ASTAR
Earn money for your college education while gaining valuable job experience through community service
Are you a current student?
Use the opportunity for internship credit.
Graduating soon?
Full and part-time positions are also available.
Welcome to ASTAR AmeriCorps
Welcome to the ASTAR AmeriCorps program at Frostburg State University. For more than 31 years, ASTAR has been dedicated to strengthening communities across Maryland—especially in rural Western Maryland—through meaningful service, capacity building, and strong partnerships. Whether you are a student or a community member, ASTAR offers the opportunity to make a real impact while developing skills, experience, and a lifelong commitment to service.
About ASTAR AmeriCorps
What is ASTAR?
ASTAR (Appalachian Service Through Action and Resources) is a Maryland AmeriCorps program focused on providing direct, substantive services to meet community needs. ASTAR partners with agencies statewide to enhance their capacity through AmeriCorps members who support activities such as educational programming, field trips, campus outreach, health and wellness initiatives, drug awareness education, senior programming, food pantries, and community gardens.
The ASTAR program is managed through a partnership with Frostburg State University, the University System of Maryland - Hagerstown, the Maryland Governor's Office of Service and Volunteerism / Department of Service and Civic Innovation, and AmeriCorps. Today, ASTAR works with more than 30 partner sites across Maryland.
ASTAR’s Legacy
Founded in 1994, ASTAR is one of Maryland’s longest-standing AmeriCorps programs. Over the past three decades, ASTAR has secured consistent funding and deployed more than 2,000 AmeriCorps members to address critical community needs.
As ASTAR celebrates its 30th anniversary, it continues to expand its statewide presence with a strong emphasis on capacity building—particularly in rural communities where support is most needed.
What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service, offering Americans from all backgrounds the opportunity to serve their country, strengthen communities, and help solve pressing local and national challenges.
In Maryland last year, over 5,000 individuals served across more than 600 locations—including schools, food banks, shelters, clinics, youth programs, veterans’ services, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. AmeriCorps invested over $17.6 million in federal funding and helped generate an additional $7.7 million in private and public resources to support community solutions statewide.
Serving with the ASTAR AmeriCorps Program?
ASTAR welcomes both students and community members—membership is not limited to FSU students. To be eligible to serve, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold a GED or high school diploma (or equivalent)
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
- Successfully pass a multi-point criminal history check
Recruitment Timeline
- Recruitment opens each April for the upcoming service year (typically beginning around August 15, pending funding approval).
- Positions remain open until all available roles are filled.
Individuals who join ASTAR contribute to meaningful service projects, build workforce and leadership skills, support organizational capacity, and earn an education award upon completing their term of service.
Twenty-five site partnerships in the four-county region of Western Maryland sponsor AmeriCorps positions. To learn more about ASTAR, please contact Lisa Clark, ASTAR Director, at (301) 697-3359.
