Eight AmeriCorps volunteers begin year with Better Together
Better Together, a collaborative movement supporting youth in Central Oregon, announces eight new AmeriCorps VISTAs starting their year of full-time volunteer service to build capacity and systems to increase youth and student success in Central Oregon.
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is a national service program that has been working to alleviate poverty in America since 1965. The program’s nationwide corps of VISTA members serve full-time for a year at nonprofit organizations and local government agencies to build the capacity of these organizations to carry out programs that fight poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA members recruit and manage community volunteers, raise funds, and help manage projects.
Since its inception, more than 200,000 individuals have served with AmeriCorps VISTA. Annually, more than 8,000 members made a difference at over 3,000 sites across the country.
“The mission of AmeriCorps VISTA is to strengthen organizations that alleviate poverty through volunteering and the mobilization of resources. AmeriCorps VISTAs serving in Central Oregon improves the lives of youth and increases positive outcomes for our community” Says Better Together Project Coordinator Shelley Irwin.
Community Partners receiving full year AmeriCorps VISTAs resources from the Better Together VISTA project for 2017-18 include: Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Oregon, Central Oregon STEM Hub, Family Resource Center, and Jefferson County Kids Club. In addition, Summer VISTA Associates just completed 10 weeks serving at OSU Open Campus, Camp Fire of Central Oregon, Kids Club of Jefferson County, Boys and Girls Club of Bend, After School Buddies and REACH Redmond.
Joe McHaney, Executive Director of the Kids Club of Jefferson County, says of his VISTA project, now in its second year, “The Better Together VISTA project has enabled us to expand programming to create the first middle school youth serving program in Madras, which now engages over 45 youth every day after school!”
About AmeriCorps VISTA: AmeriCorps VISTA is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service. For more information, visit AmeriCorps.gov/VISTA.
About Better Together Central Oregon: Better Together Central Oregon actively works to improve the educational outcomes and well-being of young people through regional, cross-sector alignment. To learn more, visit BetterTogetherCentralOregon.org.
