living facility, Keith also learned that many came with few, if any, items to fill the space of their new homes.
“I found that they had nothing but four walls. I then started getting gently used furniture and beds and televisions to make them comfortable in their new apartments.”
In recognition of his efforts during his service year, Keith was recognized by Volunteer Florida, the state’s service commission, as the Volunteer of the Year. He also found new volunteer opportunities with the Knights of Columbus and his place of worship.
“I developed the skill of asking for help and responding when people ask for help. I did not have the skills to do that before my AmeriCorps service.”
Despite his service year coming to a conclusion, he continues to be a resource for veterans and his community. He still volunteers with Operation: Veteran Connect, finding and delivering furniture to veterans in need.
He also found a new way to show up for his neighbors following Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
The storms caused extensive damage in the communities in and around his hometown. In the days and weeks that followed, with clean up efforts underway, he noticed that the piles of trash and debris only grew larger. In many cases, he found community members were left with broken heavy appliances like washers, dyers, and refrigerators. As a result, the appliances were being taken to community dumpsters, causing overflow or delays on regular trash and debris removal. Realizing the breakdown in the process, Keith took matters into his own hands, leveraging his experience in trucking and deliveries, to find and haul the appliances directly to the recycling center.
For Keith, it’s another mission in a lifetime of service and impact.
“I feel my service has established a lifelong legacy of compassion and service, forever woven into the fabric of the AmeriCorps program.”
About the Service Year Alums Awards
The Service Year Alums Awards recognize outstanding alums across the national service community for their contributions during their service years and beyond. This diverse network is composed of AmeriCorps Alums, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and alums from various service year programs across the country.
In 2025, the Service Year Alums Awards are all about celebrating this life-changing experience, recognizing alums who embraced the lessons, skills, and connections gained during their service year to pursue meaningful careers and positively impact their communities.
