e

pacity • ove

ming poverty 

g capacity • overcoming pov

erty • building capacity • overc

overty • building capacity • overcoming povert

apacity • overcoming poverty • building capac

overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • b

erty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacit

ng capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • buil

g poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming povert

apacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty 

ng capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • overcoming poverty • 

ing capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • bui

acity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • ove

rty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building c

ng poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming po

y • overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming pov

rcoming poverty • building capacity • overcoming poverty • building ca

ding capacity • overcoming poverty • building capacity • o

overcoming poverty • building capacity • overcom

apacity • overcoming poverty • building capac

building capacity • overcoming pov

verty • building capacity • o

g poverty • buildin

overcom

pa

Overcoming Poverty

 Building Capacity

Overcoming 

Poverty

Building 

Capacity
1201 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20525 

202-606-5000 (TTY 202-606-3472) www.nationalservice.gov

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement 

through service and volunteering. Each year we engage four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds through the 

Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit nationalservice.gov.

October 2008 

Upon request this material will be made available in alternative forms for people with disabilities.
vista Overcoming Poverty Table of Contents iii

Message From Director of AmeriCorps VISTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

VISTA Core Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

National Statistics for 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

State Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Arkansas: Healthier Lives, Healthier Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

California: Energy Savers: Reducing Energy Costs in Low-Income Neighborhoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

District of Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Illinois: Legal Aid to Those in Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Indiana: Making a Difference, One Scholar at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Kentucky: “A Powerful Voice in a Child’s Life” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Massachusetts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Table of Contents
Table of Contents, continued

Iv Table of Contents vista Building Capacity

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Ohio: Growing Program Grows Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Oklahoma: Getting a Second Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Oregon: Early College Fulfills Dreams for Native American Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Pennsylvania: Collaborative Project Supports Children and Families to Crack the Cycle of Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Rhode Island: Volunteers Do It All at Free Health Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

VISTA by the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Corporation State Program Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
vista Overcoming Poverty 

Message From Director of AmeriCorps VISTA

Every day, throughout our nation, dedicated men and women are making a positive impact on the lives of 

poor Americans through VISTA, Volunteers In Service To America. 

Our nationwide corps of VISTAs, nearly 7,000 strong, brings the skills and the passion to low-income 

communities that are committed to their own development and to building prosperity. Their partners are 

nonprofit, grassroots organizations and local government agencies—the mainstay of the anti-poverty 

mission of AmeriCorps VISTA. 

Locally managed and locally focused, community organizations provide the impetus and customized 

service that empower local impoverished communities. The VISTA program recognizes the critical role of 

these organizations. It offers VISTAs as a resource to the organizations to build their capacity to carry out 

programs that fight poverty.

In this book, we point with pride to the record of our VISTAs and their projects to alleviate poverty 

and, as a result, change lives in tangible, meaningful, and sustainable ways.

In this 43rd year of helping America’s most vulnerable citizens, VISTAs served with nearly 1,000 local 

projects, generated $172 million in cash and in-kind resources for their projects, and mobilized nearly 

611,000 community volunteers, an average of 110 volunteers per VISTA.

The profiles of the projects in this book only begin to illustrate the successes realized by VISTAs in 

hundreds of schools, senior citizen programs, hospitals, prisons, shelters for homeless people, 

community organizations, and public agencies—wherever there is a need and a VISTA-affiliated project 

to address that need. 

The book presents profiles of 52 VISTA projects—one for each state, the District of Columbia, and 

Puerto Rico. Among the profiles are ten feature-length stories. The diversity of these projects 

demonstrates the determination of the VISTA program to meet the wide variety of needs of youth, 

families, and communities affected by poverty. We hope documenting their activities will promote an 

exchange of ideas and information, leverage technical and financial resources, and encourage 

partnerships, collaboration, and coordination among VISTA project sponsors. 

I invite you to read about these projects and VISTAs’ work with them. Their compelling efforts make 

strong contributions in the best way they can, and we are proud to showcase them.

VISTA is a national service of choice. We welcome you to join us and fight poverty with passion. 

Jean Whaley

Director, AmeriCorps VISTA

 Message from Director of Americorps VISTA 1
2 VISTA Core Principles vista Building Capacity

Core Principles

Anti-Poverty Focus: VISTA supports community 

efforts to overcome poverty. Any nonprofit organization, 

educational institution, or tribal or public agency with a 

project explicitly designed to alleviate poverty may 

sponsor a VISTA. 

Community Empowerment: VISTA values the 

inherent strengths and resources of the community. 

VISTA expects project sponsors to involve residents of the 

community in planning, developing, and implementing 

the VISTA project. This approach allows low-income 

individuals the freedom to speak for themselves in 

determining the projects that suit their specific needs.

Capacity Building: VISTA expands the ability of 

sponsor organizations to fight poverty. Rather than 

providing services to low-income individuals and 

communities, VISTAs strengthen and support 

organizations by building infrastructure, expanding 

community partnerships, securing long-term resources, 

coordinating training for participants, and much more. 

Sustainable Solutions: VISTAs serve as a short-term 

resource to help sponsor organizations achieve lasting 

solutions to poverty.
vista Overcoming Poverty VISTA National Statistics for 2007 3

National Statistics for 2007

VISTAs 6,852

Hours served by VISTAs 11.4 million

VISTA projects 943

Community volunteers mobilized 610,785

Community volunteers mobilized per VISTA 110

Hours served by community volunteers 7.4 million

Value of cash and in-kind resources raised $172 million

Cash and in-kind resources raised per VISTA $25,000

Annual Budget

Fiscal year 2008 $93.80 million

Fiscal year 2007 $95.46 million

Fiscal year 2006 $95.46 million

Fiscal year 2005 $94.24 million

Fiscal year 2004 $93.73 million
4 Alabama vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 114

Projects: 19 

Project Sponsors:

Alabama Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and 

Community Initiatives (2 VISTA projects)

Alabama A & M University Community 

Development Corporation

Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs

Black Belt & Central Alabama Housing Authority

Calhoun County Commission

CHASM Family Resource Center

Habitat for Humanity International

Innovative Approach

Lauderdale Children’s Policy Council

Legal Services of Alabama

Mobile Baykeeper

New Beginnings Foundation

Samford University

The Volunteer Center of Madison County

Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural 

Center

United Way of Central Alabama

University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Volunteer Mobile Inc.

VISTA in Alabama 

Inside a pitch-black room, 15 preschoolers at the University Place Elementary School in Tuscaloosa sit 

patiently waiting to have their picture taken. The only light visible in the room is the flickering red dot on 

the camera. The specialized camera takes photos of the children’s eyes. 

According to the American Optometric Association, 14 percent of children younger than aged six are likely 

not to have had an eye and vision examination. According to local research, thousands of Alabama’s 

children grow up in rural areas of the state, distant from any provider of eye care service, often with no 

means of transportation to obtain needed eye care. 

In keeping with its mission, FocusFirst, a signature initiative of Impact, engages undergraduate and 

graduate students who strive to ensure children, aged six months to five years, are screened for vision 

problems and receive appropriate examination, diagnosis, and treatment in Head Start organizations and 

day care facilities for low-income families. 

VISTAs help establish the initiative’s sustainability throughout Alabama. Eight of the 14 partnering 

campuses that have student volunteering incorporate screenings into their curricula. During the 2007–2008 

project years, VISTAs will collaborate with professors and administrators at the remaining six schools to 

implement service-learning courses, reaching out to new students.

Since the inception of FocusFirst, more than 600 students at 14 colleges and universities have helped 

provide vision screenings for more than 20,000 children in more than 50 counties throughout Alabama. 

Nearly 10.6 percent of children failed the vision screenings and were referred to the project’s partner 

organization, Sight Savers of Alabama, for follow-up care.

Featured Project: Impact: An Alabama Student Service Initiative

Location: Jefferson and Tuscaloosa Counties

Project Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Project Issue Area: Health care

VISTAs: 6

Alabama
vista Overcoming Poverty Alaska 5

No. of VISTAs: 64

Projects: 18 

Project Sponsors: 

Adult Learning Programs of Alaska, Inc.

Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice

Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual 

Assault

Association of Village Council Presidents

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Anchorage

Chugach Regional Resources Commission

Fairbanks North Star Borough

Habitat for Humanities Alaska

Juneau-Douglas High School CHOICE Program

Ketchikan Gateway Borough Schools

Ketchikan Youth Initiatives

Municipality of Anchorage

Older Persons Action Group

Rural Alaska Community Action Program

Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug 

Dependence, Juneau Affiliate

University of Alaska – Anchorage

VISTA in Alaska

The CHOICE Program (Choosing Healthy Options in Cooperative Education) focuses on improving the 

academic achievement of the 100 at-risk high school students in the program. VISTAs help the students 

develop a sense of belonging and ownership within CHOICE, the high school, and the community at large. 

VISTAs not only involve CHOICE students in the community, they also involve the community in the 

education and learning of the students.

VISTA Jenifer Knaggs recruited 42 community members to provide internships in state and local 

government offices, agencies, and local businesses. In conjunction with the National Council on Alcohol 

and Drug Dependency, Knaggs helped facilitate three Alaska Teen Institute retreats. She also organized 

and coordinated the Beyond School program, in which six community volunteers teach small groups of 

high school freshmen a hands-on, real-life skill, such as native Tlingit carving; writing and producing 

radio public service announcements about healthy choices, including not smoking; creating short video 

biographies of tribal elders; and creating visual promotions of healthy choices within the school.

Knaggs actively pursues retention of all placements at the 42 community internships. In a small 

community such as Juneau, retention of internships is no small feat. Students report positive experiences 

at their internships and their hosts report strong student performance. Proud of their accomplishments, 

students have become more involved in their community.

Featured Project: JDHS CHOICE 

Location: Juneau

Project Sponsor: Juneau-Douglas High School

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 1

Alaska
6 Arizona vista Building Capacity

Featured Project: School-Based Volunteer Development Project 

Location: Tucson

Project Sponsor: Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 5

No. of VISTAs: 95

Projects: 19

Project Sponsors:

Arizona State University

Arizonans for Children, Inc.

Arts for All, Inc.

Camp Fire USA Greater Arizona Council

Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona

City of Phoenix

International Rescue Committee, Phoenix

International Rescue Committee, Tucson

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest

Mesa Community Action Network, Inc.

National Farm Workers Service Center, Inc.

National Society for American Indian Elderly

Prescott College

Southwest Youth Corps

The Primavera Foundation, Inc.

Valley of the Sun Habitat for Humanity

Volunteer Center of Maricopa County

Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona

Youth Count

VISTA in Arizona

According to the latest Kids Count report, Arizona ranks a dismal 41st in the nation on key indicators of 

child well-being. For example, 48 percent of fourth graders scored below the basic reading level. Children 

learn to read from kindergarten through third grade. From fourth grade on, they read to learn. If they 

cannot read well by then, they cannot learn.

Over the past two years, VISTAs have worked in collaboration to build volunteer programs at pilot schools, 

which will eventually be replicated across districts. Their work involves leveraging community volunteers 

and Experience Corps members to become tutors and mentors in before-, during-, and after-school 

programs at these schools to improve the academic skills of the students, particularly in reading. To build 

the sustainability of the programs, the VISTAs have also worked to develop important volunteer 

management policies and procedures, such as a volunteer handbook, volunteer coordinator manual, and a 

recruitment packet. 

VISTAs leveraged 170 community literacy volunteers, created a Volunteer Literacy Tutor Resource Manual, 

designed 25 literacy-tutoring units, developed measurement tools to measure student performance and 

tutor satisfaction, and produced a volunteer handbook. Through these efforts, students made progress in 

reading, and tutors were better trained to serve their students.

Arizona
vista Overcoming Poverty Arkansas 7

No. of VISTAs: 142

Projects: 16

Project Sponsors: 

Arkansas Land and Farm Development 

Corporation

Arkansas Public Policy Panel

Arkansas State CASA Association

Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind, Inc.

Audubon Arkansas

Black Community Developers, Inc.

Future Builders, Inc.

Literacy Council of Jefferson County

North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education

Our House, Inc

Seniors In Poverty – Greater Texarkana (2 VISTA 

projects)

South Arkansas Regional Health Center, Inc.

St. Francis County Community Development 

Corporation

The Learning Center, Inc. of North Little Rock

The Stand Foundation

VISTA in Arkansas 

Healthier Lives, Healthier Communities

Research across the globe indicates that when adults live healthy lives they can expect to maintain 

employment, experience job advancement, and lead more productive lives. In northern Arkansas, thanks 

to the efforts of the VISTAs at the North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education (NAPHE), a nonprofit 

organization dedicated to professional and community health education, adults and children across the 

state are leading healthier lifestyles to improve their quality of life, their self-esteem, and their ability to 

escape poverty.

VISTA Elaine Fulton-Jones has seen results firsthand through her endeavor to connect a low-income family 

whose son badly needed diabetes medication to services. “The teen was really sick and his father had no 

way to pay for the insulin and other medications needed. It was a critical situation for this youth,” 

explained Fulton-Jones, who serves as a health community advocate in NAPHE’s Community Health 

Resource Center. By establishing partnerships to connect them to community resources, including 

prescription assistance, Fulton-Jones knows she made a positive impact on the boy’s health and his family’s 

financial stability.

A regional coalition that includes 60 participant organizations, NAPHE’s 19 VISTAs act in critical capacities 

to develop programs to increase awareness and access to health and wellness resources for thousands of 

rural Arkansans. 

Dolly Garrison, in her second year as a VISTA at NAPHE, helps clients receive free medication and medical 

equipment, as well as access housing, transportation, and education services. “I have launched parenting 

classes, established a network of community health advocates, organized workshops for low-income 

people on how to apply for an IDA and the Career Pathways program at North Arkansas College,” Garrison 

said. IDAs (Individual Development Accounts) are special matched savings accounts designed to help those 

of modest means establish a pattern of regular of savings and, ultimately, purchase a productive asset. 

Savings and match money may be used toward the purchase of a home, to start a small business, or to 

pursue further education.

Featured Project: North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education 

Location: Harrison

Project Sponsor: North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education

Project Issue Areas: Health education, job development, asset development

VISTAs: 19

Arkansas
8 Arkansas vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Arkansas (continued)

VISTAs market NAPHE’s array of programs, find resources, and build partnerships to support tobacco 

education and cessation, nursing assistant programs, and scholarship programs for low-income residents 

to gain the training, education, and support necessary to obtain employment in the health care field.

With the VISTAs’ efforts, NAPHE and the communities it serves have seen tremendous results. VISTAs 

implemented a prescription drug assistance program that saved residents more than $1.2 million in costly 

bills. VISTAs provided more than 300 programs on aging to more than 4,000 seniors across the region. VISTAs 

helped more than 1,100 people gain certification as nursing assistants and helped them find meaningful 

employment at a 98 percent placement rate. They also created a tobacco cessation program that resulted in 

900 adults completing the program with a 25 percent one-year quit rate and a tobacco education program 

that, in only three years, resulted in a 30 percent decrease among children aged 13 and under who smoke. 

 “In fiscal year 2007 alone, the VISTA team recruited 2,009 volunteers who provided 16,000 service hours,” 

said Dr. Rick Hinterthuer, NAPHE’s executive director and VISTA supervisor. “VISTA ‘power’ gives us the 

VISTAs Tawana Manning and 

Holly Gilllies (left to right) promote an

 array of community health education

 programs offered by the North Arkansas

 Partnership for Health Education.
vista Overcoming Poverty Arkansas 9

VISTA in Arkansas (continued) time, human resources, and the creative energy we need to develop our potential to be a national model 

for how rural communities can collectively address their health issues and provide more effective outreach 

to its citizens.” 

VISTA Tawana Manning has seen plenty of seniors’ lives change through her facilitation of NAPHE’s 

chronic pain support group. Through a partnership between NAPHE and the Area Agency on Aging, she 

recently became a Master Trainer [leader of trainers] through the Chronic Disease Self-Management 

Program at Stanford University. “This program gave me the skills to educate local seniors on self-managing 

their chronic pain and keep them active in their lives,” stated Manning. “Education is a key factor for 

alleviating poverty.” 

The rewards for the VISTAs serving at NAPHE are also great. Garrison has learned “you can make a 

difference in the outcome of individuals’ lives by reaching out to them, treating them with dignity, and 

really showing you sincerely care about them.” 

VISTA Fulton-Jones, a recent retiree from Florida, agreed. “My experience as a VISTA volunteer has been 

positive all the way. Many of the people we reach have little to no available resources for this kind of help. 

People walk through our doors or call when they don’t know where to turn. We make every effort to get 

them the help they need.”

Elaine Fulton-Jones, a VISTA and retired 

public information officer, facilitates a 

healthy lifestyle course that aims to help 

Arkansans in the rural area of the Ozarks 

live longer, better, and healthier lives by 

reducing the burden of diabetes, 

overweight, obesity and asthma, and 

addressing three related risk factors—

physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and 

tobacco use.
10 California vista Building Capacity

Featured Project: Solar and Energy Efficiency Program 

Location: San Francisco

Project Sponsor: GRID Alternatives

Project Issue Areas: Housing, energy efficiency

VISTAs: 2

No. of VISTAs: 629

Projects: 72

Project Sponsors:

ACCION San Diego

AnewAmerica Community Corporation

Apple Valley Unified School District (2 VISTA 

projects)

Aquatic Adventures Science Education 

Foundation

ARTScorpsLA

Bay Area Community Resources 

Bureau of Land Management

California Farm Link

California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc.

California State University Bakersfield

California State University, Fresno Foundation

CaliforniaVolunteers

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters

Children and Families Commission of Orange 

County

Children Youth and Family Collaborative

CIF of the San Francisco Foundation

City of Dinuba Fire Department

City of San Jose

City of Selma

Coalition of Homeless Service Providers

Colette’s Children’s Home

Energy Savers: Reducing Energy Costs in Low-Income 

Neighborhoods

Standing in a cul-de-sac surrounded by houses in various stages of construction, VISTA Tracie Troxler takes 

a moment to review logistics at the East Oakland site. She led several teams of corporate and community 

volunteers to install eight solar electric systems at this “solarthon.” The one-day event sponsored by GRID 

Alternatives raised $40,000 and awareness for community solar power.

Troxler and the volunteers are from GRID Alternatives, a San Francisco-based nonprofit group that helps 

low-income homeowners throughout California install affordable solar systems and trains volunteers to 

do the hands-on work. The homeowners also supply “sweat equity” by working as part of the volunteer 

installation team. 

“Many of these homeowners have and continue to live in areas that have been disproportionately impacted 

by the pollution of traditional power plants in their neighborhoods,” said Troxler. “They also have been 

hit the hardest by rising energy costs. So providing renewable energy solutions, such as solar power and 

energy efficiency services, help to reduce the cost of energy, educate more people about energy use, and at 

the same time benefit the local and global environment with clean energy.”

Like many solar volunteers, Troxler, a long-time weekend volunteer at GRID Alternatives before she 

became a VISTA there, is passionate about protecting the environment. At GRID Alternatives, she assists 

with development by cultivating relations with current supporters, establishing contacts with potential 

corporate and community benefactors, and coming up with new funding ideas. 

“I love talking to people about the program for the first time,” she said. “Many people immediately want 

to offer support or get involved, and eventually give financial support,” continued Troxler. “I feel happy 

when I see results from the plans that I have created or when the details of an event come together and 

implementation is a success.”

VISTA in California 

California
vista Overcoming Poverty California 11

VISTA in California (continued)

Community Development Commission of the 

County of Los Angeles

Community Pride Project

Community Services Planning Council

Creating Economic Opportunities for Women, Inc.

Disney GOALS

Economic Development Corporation Fresno County

EVERYBODY WINS! Los Angeles

Folsom Cordova Community Partnership

Foundation for California Community Colleges

GRID Alternatives

Habitat for Humanity International Western 

Territory

Harbor Interfaith Services

I Have A Dream Foundation, San Francisco

International Rescue Committee San Diego

International Rescue Committee San Francisco

Juma Ventures

Legal Services of Northern California

Los Angeles County Office of Education

Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute

National Association of Community Health 

Centers, Inc.

Neighborhood House Association (2 VISTA 

projects)

Net Impact

One Economy Corporation

Outdoor Outreach

People’s Community Partnership Federal Credit 

Union

VISTA Tracie Troxler reviews site logistics 

at a GRID Alternatives SOLARTHON 

fundraiser, where corporate and 

individual volunteers installed eight solar 

electric systems in one day. The event 

raised $40,000 to support renewable 

energy for communities in need.
12 California vista Building Capacity

VISTA in California (continued)

Rebuilding Together Southern California Council

Redwood Community Action Agency

Sacramento ENRICHES

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

San Joaquin Paleontology Foundation

Search to Involve Pilipino Americans

St. John’s Educational Thresholds Center

Streetlights

Survivors of Torture, International

The Children’s Clinic

The Health Trust

The Regents of the University of California

The Salvation Army (2 VISTA projects)

The University Corporation

Toolworks Inc.

Upwardly Global

Watts Learning Center

West Contra Costa Business Development Center

Yosemite/Sequoia Resource Conservation & 

Development

Youth Service California

Yreka Community Resource Center

“As our development associate, Tracie also focuses on expanding our online fund-raising activities and on 

building the image and reputation of GRID Alternatives within the broader community of funders,” said 

Zach Franklin, VISTA supervisor and development director at GRID Alternatives.

A relatively new organization that is rapidly expanding, GRID Alternatives hosted its first VISTA, Robert 

Batista, in 2006-2007. Batista helped GRID exceed its annual goals, with the installation of 50 solar electric 

systems for low-income homeowners. He identified 12 new clients for the GRID’s Solar Affordability 

program and helped to add 520 community volunteers, who contributed more than 10,000 hours. Batista 

streamlined the volunteer database to accommodate the dramatic rise in contacts and collaborated with a 

technical volunteer team to design and implement a new database system. Batista also played a key role in 

opening branch offices in Los Angeles and Fresno.

VISTAs are making a tremendous impact in increasing the capabilities of GRID Alternatives and its Solar 

Affordable Housing Program, as the organization expands rapidly throughout California. “In 2007,” said 

Franklin, “we nearly tripled the number of low-income solar installations we completed, thanks in 

significant part to the capacity-building work from our VISTA program.” 

In 2008, GRID is expanding statewide and working with the California Public Utilities Commission to 

deploy a groundbreaking statewide funding source for low-income solar energy. “Our expanded VISTA 

program will continue to be crucial in giving GRID Alternatives the capacity to successfully take on these 

opportunities and deliver more energy savings to low-income families who need it most,” Franklin said. 

“VISTAs are helping build capacity in a rapidly-growing program that leverages cutting-edge renewable 

energy technology to reduce low-income families’ electric bills.”

VISTA Robert Batista inspects a

 completed solar electric array on a

 fourplex for low-income families in San

 Francisco’s Mission District. This project

 was completed in partnership with

 Habitat for Humanity San Francisco.
vista Overcoming Poverty Colorado 13

VISTA in Colorado

The first of 77 million baby boomers in the United States turn 61 in 2007. Rather than flood nursing 

homes, these seniors will eventually need services to support them in their own homes, including 

companionship and special transit services. Furthermore, boomers are more likely than their predecessors 

to survive into old age. 

The population of Boulder and Broomfield is aging at a faster rate than the population in the rest of 

Colorado. By 2020, the number of residents aged 60 and up will more than double to 69,563 and represent 

20 percent of the population. In addition, in 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau indicated there are almost 

21,000 adults with disabilities living in the city. Nearly 8 percent (2,093) of local residents aged 55 and up 

are living on less than $10,000 per year; another 11 percent (3,070) live on less than $20,000 (U.S. Bureau 

Census, 1999). Special Transit, a private, nonprofit transportation and mobility service, is hard pressed to 

meet the community transportation needs of these low-income residents. It turns away about 1,400 riders 

per year.

VISTAs are strengthening RSVP’s Companionship Services and helping to develop a Volunteer Driver 

program. They are researching other programs to gather information on best practices and challenges. 

In addition, they are developing a client outreach plan, a volunteer recruitment plan, an evaluation system 

for clients and volunteers, and a volunteer handbook; planning volunteer training; and conducting fundraising activities.

In the project’s first year, VISTAs increased RSVP’s outreach, including participating in four health and 

human service fairs; conducted 10 presentations; developed training curricula for the Volunteer Driving 

program; increased the number of people served by the Volunteer Driving and Companionship programs; 

and developed volunteer recruitment and management materials for the new transportation program.

Featured Project: RSVP of Boulder and Broomfield Counties

Location: Boulder and Broomfield Counties

Project Sponsor: RSVP of Boulder and Broomfield Counties

Project Issue Area: Senior programs

VISTAs: 2

Colorado

No. of VISTAs: 48

Projects: 13

Project Sponsors:

American Red Cross, Mile High Chapter

Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational 

Services

Cerebral Palsy of Colorado, Inc.

Christmas in April, Metropolitan Denver, Inc.

“I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County

Mental Health Association of Colorado

One Economy Corporation

Regis University–Colorado Campus Compact

RSVP of Boulder and Broomfield Counties

Snowboard Outreach Society

Southwest Youth Corps

Trees, Water, and People

United Way of Weld County
14 Connecticut vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 31

Projects: 6

Project Sponsors:

Connecticut College, Office of Volunteers for 

Community Service

Eastern Connecticut State University

Habitat for Humanity – Coastal Fairfield County

Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity

Independence Unlimited

Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc

VISTA in Connecticut 

New London, based on its population’s poverty level and low performance on the Connecticut State 

Mastery Tests, is a Priority School District. New London is the regional center for social services with 

hospitals, clinics, shelters, public housing, community meals programs, and youth development programs, 

many of which are underfunded and understaffed and need volunteers to address community service 

challenges and build service delivery capacity.

Through the Connecticut College Office of Volunteers for Community Service, three VISTAs coordinate 

training sessions, increase support services for college volunteers, establish and maintain working 

relationships with community-based organizations, and strengthen sustainable and expandable 

infrastructures between Connecticut College and community partners. The VISTAs are increasing 

outreach, recruitment, and placement of volunteers and increasing affordable housing, education, and 

health community service opportunities.

This past year, VISTAs recruited and placed more than 400 student volunteers, who gave 27,308 service 

hours. VISTAs generated $13,000 in in-kind resources and $37,500 in cash to support their projects. They 

provided after-school programs with teaching assistants and student volunteers; placed students in 

elementary, middle, and high schools as tutors and mentors; and established student coordinator positions 

for the VISTA-created programs. Given the many successes of its VISTA project, Connecticut College built 

one cost-share VISTA into its annual budget.

Featured Project: Connecticut College

Location: New London

Project Sponsor: Connecticut College, Office of Volunteers for Community 

Service

Project Issue Areas: Education, community service

VISTAs: 6

Connecticut
vista Overcoming Poverty Delaware 15

No. of VISTAs: 3

Projects: 3

Project Sponsors:

Anna P. Mote Elementary School

Delaware Center for Horticulture

Stand Up for What is Right and Just, Inc.

VISTA in Delaware 

Gardening and horticulture have a very real role in revitalizing urban areas and stabilizing neighborhoods. 

Research shows that residents living near green vegetation, such as tree-lined streets or neighborhood 

parks, have a greater sense of community, stronger social networks, lower levels of aggression and violence 

in the home, and positive patterns of life functioning. When vacant lots are transformed into community 

gardens, they become centers of positive grassroots civic activity. In addition, gardens beautify areas, build 

a sense of cooperation between neighbors, and abate criminal activity.

At the Delaware Center for Horticulture, a VISTA collaborates with Tree Program managers on urban tree 

projects in low-income neighborhoods. This model of collaboration serves as a process for developing and 

documenting community-driven tree projects. Collaboration includes communications with property 

owners, nurturing neighborhood collaborations, follow-up communications, project evaluation, and 

education programming in schools and the local women’s correctional facility around community gardens. 

The Delaware Center for Horticulture’s community garden at the Ministry of Caring Preschool has reached 

more than 75 low-income children for 26 hours of group environmental education. The prison community 

vegetable garden and the accompanying educational programs won first place in the City Gardens Contest 

in 2005 and 2006. The VISTA at the Tree Program recruited 44 volunteers. Because of her success with 

the project, she was asked to work with the mayor’s Beautification Committee, focusing on the city’s park 

system and its use in low-income areas.

Featured Project: Delaware Center for Horticulture 

Location: Wilmington

Project Sponsor: Delaware Center for Horticulture 

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 1

Delaware
16 District of Columbia vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 47

Projects: 14

Project Sponsors:

A Wider Circle

Asian American LEAD

Centro Nia

District of Columbia Commission on Community 

Service

For Love of Children

Horton’s Kids

Little Lights Urban Ministries

National Coalition for the Homeless

National Student Partnership (2 VISTA projects)

One Economy

The Good Samaritan Foundation

Turning the Page

Youth Venture

VISTA in District of Columbia

In 1998, a group of citizens concerned about the performance of public schools in the District of Columbia 

founded Turning the Page to link schools, families, and the community to ensure that students received 

every opportunity to succeed in school and in life. Principals and teachers, who were facing many 

challenges in their schools, often did not have the time or all the necessary skills to connect regularly and 

consistently with parents and community organizations. 

VISTAs helped bring high quality educational resources to students in seven elementary schools and have 

enabled parents to become more effective educators, advocates, and leaders in their school community. 

Programs that involve VISTAs include:

■ Community Nights, a series of parent workshops on such topics as reading development, saving for 

college, financial literacy, conflict resolution, and school leadership. 

■ Finding our Voice, which encourages parents to explore their creative sides through writing and 

journal-related activities

■ Celebrating DC Community, which focuses on local neighborhood history and the completion of a 

service project

■ Literacy through Photography, a program that enables students to take photographs representing 

themselves, their dreams, their communities, and their families while using their own writing to 

generate ideas for pictures

■ A partnership with the Phillips Collection and the National Air and Space Museum to connect the 

District’s resource-rich, world-class museums to the classroom. 

Turning the Page’s annual used book drive raised $42,000 in 2007. The organization has distributed more 

than 50,000 books to families and schools, hosted more than 70 author visits, and held 700 parent classes 

during 420 Community Nights. Nearly 80 percent of parents reported using the books and skills they 

learned in workshops in the home. Parents organized several service projects, including a toy and clothing 

drive for a shelter and a food drive for a local pantry.

Featured Project/Sponsor: Turning the Page

Location: Washington, DC

Project Sponsor: Turning the Page

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 8

District of 

Columbia
vista Overcoming Poverty Florida 17

No. of VISTAs: 224

Projects: 26

Project Sponsors:

Abilities First

ACCION USA, Miami

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami

Church World Service

City of Miami

Coalition to End Homelessness

Communities in Schools of Florida, Inc. (2 VISTA 

projects)

Destiny Foundation of Central Florida, Inc.

Florida Gulf Coast University (2 VISTA projects)

Florida Literacy Coalition, Inc.

Florida State University (2 VISTA projects)

Habitat for Humanity International, Jacksonville

International Rescue Committee

Okaloosa-Walton Community College

Osceola County Council on Aging

Polk County Board of County Commissioners

Rebuild Polk After Disaster

Rolling Readers Space Coast

South Florida Urban Ministries, Inc.

The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast 

United States Fellowship of Florida

Volunteer Florida

We Help Community Development Corporation

VISTA in Florida

The Florida Alliance for Student Service (FASS) connects educators, students, and community partners at all 

levels to improve education and address societal needs through service-learning, applied civic education, 

and engaged citizenship. To accomplish this goal, FASS provides training, support, resources, networking 

opportunities, and leadership to empower individuals and communities to engage in meaningful service. 

The FASS VISTA Initiative places VISTAs at Learn and Serve and Campus Compact project sites and with 

community-based partners to match students with service-learning opportunities to address povertyrelated issues such as hunger, diversity awareness, environmental stewardship, disaster response, HIV/

AIDS, literacy, and education. The Initiative works to fulfill the Corporation for National and Community 

Service’s strategic initiative around engaging students in service. The project’s vision is for Florida’s 

communities to embody a thriving civil society characterized by lasting education, community 

partnerships, active lifelong learning, informed youth leadership, and engagement in meaningful service. 

Each year, FASS places VISTAs and Summer Associates to engage students, teachers, and college faculty in 

service-learning activities. VISTAs coordinate student youth corps programs, lead alternative spring break 

trips, raise community awareness, design service projects, and raise funds. They train teachers to infuse 

service-learning into their courses and develop learning opportunities for students. They also work directly 

to train students at conferences and to place them as interns with nonprofit organizations addressing 

community needs in low-income areas. 

In 2007, VISTAs engaged 3,325 students from kindergarten though higher education and 738 community 

volunteers in service-learning projects. These students and volunteers contributed 35,375 service hours. 

VISTA initiated training for nearly 700 teachers and developed partnerships with more the 60 community 

agencies working to combat poverty. The partnerships generated $14,450 in cash donations and grants and 

$7,000 worth of in-kind donations. 

Featured Project: Florida Alliance for Student Service AmeriCorps VISTA 

Initiative 

Location: Tallahassee

Project Sponsor: Florida State University, Center for Leadership and Civic 

Education

Project Issue Areas: Education, service-learning

VISTAs: 21

Florida
18 Georgia vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 66

Projects: 15

Project Sponsors:

ACCION USA, Atlanta

CAMP, INC.

Central Georgia Technical College – Adult 

Learning Center

Chattahoochee Technical College

Communities in Schools of Georgia

Fugees Family, Inc.

Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Habitat for Humanity International 

Hands on Atlanta, Inc.

Life Enrichment Services

Refugee Family Services

The Single Parent Alliance & Resource Center, 

Inc.

United Way of the Central Savannah River Area, 

Inc.

Uplifting People, Inc.

Women’s Resource Center – Women Moving On

VISTA in Georgia

Nonprofit agencies serving low-income, rural communities need access to capacity-building assistance to 

improve and enhance their service capacity.

VISTAs assist the Georgia Center for Nonprofits in promoting the regional satellite offices in Brunswick 

and Savannah. These satellite offices help nonprofit organizations in rural communities expand their 

knowledge, skills, and ability to provide services. The VISTAs were instrumental in helping coordinate, 

develop, and promote a range of workshops for nonprofit directors, staff, and board members. 

Rural communities often have a high percentage of older residents, a valuable resource for nonprofits to 

use. VISTA Tonia Hamilton, serving with the Brunswick satellite office, helped develop and promote a 

workshop on “How to Increase Volunteering among Baby Boomers.” More than 25 participants attended 

the workshop, which focused not only on how to effectively attract, manage, and motivate Baby Boomer 

volunteers, but also on how to conduct value-based volunteer training for this group. The participants 

gain knowledge that will help them to tap into a valuable volunteer resource.

VISTAs have improved the management and operational skills of nonprofits serving low-income 

communities, thus enhancing their ability to recruit and utilize volunteers. VISTAs have also improved 

the organizational functionality of nonprofits, the identification of collaborative opportunities among 

agencies, and the management skills of nonprofit executive directors, board members, and staff.

Featured Project: Regional Nonprofits Capacity-Building Project

Location: Savannah and Brunswick

Project Sponsor: Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Project Issue Area: Engaging older adults in volunteer service

VISTAs: 3

Georgia
vista Overcoming Poverty Hawaii 19

No. of VISTAs: 21

Projects: 5

Project Sponsors:

Habitat for Humanity Western States

Read To Me International Foundation

State of Hawaii, Department of Education

University of Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Hilo

VISTA in Hawaii

Honolulu is one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Many low-income residents struggle 

with escalating rents and appreciating home prices with higher tax levies. At least 5,000 homeless people 

live on Oahu. The most cited reason for homelessness is lack of affordable rentals. An estimated 44,190 

new housing units will be needed statewide by 2009. 

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity uses local resources, both labor and financial support, to develop 

affordable housing on Oahu. The organization builds simple, decent, and affordable houses on Oahu that 

are sold to families in need.

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity is in its second year of sponsoring a VISTA project. VISTAs have helped 

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity increase its capacity to provide housing by developing systems for 

furthering program development and by incorporating actions to promote long-term sustainability. 

In addition, VISTAs have worked with both the Family Support Committee and the Family Selection 

Committee to better define and further enhance the work of these committees to ensure long-term 

success. 

VISTAs also developed several systems and guides for Honolulu Habitat for Humanity, including a 

volunteer recruitment plan, a volunteer training manual, a volunteer management procedure, a family 

support program sustainability plan, a community resources manual for partner families to find available 

resources in Oahu, and a Honolulu Habitat homeowner guide.

Hawaii

Featured Project: Habitat for Humanity

Location: Honolulu 

Project Sponsor: Habitat for Humanity Western States

Project Issue Area: Housing

VISTAs: 3
20 Idaho vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 62

Projects: 11

Project Sponsors:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Inland Northwest

Catholic Charities of Idaho

Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor 

Group 

Faith In Action of Boise, Inc.

Idaho 4-H Youth Programs

Idaho Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Idaho State Department of Education

Idaho State University Hispanic Health Project

Lewis-Clark State College

Mountain States Group Inc.

Planned Parenthood of Idaho

VISTA in Idaho

The Idaho Reads! VISTA project mobilizes and engages parents, volunteer tutors, and community partners 

in efforts to improve reading skills among K–3 children. Currently, far too many Idaho K–3 children are 

not reading proficiently at their grade level. Research has documented that learning to read and write is 

most important in the education of young children. Indeed, the ability to read and write is the foundation 

for subsequent learning. Children who do not read and write well are more likely than others to be unable 

to complete their school work, become discipline problems, and drop out of school. Assuring that all 

children will be able to read and write independently by the end of third grade contributes significantly 

toward solving several major social and civic problems. 

In 2007, 30 VISTA members served in 29 elementary schools throughout Idaho to help improve the 

reading skills of children (K–3) who currently read below grade level. VISTAs recruited, trained, and 

coordinated part-time literacy volunteers; produced outreach materials for volunteer recruitment; 

promoted project sustainability; mobilized resources in and out of the school to support the project; 

built partnerships with local public and private sector organizations and businesses; solicited donations 

and other in-kind support for the project; organized and conducted a local book drive; organized and 

conducted family literacy and parent involvement activities; and helped organize and implement a 

summer reading program.

VISTAs mobilized more than 3,400 community volunteers who served more than 26,500 hours. They 

organized 114 family literacy events, in which 11,268 adults and 17,258 children participated. VISTAs 

assisted in the collection and distribution of 17,556 new books to low-income children and families and 

generated $20,462 in monetary grants and in-kind donations worth $119,270 to support school-based 

literacy efforts for K–3 children who read below grade level. 

Featured Project: Idaho Reads!

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Idaho State Department of Education

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 30

Idaho
vista Overcoming Poverty Illinois 21

No. of VISTAs: 219

Projects: 32

Project Sponsors:

ACCION Chicago, Inc.

American Red Cross, Chicago

Arab American Family Services

Anne’s Home 

Bethel New Life, Inc. (2 VISTA projects)

Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University

Campaign For Better Health Care

Chicago Community Ventures

Chicago Public Schools Homeless Education 

Program

Chicago Rehab Network

Comprehensive Community Solutions

Goodcity NFP

Illinois Central College

Illinois Coalition For Community Service

Inspiration Cafe

Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Ministries

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation

Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan 

Chicago

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois

Metropolitan Tenants Organization

National Center on Poverty Law

North Side Community Federal Credit Union

VISTA in Illinois 

Legal Aid to Those in Need

In the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, “There can be no equal justice where the kind of 

trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.” These are words to live by for many VISTAs 

throughout the country who support legal aid programs such as the Legal Assistance Foundation of 

Metropolitan Chicago (LAF).

Meet Yeena Yoon, Scott Ibbotson, and Rebecca Sherman, VISTAs serving at LAF. They are building the 

program that helps Chicago and suburban Cook County residents who cannot afford legal counsel navigate 

the legal system and understand and safeguard their rights as a step toward achieving economic selfsufficiency for themselves and their families. 

Yoon, a recent graduate with both law and social work degrees, set up the day-to-day operations at the 

Micah Legal Aid Clinic, a new collaboration between the LAF and a church on the northwest side of 

Chicago. The Micah clinic serves clients with needs in the areas of family law, domestic violence, housing, 

employment, public benefits, auto repossession, and school expulsion and truancy. “It’s my responsibility 

to develop the means to recruit and coordinate volunteer attorneys and interpreters, prepare training 

materials, and provide support to volunteers with cases,” explained Yoon, who also conducts community 

outreach to raise awareness and improve the Legal Assistance Foundation’s profile in the community. 

“The goal is to make this a self-sustaining project,” said Richard Hess, LAF’s supervising attorney of the 

VISTA team. 

For Ibbotson, VISTA offers an opportunity to explore the law as a career field and “to spend a year doing 

meaningful and fulfilling work.” Ibbotson helped develop LAF’s Public Benefits Hotline. He sets up methods 

to recruit, train, and support volunteers from corporate legal departments to advocate on behalf of clients 

who are denied food stamps or medical benefits. The hotline is a call-in service that dispenses free advice, 

administrative advocacy, and legal representation to applicants and recipients of public financial assistance.

Featured Project/Sponsor: Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan 

Chicago 

Location: Chicago and suburban Cook County

Project Sponsor: Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago

Project Issue Areas: Health care, housing, financial literacy

VISTAs: 10

Illinois
22 Illinois vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Illinois (continued)

Tax Assistance Program

The University of Chicago

The Youth Job Center of Evanston, Inc.

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

University of Illinois – Chicago, College of Nursing

Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago

Western Illinois Economic Development 

Partnership

Whiteside County Extension Office

Youth Conservation Corps, Inc.

“By helping clients navigate the public benefits system, it allows them to redirect their energy from 

meeting their basic needs to pursing goals that will alleviate their financial hardships,” said Ibbotson. 

He appreciates his role in helping LAF “improve our clients’ quality of life by restoring people’s control 

over their own lives.”

Sherman, a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, assists a program that helps immigrant 

victims of domestic violence break free from physical and emotional abuse and apply for U.S. citizenship 

under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). “I recruit pro bono attorneys to assist clients in filing 

their VAWA applications,” explained Sherman. “After their VAWA petition is approved,” Sherman said, 

“our clients can legally work and become self-sufficient.” 

For more than 40 years, the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago has provided free civil 

legal assistance to tens of thousands of low-income and elderly individuals in Chicago and suburban Cook 

Yeena Yoon (standing, third from right), a 

VISTA attorney at the Micah Legal Aid, 

joins others volunteers for an 

“Appreciation Lunch.” Yoon coordinates 

the recruitment and management of 

volunteer attorneys and interpreters

 and conducts community outreach.

Micah Legal Aid is a partnership 

between New Community Covenant 

Church and the Legal Assistance 

Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
vista Overcoming Poverty Illinois 23

VISTA in Illinois (continued) County. For those who are low-income, elderly, or disabled, legal assistance is often crucial for them to 

protect their homes, their employment, their public benefits, or to protect their constitutional or statutory 

rights. Almost one million of the most vulnerable residents of Cook County are eligible for LAF’s services. 

Through Yoon’s VISTA experience, she is fulfilling her dream of working as a public interest attorney. 

“Knowledge is power and I hope to empower the poor by providing them with access to resources. For 

example, when connecting clients to legal resources, we can prevent homelessness by safeguarding 

tenants’ rights when it comes to eviction.”

Yoon, Ibbotson, and Sherman are among 10 VISTAs serving at LAF. These VISTAs are building programs 

that aid the most vulnerable in our society, including battered women, people with disabilities, public 

housing residents, applicants for and recipients of subsistence benefits and Medicaid, immigrants, 

children, the elderly, low-paid workers, nursing home residents, and people suffering from HIV-AIDS.

The VISTAs’ hard work is paying off. In two years, VISTAs recruited nearly 250 volunteer attorneys who 

contributed 10,000 hours of legal services each year and helped more than 1,100 clients. “Some cases 

required a few hours of the pro bono attorney’s time, while others took more than 40 hours to resolve,” 

Hess said. “If their clients had to pay for this legal service, the estimated cost would have been at least 

$2.5 million.”
24 Indiana vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Indiana 

No. of VISTAs: 102

Projects: 10 

Project Sponsors:

American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis

Dads, Inc. of Indiana

Economy One Corporation

Horizon House

Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives

Indiana State Department of Correction

Indiana State Department of Education

Indiana University

Monroe/Owen Counties RSVP

Starfish Initiative

Making a Difference, One Scholar at a Time

Like the old man in the legend who saves starfish he finds on the beach by throwing them back into 

the sea, the Starfish Initiative works to impact the lives of individual students. In an effort to improve 

graduation rates and encourage more low-income students to attend college in Indianapolis, Joyce Johnson 

founded the Starfish Initiative, which provides one-on-one mentoring relationships and college 

preparatory programs.

“Only one in five boys graduates in Indianapolis,” said Johnson, explaining why Starfish Initiative exists. 

“The school system’s [graduation rate] as a whole is 40 percent. Most drop out because of peer pressures or 

other obligations or lack of hope, not because they’re not smart enough.” 

In Indiana, low- and middle-income students who graduate from high school while registered in the 

21st Century Scholars program, a state-sponsored education initiative, receive free college tuition from an 

Indiana college or university. Starfish Initiative identifies promising middle school students and ensures 

they register for 21st Century Scholars to participate in the Starfish mentor program.

In 2007, Starfish Initiative hosted two VISTA Summer Associates and two full-time VISTAs. The VISTAs 

concentrate on resource development, program development, community relations, and communications. 

“Their focus is absolutely capacity building for Starfish,” said Johnson. “With the VISTA program doubling 

our capacity, we can accomplish our goal to serve all these kids. We couldn’t have thought about doing 

that without these VISTAs.”

Bethany Warner is a VISTA who left her job as a political and education newspaper reporter in Wisconsin 

to serve at Starfish. A Canton native, Bethany has a master’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis on 

public affairs reporting, from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She came to Starfish to try her skills 

at grant writing and development while volunteering, which is an activity she could not do with her 

schedule and ethics code as a newspaper reporter.

Featured Project: Starfish Initiative

Location: Indianapolis 

Project Sponsor: Starfish, Inc.

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 2

Indiana
vista Overcoming Poverty Indiana 25

VISTA in Indiana (continued)

“Before I came to Starfish as a VISTA, all this grant writing was on the plate of the executive director,” 

explained Warner. “By me taking over, she can make a greater impact. She can meet more people and 

champion our cause instead of staying in the office writing grants.”

Warner’s activities include identifying grant funders, individual donors, and corporate sponsors to help 

Starfish grow and serve more students each year. She also is working to increase communication with 

donors, including the creation of a newsletter. Her most memorable moment as a VISTA so far was the 

first check Starfish received for a grant she had written—she said her work was literally paying off.

“I see my work as a support role for alleviating poverty,” said Warner. “Starfish helps alleviate poverty 

by keeping kids in school and getting them educated. We can’t reach more students if we don’t have the 

funding to support the programs we’re doing. I’m making it possible for more students to be reached.”

VISTAs at Starfish perform a variety of 

tasks from grant writing to developing a 

student curriculum to organizing outreach 

events for the community as a way to help 

Starfish combat poverty. Bethany Warner 

(left) has raised $213,500 in grants to 

expand and improve opportunities for 

college bound high school students in 

Indiana. “Civic duty has always been 

important to me,” says VISTA Deandra 

Thompson (right). “As cliché as it may 

sound, I became a VISTA member to do my 

part in making the world a better place.”
26 Indiana vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Indiana (continued) Deandra Thompson, a VISTA who engages in program development activities at Starfish, is an Indianapolis 

native and recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University-Purdue 

University Indianapolis. She became a VISTA as a way to bridge her interests in government and the 

nonprofit sector. She was drawn to Starfish’s work since it was an opportunity to get experience in a 

grassroots nonprofit that had an interest in education policy on a local level.

“I think my role is creating a roadmap for our students,” said Thompson, describing her programming role 

at Starfish. “Before I came, Starfish had different programs, but there wasn’t really a path starting from the 

9th grade. My role first was to create a strategic path.”

In an effort to create a four-year path for Starfish scholars to follow during high school to prepare for 

college, Thompson researched other college access programs around the country to help Starfish evaluate 

its programming while building partnerships with other nonprofits and schools. She coordinates the 

Leadership Academy, which teaches students about responsible citizenship and allows them to interact 

with legislators and work the polls. She also created partnerships with local colleges to provide the students 

with organized campus visit days, as well as increased financial aid should they choose to attend college in 

the future.

“It is really difficult to take a little piece of [programming] and make it stretch for four years,” said 

Thompson, on the challenges she faces in creating new programs that will be sustainable once her VISTA 

term is complete. “Starfish has three programs, and I broke that up into different pieces and made it fit in 

a timeline with what students should be doing to think about college.”

Starfish leadership was impressed with the timeline and programming Thompson developed and put it in 

place immediately. 

The impact of the VISTAs is evident already, according to Johnson. More community members know about 

the Starfish program, and more partnerships have been formed with local schools, businesses, and 

organizations. Four times as many grant proposals are being submitted every month. 

“Education is the key to overcoming barriers of poverty,” said Johnson. “If we can get our kids to graduate 

and get a college education, then their kids won’t live in poverty. Everything our VISTAs are doing 

contributes to that.”
vista Overcoming Poverty Iowa 27

Featured Project: Neighborhood Assistance Project

Location: Cedar Rapids

Project Sponsor: Community Corrections Improvement Association

Project Issue Area: Housing

VISTAs: 11

No. of VISTAs: 121

Projects: 22

Project Sponsors:

American Red Cross

Community Corrections Improvement Association

EVERYBODY WINS! Iowa

Family and Children’s Council

Habitat for Humanity of Iowa, Inc.

Homes of Oakridge Human Services

Iowa Asian Alliance

Iowa Campus Compact

Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

Iowa Division of Latino Affairs

Iowa Workforce Development

ISED Ventures

Lutheran Services of Iowa

Morningside College

Rock Valley Rotary Club Foundation

Shelby County Community Outreach

State Court Administrator’s Office, Iowa Judicial 

Branch

The Abilities Fund

VanBuren Community School District

In 2005, an extensive needs assessment survey of residents in the five high-crime, high-poverty 

neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids revealed the most significant concern was the revitalization and 

beautification of housing and building structures in the neighborhoods. From this survey came 

BRIGHTEN, a grass-roots effort to reverse the trend of deteriorating housing and restore neighborhood 

pride in property upkeep. 

VISTAs and Summer Associates helped shape the BRIGHTEN program. They wrote grants, solicited in-kind 

and monetary donations, recruited and coordinated volunteers, as well as produced and distributed 

promotional materials to area organizations, churches, and businesses. 

This past summer, volunteers worked to BRIGHTEN up nearly 60 properties. They painted and replaced 

address numbers on homes that did not meet city housing code requirements. VISTAs secured $2,423 in 

in-kind donations and $14,600 in monetary donations or grants. The project also brought together both 

neighbors and outsiders to build relationships, improve dilapidated housing, and restore the pride in the 

neighborhoods and property. 

VISTA in Iowa

Iowa
28 Kansas vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 15

Projects: 5

Project Sponsors:

Associated Youth Services

Kansas State University

KSDS, Inc.

Rice County Community Foundation

tiny-k Foundation

VISTA in Kansas

Growing up is difficult. For underprivileged youth in crisis situations, growing up can be absolutely 

crushing. Associated Youth Services (AYS) helps young people through crises, such as homelessness, 

abusive homes, substance abuse, school suspensions, and gang involvement. Ultimately, AYS programs 

help the community’s youth approach adulthood equipped with new tools, caring adults, and a renewed 

sense of hope.

During 2007, three VISTAs helped AYS create a three-year strategic plan, bolster its message through 

marketing, increase its fund-raising ability, and engage community volunteers in serving its mission. 

The VISTAs have greatly elevated AYS’ message, thereby gaining more exposure for the issue of youth in 

crisis. VISTAs helped AYS generate three articles in major Kansas City newspapers, launch a website and 

e-newsletter, create a foster parent recruitment plan, host a 35th Anniversary Open House that attracted 

elected officials and community leaders, raise more than $30,000, and increase the volunteer program by 

80 percent. In turn, these resources have helped AYS bolster its five core programs and reach nearly 8,000 

youth during this period. Without AYS’ unique programs, many of these youth would have remained 

underserved or not served at all.

Featured Project: Associated Youth Services

Location: Kansas City

Project Sponsor: Associated Youth Services

Project Issue Areas: Education, youth development

VISTAs: 3

Kansas
vista Overcoming Poverty Kentucky 29

No. of VISTAs: 151

Projects: 16

Project Sponsors:

American Red Cross, Louisville Chapter

Americana Community Center

Audubon Area Community Services, Inc.

Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning

Gateway Community and Technical College

Habitat for Humanity International

Jefferson County Public Schools

Kentucky CASA, Inc.

Kentucky Commission on Community 

Volunteerism and Service

Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Inc.

Mountain Missions Development Corporation 

(2 VISTA projects)

Northern Kentucky University Research 

Foundation

South Louisville Community Ministries

United Way of Central Kentucky

United Way of Northeast Kentucky

VISTA in Kentucky

“A Powerful Voice in a Child’s Life”

In Kentucky, more than 17,000 children reside in foster care and other similar situations that are away 

from the care of their immediate family. VISTAs serving at Kentucky CASA, Inc. strive to ensure that the 

needs of these children are addressed. 

Megan Roar, Amanda Townsell, and Geline Porter, along with two other VISTAs across the state, see results 

every day through their efforts to give many of these children, often abused and neglected, an effective 

voice in court through the Kentucky CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program.

“There is a generational cycle of poverty in eastern Kentucky,” said Roar, a Kentucky native assigned to 

the CASA program in state’s northeastern region. “Most of the CASA families we serve either live at or 

below the poverty line. . . We can spend our time and money on children suffering now by offering 

them resources and hope, or we can spend time and money on them later, when as adults they follow 

in their family’s footsteps and either end up in jail or on welfare.”

Roar and the other VISTAs serve as “capacity builders” and grassroots organizers in CASA affiliates 

throughout the state. Their primary goal, according to Kentucky CASA Director Alex Blevins, is sustainability. 

The VISTAs recruit and help set up training for Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers who work in 

local juvenile and family courts and speak for the best interest of at-risk children in the court system. 

The CASA volunteer, an extra set of eyes and ears for the courtroom, reports findings and makes 

recommendations to the judge. “Our volunteers are ordinary people who do extraordinary work,” 

Roar said. Last year, volunteer Advocates helped about 2,000 youth get into a stable, caring situation. 

Retiree and VISTA Geline Porter spent her professional career in early childhood education and now 

chooses to spend her time encouraging others to be a powerful voice in a child’s life. “I have introduced 

many people to CASA and its need for volunteers” said Porter, who is in her second year as a VISTA at the 

CASA program in Bowling Green. An Advocate herself for nine years, she is well qualified to recruit and 

Featured Project: Kentucky CASA, Inc.

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Kentucky CASA, Inc.

Project Issue Areas: Children at risk, children in foster care

VISTAs: 5

Kentucky
30 Kentucky vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Kentucky (continued) develop training for CASA volunteers. During the 

30-hour training course conducted by the local 

CASA program, volunteers learn courtroom 

procedure and effective advocacy techniques for 

children and participate in seminars on topics 

ranging from child sexual abuse to early childhood 

development and adolescent behavior. 

VISTAs in Kentucky also seek to establish a more 

secure funding base to help support the work of 

CASA affiliates. Since 2004, VISTAs have helped 

CASA affiliates raise nearly $400,000 through 

grants, individual donations, and special events. 

“Without the help of [VISTAs], many of our 

rural programs would not have been sustained,” 

said Kentucky CASA Director and former VISTA 

Alex Blevins. 

Blevins credits VISTAs’ efforts for increasing the number of Kentucky’s children served by the CASA 

program by about 500 youth each year. He is also enthusiastic about the lasting impacts VISTAs have 

created through sustainable fund-raising and volunteer recruitment efforts that are reflected in activities 

and events that will outlast them long after they leave the organization.

Blevins highlighted VISTA Amanda Townsell’s achievement to “overhaul” an annual art auction, a fundraising event of CASA of Ohio Valley in Owensboro. Townsell doubled the amount of art donated and 

solicited commitments from artists for an annual gift. In her first attempt, Amanda helped the event net 

nearly $15,000 in donations.

 “Seeing months of work and preparation come together really makes you proud,” Townsell said. “Poverty, 

homelessness, child abuse, substance abuse—these things are all connected. If you work on one of these 

things, you directly affect them all at some point.”

For Blevins and others the results are obvious. Recent research indicates that compared to Kentucky 

children without a CASA volunteer, children who have a CASA Advocate spend less time in the state’s care 

and have fewer placements and fewer disruptions in those placements.

For the 500 youth helped by the efforts of VISTAs at Kentucky CASA, that amounts to a lifetime of 

gratitude, hope, and promise.

VISTA Amanda Townsell assists the 

Daviess County CASA Office with fundraising, volunteer recruitment and 

management, community awareness, 

and program sustainability. Last year she 

overhauled her site’s annual fundraiser, an 

art auction. Using her contacts in the art 

community across the state, Townsell 

obtained high quality artwork from a 

variety of mediums and commitments 

from the giving artists for an annual 

gift. The auction netted $15,000.
vista Overcoming Poverty Louisiana 31

No. of VISTAs: 275

Projects: 13

Project Sponsors:

Catholic Community Services

Catholic Community Services Baton Rouge, Inc.

Father Lebeau Community Center

Habitat for Humanity – New Orleans Area

Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West

Louisiana CASA Association

Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of 

Community Development

Louisiana Serve Commission

Northwest Louisiana Food Bank

Preservation Resource Center

Southern University and A & M College

Tulane University

Webster Habitat for Humanity

VISTA in Louisiana

Tulane University’s Center for Public Service, created as part of the university’s response to Hurricane 

Katrina, illustrates Tulane’s commitment to merge academic inquiry with sustained civic engagement. 

Over three years, the center plans to marshal 1,500 students who will work in community-based 

programs every semester. This number is achievable in part due to the increased interest among students 

and to the institution of a public service graduation requirement by Tulane for all incoming students. This 

requirement ensures that partner agencies can rely on the university as a consistent resource in the future.

Given the widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina, many of Tulane’s 25 community partner 

agencies require assistance to become operational again. VISTAs are assigned to aid Tulane students, faculty, 

and staff as they assist community partners with capacity building in the coming years, as the city recovers 

from Hurricane Katrina. Each VISTA works with a community agency in the New Orleans area and serves 

as a liaison between Tulane and the VISTA’s assigned agency. The agencies include local city entities, 

nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and health care organizations. Each VISTA has one 

permanently assigned community partner to ensure that the VISTA becomes knowledgeable about the 

agency, its needs, and the types of services Tulane students could provide. 

VISTAs provide much needed help by first conducting a needs assessment analysis in conjunction with each 

of their assigned agencies, if the agency has not already done so. This information enables the Center for 

Public Service staff and the VISTA to identify specific ways to build capacity within local agencies and to 

design service projects for which university students can best assist. VISTAs spend much of their time at 

their assigned agency, but they also spend one day a week at Tulane University for training, reporting, and 

other duties. VISTAs work on capacity building tasks for the agencies as identified by their site supervising 

staff. In addition, VISTAs develop activities for the Tulane University service-learning students and interns 

placed at those sites.

VISTAs rebuilt the Hispanic Apostolate’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program and secured 

permanent space at Tulane University to hold evening classes. They also created new ESL sites at Esperanza, 

a new charter school in New Orleans, and at a community center that caters to immigrant laborers. At the 

Featured Project: Tulane University Center for Public Service

Location: New Orleans

Project Sponsor: Tulane University

Project Issue Areas: Health care, housing, job development, asset 

development, historical and cultural preservation

VISTAs: 16

Louisiana
32 Louisiana vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Louisiana (continued) Tulane University site, VISTAs built a program that utilizes at least 70 Tulane students to serve 300 adult 

learners every semester. The Tulane students, recruited primarily from the Latin American Studies and 

Spanish and Portuguese Departments, serve as assistant teachers, teachers, and site facilitators.

VISTAs have assisted in growing CITYBuild from an idea to a full-fledged nonprofit organization that brings 

in schools of architecture and design from around the country to work on community design and build 

projects. The only full-time “staff” at CITYBuild until this fall, VISTAs guided the organization’s application 

for nonprofit status and the recruitment of 21 member institutions from around the United States.

The VISTA assigned to the New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Public Advocacy worked to restart the Volunteers 

in Government program. The VISTA continues to redesign and re-brand the office to professionals in New 

Orleans as a way to effectively volunteer their time and have an impact on the city. The VISTA also worked 

to recruit and organize more than 400 volunteers for the Congress of Cities Conference, which hosted 

more than 4,000 mayors, council members, and legislators from across the country.
vista Overcoming Poverty Maine 33

Maine

No. of VISTAs: 62

Projects: 5 

Project Sponsors:

Independent Transportation Network

Maine Commission for Community Service

Portland Time Bank

State Planning Office, Maine Executive 

Department

University of Maine

A statewide initiative of the Maine’s Children Cabinet, Communities for Children and Youth (C4CY) is 

designed to improve measurably the well being of children and increase their educational attainment 

levels. Maine’s predominantly rural make-up, coupled with the high prevalence of multigenerational 

poverty, posed unique challenges and required a radical response. Realizing the breadth of the mission, 

C4CY partnered with VISTA and launched an effort to enhance the capacity of youth-serving organizations 

throughout the state. 

Through its nine-year history, C4CY has recruited, trained, and placed more than 200 VISTAs at more 

than 135 organizations statewide. The diverse nature of, and approach to alleviating, impoverished 

circumstances for youth in Maine has lead to an equally diverse crop of nonprofits and government 

agencies seeking to diminish the ill effects of poverty. VISTAs have helped establish a culture of asset 

development and high-quality programming for Maine’s youth by engaging them and their communities 

in arts education; anti-bullying initiatives; leadership development; mentoring; academic support; health 

promotion; career education and social skill development; and alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention.

Since C4CY’s inception in 1998, VISTAs have recruited, screened, trained, and supported more than 23,000 

volunteers who served more than 340,000 hours. They have garnered greater than $1 million in in-kind 

donations and nearly $4.5 million in grants and other funds. Last year, more than 16,175 youth benefited 

from the efforts of Maine’s dedicated group of VISTAs. 

VISTA in Maine Featured Project: Communities for Children and Youth

Location: Augusta

Project Sponsor: State Planning Office, Maine Executive Department

Project Issue Areas: Asset development, education

VISTAs: 32
34 Maryland vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 101

Projects: 19

Project Sponsors:

Asian American LEAD

Barstow Acres Children’s Center

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Frederick County

Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County

Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Inc.

Calvert Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

Civic Works, Inc.

ENABLE-Maryland, Center for Community 

Outreach

Frostburg State University

Greater Homewood Community Corporation

Historic East Baltimore Community Action 

Coalition

Maryland Association of Community Mediation 

Centers

Maryland Department of Housing and Community 

Development

Meeting Ground

National Council on the Aging

Office of Community Services

One Church, One Child of Maryland, Inc.

Students Sharing Coalition, Inc.

Volunteer Maryland

VISTA in Maryland

The Greater Homewood Community Corporation (GHCC) serves Baltimore’s young people in a variety of 

ways. The organization helps prepare young children to enter school and achieve academic success. GHCC 

also initiates and supervises programs in youth centers and coordinates youth agencies to improve the 

availability of services for at-risk youth. 

The young people served by GHCC face a myriad of challenges. The immediate neighborhoods 

surrounding three of GHCC’s partnership schools have juvenile arrests of 165 per 1,000 children, 

compared with the Baltimore City average of 140. At another school, 80 percent of the students have a 

parent or primary caregiver dealing with alcohol or drug abuse. Baltimore City was ranked among the four 

worst performing counties in terms of full school readiness, with below 40 percent of students prepared. 

Furthermore, children in Baltimore City come from disproportionately poor families. In 94 percent of 

Baltimore City elementary schools, at least 60 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. 

In one GHCC neighborhood, more than two-thirds of the households have children being cared for by a 

grandparent, and nearly 56 percent of the households earn $25,000 or less per year. The need exists in the 

GHCC service area to combat poverty and barriers to success for its youth in many ways.

Between 2005 and 2007, 12 VISTAs and VISTA Leaders served with GHCC. They worked in schools 

developing faith-based partnerships, recruiting and training tutors and mentors, helping to identify the 

medical and mental health needs of students and families, collaborating with school principals to 

determine program and volunteer needs, and assisting with the coordination of Experience Corps 

members, volunteers over age 55 who mentor elementary school students.

VISTAs contributed greatly to GHCC’s capacity to serve Baltimore and its young people. As a result of their 

service, GHCC now manages the largest community-based education effort in the city. More than 200 

volunteers have served over 3,600 students in 12 Baltimore City schools. The Youth Development Initiative 

has placed and managed 12 classes in art, music, dance, and nutrition in local youth centers, providing 

24 hours a week of safe and engaging activity for more than 100 youth. Since January 2006, VISTAs have 

generated over $144,637 in cash and in-kind resources to support the organization and community 

programs.

Featured Project: Greater Homewood Community Corporation

Location: Baltimore

Project/Sponsor: Greater Homewood Community Corporation

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 12

Maryland
vista Overcoming Poverty Massachusetts 35

No. of VISTAs: 183

Projects: 29

Project Sponsors:

ACCION USA

American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay

Boston Affordable Housing Coalition

Boston Cares

Boston Local Development Corporation

Boston Rescue Mission

Center For Ecological Technology

Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts

City of Boston – Elderly Affairs Commission

City of Pittsfield

Cradles to Crayons

Foster and Adoption Mentoring and Enrichment, Inc.

Friends of the Children Boston

Generations Incorporated

Greater Worcester Habitat for Humanity

Horizons for Homeless Children

Massachusetts 2020 Foundation

New Sector Alliance, Inc.

Northeastern University

Quincy Asian Resources Inc.

Share Our Strength Operation Frontline

TechMission, Inc.

Tenacity, Inc.

Tufts University/ Massachusetts Campus Compact

University of Massachusetts/Boston, College of 

Public and Community Service

Urban Ecology, Inc.

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Year Up, Inc.

Youth Advocacy Foundation

VISTA in Massachusetts

Boston is undergoing a demographic revolution. The city now has more than 100,000 residents aged 55 

or older. What does this statistic mean for Boston? Generations Incorporated believes it means better 

opportunities for local children from low-income communities. Local children need all the guidance they 

can get. Retirees have the time, experience, and desire to help. For 15 years, Generations Incorporated has 

connected older adults with the children who need them most. 

The VISTAs who serve with Generations Incorporated and its partner organizations work toward 

establishing a sustainable foundation on which to expand. Collectively, the VISTAs focus on resource 

development, volunteer recruitment and training, program development, capacity building, and VISTA 

recruitment and training. They have increased the corps of community volunteers from 50 in 2002 to 

greater than 300 in 2007, and generated enough new revenue to enable the organization to hire two fulltime development staff members. 

The efforts of VISTAs have translated into an immediate impact on the communities they serve. More than 

300 older adults (aged 55+) have joined the Experience Corps team hosted by Generations Incorporated. 

This past year, these senior corps members provided more than 55,000 hours of mentoring and tutoring 

to 2,290 children in weekly intervention sessions, and engaged 2,500 additional students and more than 

400 parents in family outreach and community service activities.

Featured Project: Generations Incorporated

Location: Boston

Project Sponsor: Generations Incorporated

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 15

Massachusetts
36 Michigan vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 263

Projects: 34 

Project Sponsors:

Allen Neighborhood Center

Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social 

Services 

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint

Child Abuse Council of Muskegon County

Child And Family Enrichment Council

City Year Detroit

ConnectMichigan Alliance

Creston Neighborhood Association

Detroit Parent Network

Detroit Safe Neighborhood Action Plan, Inc.

Genesee County Habitat for Humanity

Gladstone Area Schools

Growing Hope, Inc.

Habitat for Humanity of Michigan

Heart of West Michigan United Way

Ingham County Health Department

Literacy Partnership of Southeast Michigan

Looking Glass Community Services

Michigan Communities in Schools

Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency

Michigan Nonprofit Association (2 VISTA projects)

Michigan State University Extension North Region 

4-H Programs

Mixed Greens

North Menominee County Community Schools

Oakland County Child Care Council

Points of Light Foundation

Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency

The Greening of Detroit

The Leaven Center

The Village Initiative

Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition

Youth Empowerment Project

VISTA in Michigan

Since the inception of Communities in Schools, VISTAs have served in more than 40 Detroit public schools. 

They have played a vital role in developing partnerships with businesses, organizations, and community 

leaders who support the project’s mission to help children learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. 

Communities in Schools is conscious of the diverse needs of today’s youth and how imperative it is to meet 

those needs. The organization has trained VISTAs to develop resources that meet the most essential and 

significant student needs.

VISTAs’ partnerships make dreams come true. They secure uniforms and supplies for needy students, 

develop after-school programs, and recruit and support tutors and mentors. They established partnerships 

with the Gleaners Community Food Bank to provide after-school snacks and with Variety for Children’s 

Charity to provide school uniforms and toys. VISTAs acquired books from Yes! Reading Foundation and 

FIRSTBOOK, as well as backpacks from Office Depot. 

Through the involvement of VISTAs, participating schools have noticed an increase in parent participation. 

Educators have seen students become more excited about reading. Parents have commented that students’ 

self-esteem and values have improved. Charles Anderson, chief executive officer of Communities in Schools 

of Detroit, frequently references the impact that VISTAs have had on the local affiliate, noting that the very 

foundation of Communities in Schools of Detroit is due to the work of its first VISTA, who developed 

partners for the first four schools that served 2,000 students. With VISTA’s help today, 1,389 partners have 

an impact on 55,862 students in 101 schools.

Featured Project: Communities in Schools of Detroit, Inc.

Location: Detroit

Project Sponsor: Michigan Communities in Schools

Project Issue Areas: Children, youth, community, education, literacy

VISTAs: 30

Michigan
vista Overcoming Poverty Minnesota 37

No. of VISTAs: 268

Projects: 31 

Project Sponsors:

Admission Possible

City of St. Paul

Commonbond

Duluth Public Schools

Employment Action Center

Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota

Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota

Homeline

Hope Community, Inc.

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

Initiative Foundation

Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance

Minnesota Association for Volunteer 

Administration

Minnesota Conservation Corps

Minnesota Council of Churches

Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice

Minnesota Housing Partnership

Minnesota Literacy Council

Minneapolis Public Housing Authority

Minneapolis Public Schools

Minnesota Senior Federation

National Youth Leadership Council 

PEACE Foundation

Project Fine

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc.

St. Stephen’s Human Services

The Harambee Project

Twin Cities RISE!

United Way of Minneapolis

University of Minnesota Extension

Youth Venture

VISTA in Minnesota 

Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Minnesota will need to contribute 15 percent of new low-income 

housing created by the public and philanthropic sectors, according to a statewide study by the Minnesota 

Housing Finance Agency. By 2010, the study estimates, nearly 81,000 low-income households with 

children below age 18 will spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing. These are the families 

Habitat for Humanity aims to serve. 

The Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota VISTA program is dedicated to helping affiliates grow their 

capacity to reach the goal of contributing 15 percent of new low-income housing. 

Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota places VISTAs with affiliates throughout the state. These VISTAs 

develop and implement programs and systems to secure community support and involvement in the 

affiliates’ efforts to build more homes and serve more low-income families. VISTAs engage volunteers to 

serve on fund-raising, public relations, and volunteer committees. These volunteers play a vital role in 

securing the funding and additional volunteer resources needed to build affordable homes. VISTAs also 

mobilize construction volunteers and recruit volunteers to staff and support Habitat’s ReStore program, 

which diverts usable building materials from local landfills. A new VISTA initiative engaged youth, aged 

5–25, to construct and raise sponsorship funds for the first Youth United Habitat for Humanity home 

in Minnesota. 

During the 2006–2007 program year, VISTAs mobilized more than 3,000 volunteers who contributed 

24,000 service hours. These volunteers included more than 870 baby boomers who contributed valuable 

skills and experience as committee members and construction and ReStore volunteers. Minnesota Habitat 

affiliates hosting VISTAs completed 105 homes and provided decent, affordable housing to nearly 420 

people with incomes at or below 50 percent of the median income. 

Featured Project: Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota VISTA Project

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota

Project Issue Areas: Housing, asset development

VISTAs: 12

Minnesota
38 Mississippi vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 148

Projects: 8

Project Sponsors:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi

Center for Community Development, Delta State 

University (2 VISTA projects)

Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service

Mississippi Department of Human Services, 

Division of Aging and Adult Services

National Council of Black Mayors, Inc.

University of Southern Mississippi

Youth Excitement Team, Inc.

VISTA in Mississippi

Mississippi has the third highest breast cancer mortality rate in the nation. Of the more than 1,600 

Mississippians diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, 450 will eventually die from the disease. Mississippians 

are losing their lives to breast cancer at a phenomenal rate, and a mammogram can cut the death rate by as 

much as one-third. 

Women in the Mississippi Delta, the second poorest district in the United States, are particularly hard hit 

by breast cancer because of lack of access to early detection. In January 2007, the Center for Community 

and Economic Development, in conjunction with VISTA and several local partners, established the Project 

B.E.E.P. (Breast Education and Early Detection Program) to educate Delta communities about breast cancer 

and early detection. Thirteen VISTAs created and implemented an Awareness Week with help from 20 

planning committee members, 35 community volunteers, and five partners/sponsors. The VISTAs raised 

nearly $9,000 to cover the costs of mammograms and breast exams for the needy. 

During Awareness Week, 35 community volunteers contributed 300 service hours; 457 individuals were 

educated on breast cancer and given factual materials. Participants received free mammograms, free breast 

exams, and transportation stipends. 

Featured Project: Center for Community and Economic Development

Location: Mississippi Delta – Bolivar County 

Project Sponsor: Center for Community Development, Delta State 

University

Project Issue Area: Health

VISTAs: 12

Mississippi
vista Overcoming Poverty Missouri 39

No. of VISTAs: 57

Projects: 13 

Project Sponsors:

Butler County Community Resource Council

Curators of the University of Missouri (2 VISTA 

projects)

Girl Scouts of Dogwood Trails Council, Inc.

Missouri River Communities Network

Missouri State University

Pettis County Community Partnership

South Grand Senior Ministry

St. Louis Healthy Marriage Coalition

The University of Missouri-Kansas City

Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Washington County Community 2000 Partnership

YMCA

VISTA in Missouri

The goal of South Grand Senior Ministry (SGSM) is to promote productive aging by supporting lowincome seniors to live safely in their own homes. Productive aging is a concept developed to promote 

ways that older Americans can remain healthy and active within their communities well after retirement. 

SGSM helps seniors lead a physically and spiritually active life and remain socially engaged in their 

community. The VISTA project supports this goal by identifying and implementing business models that 

will generate resources to keep the ministry sustainable and no longer dependent solely on grants to 

continue to provide vital services to seniors in the St. Louis area.

VISTAs engage in a variety of activities that help SGSM ensure that seniors stay healthy and safe in their 

homes. The project provides basic services seniors cannot afford or do not have access to for various 

reasons. Services include transportation, friendly calls, exercise classes, social events, home repairs, and 

meeting many other basic, but life-sustaining, needs. VISTAs coordinate the programs, recruit volunteers, 

and leverage resources. They have written a business plan to expand the project. South Grand Senior 

Ministry currently hosts four VISTAs and plans to recruit four VISTAs as part of its expansion in the 

project’s second year. 

As a result of the support provided by VISTAs in the past year, 97 community volunteers provided housing 

assistance to seniors’ homes. Social activities were coordinated for more than 600 seniors. Sixty-four 

drivers and two coordinators provided transportation services to 238 senior riders. In 2008, SGSM began a 

new venture, Metropolitan Older Adult Resources for Life (MOAR for Life), to provide even more social 

services to meet the needs of the elderly population in St. Louis. 

Featured Project: Expanding Horizons

Location: St. Louis

Project Sponsor: South Grand Senior Ministry

Project Issue Area: Independent living

VISTAs: 4

Missouri
40 Montana vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 105

Projects: 5 

Project Sponsors:

Montana Department of Public Health and 

Human Services

Montana Legal Services Association

Richland County Health Department

University of Montana – Montana Campus 

Compact (2 VISTA projects)

VISTA in Montana

Nearly 15 percent of Montana residents were living at or below the poverty level in 2006. In some 

Montana counties, the population living in poverty was as high as 30 percent. VISTAs at Rural Dynamics 

undertake research and develop asset-creation strategies that address the unique needs of Montana’s rural 

poor. The overall project’s goal is to develop innovative programs that increase assets among low-income 

Montanans.

During the past two years, Rural Dynamics, Inc. hosted 10 VISTAs, who worked on the W.K. Kellogg Plains 

Talk Initiative, which assesses and examines ways to lessen the effects of extreme poverty in the Great 

Plains region, as well as develops programs and initiatives to promote economic growth. VISTAs analyze 

regional and community needs, contact potential partners, establish a program framework, and initiate the 

implementation of wealth creation programs. VISTAs also develop strategies to increase resources available 

to the Native American population in Montana.

Major accomplishments include: the creation of two Individual Development Account (IDA) programs for 

home ownership and education, and two others in development, including one that will support the Chief 

Dullknife Community College on the Crow Reservation; the development of a Biz Camp, which focused on 

teaching entrepreneurial skills to Native American Youth, aged 12 and 13; the development, coordination, 

and expansion of 27 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites serving more than 6,000 low-income 

families and the recruitment of 78 volunteers; a $16,995 award to expand VITA into three more counties; 

the coordination of the Rural Dynamics Family Economic Security Project; and the collaboration with the 

Governor of Montana on policy and legislation to increase assets for the indigent in Montana.

Featured Project: Rural Dynamics, Inc.

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Montana Legal Services Association

Project Issue Areas: Asset development, individual development 

accounts, financial literacy

VISTAs: 10

Montana
vista Overcoming Poverty Nebraska 41

No. of VISTAs: 29

Projects: 7

Project Sponsors:

City of Lincoln

Habitat for Humanity

Mid-West Consortium

Mosaic Community Development

Nebraska AIDS Project, Inc.

Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission

Opportunities Industrialization Center

VISTA in Nebraska 

Mosaic Community Development (MCD) is a nonprofit organization started in November 2001 to 

empower the impoverished communities of urban Omaha. MCD sponsors several programs for the 

benefit of the community. These include the Creative Educational Center, an after-school tutoring and 

mentoring program for kids in grades 1–6; Life on the Brick, a relationship building program that serves 

meals to the homeless; and Life Transitions, a holistic transitional program for those trying to break the 

cycles of poverty. 

According to the 2000 U.S. Census for the area, 12.3 percent of families live below the poverty level 

(3.1% more than the national average), and 17.4 percent of individuals (5% more than the national 

average) are below the poverty level. A faith-based organization, MCD is largely financed through private 

donations and churches, as well as an occasional grant.

VISTAs help to ensure the sustainability of MCD’s work in several ways. They are taking inventory of 

current community volunteer participation, and developing a sustainable system of recruitment that 

meets MCD’s community volunteer needs. Through the work of the VISTAs, MCD has begun to establish 

financial stability through community partnerships and has expanded fund-raising and grant writing. 

VISTAs also support the work of the organization through community outreach, and the development of 

new community development centers in response to local needs.

Featured Project: Mosaic Community Development

Location: Omaha

Project Sponsor: Mosaic Community Development

Project Issue Area: Community development

VISTAs: 6

Nebraska
42 Nevada vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 38

Projects 13

Project Sponsors: 

American Lung Association of Idaho, NV

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada

Communities in Schools of Southern Nevada

Food Bank of Northern Nevada

Friends of Special Children

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada

Habitat for Humanity International

HealthInsight

Nevada Commission for National and Community 

Service, Inc.

Nevada Natural Resource Education Council

Nevada Outdoor School

The Salvation Army of Clark County, Nevada

University of Nevada, Reno

VISTA in Nevada

Individuals and families living near or below the poverty level in southern Nevada have limited ability to 

meet their basic needs. Prior to a disaster they will not be able to secure the necessary supplies to ensure 

their safety and well-being through the initial event in a disaster.

The Salvation Army has responded to many emergencies by deploying paid staff members that are 

reassigned from their regular duties. This action has not proven to be an effective long-term strategy and 

has been costly to the organization. The purpose of the VISTA project is to develop the sustainability of 

the emergency response services by creating a trained local volunteer base to help the Salvation Army 

operate the emergency canteen needed to meet the emergency food and hydration needs of the disaster 

relief workers.

In addition to canteen volunteers, trained and educated professionals are needed to respond when 

“pastoral and emotional/mental health” needs are encountered during a disaster or emergency event. 

VISTAs assist in building capacity to train and qualify professionals, who can, after training, be available 

to meet this need. 

The VISTA project also helps provide financial stability for disaster response operations. The VISTAs raised 

$79,000, which was used to cover part of the costs of a new Disaster Mobile Canteen (valued at $150,000) 

to feed the responders and victims in the event of a disaster. The canteen, capable of producing 3,000 

meals per day, has been used to help in volunteer recruitment efforts. 

Featured Project: Emergency Disaster Services Capacity-Building

Location: Clark County

Project Sponsor: The Salvation Army of Clark County, Nevada

Project Issue Area: Emergency response

VISTAs: 1

Nevada
vista Overcoming Poverty New Hampshire 43

No. of VISTAs: 98

Projects: 8

Project Sponsors: 

American Red Cross – Manchester Chapter

City of Manchester New Hampshire

City of Nashua – Urban Programs

Northern New England Campus Compact 

Collaboration

PlusTime New Hampshire

Tri-County Community Action Program, Inc.

U.S. Foundation for the Inspiration and 

Recognition of Science and Technology

Youth Venture, Inc.

VISTA in New Hampshire

Census 2000 data shows an estimated 65,055 New Hampshire youth between ages 10 and 14 need after 

school supervision and are unable to find any because of the lack of affordable programming. At least 

15 percent of these youth are from low-income families that have working parents. According to the 

Kids Count 2001 Data Book, poor grades, inability to read at grade level, poor school attendance, and 

behavioral problems are all early warning signals for school dropout, particularly when combined 

with poverty.

Today’s youth spend approximately 20 percent of their waking hours in school. What happens during the 

remaining 80 percent of that time is critical to their development. Left unsupervised, the hours between 

3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak times for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, 

cigarettes, and sex. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2002) An estimated 23 percent of New Hampshire 

children and youth are unsupervised after school. After-school programs do more than help out with risky 

behaviors, they also offer support leading to greater academic success, stronger friendships, and greater 

expectations for the future. 

PlusTime New Hampshire VISTAs focus on building partnerships within the community, securing 

resources for after-school programs, and increasing the access to high quality training opportunities for 

program providers. PlusTime New Hampshire VISTAs have raised more than $120,000 dollars for programs 

and $46,190 worth of in-kind contributions; created funding databases, manuals, and resource lists in five 

communities, one of which will be distributed statewide; provided training to 84 after-school programs 

serving 24,000 youth; organized a statewide conference attended by 300 program directors, local 

businesses, educators, and community leaders; recruited 952 community volunteers, serving 6,502 hours, 

to engage with after-school programs; developed long-term volunteer management programs in six 

communities; and organized Youth Days of Service in eight communities.

Featured Project: PlusTime New Hampshire 

Location: Chichester

Project Sponsor: PlusTime New Hampshire 

Project Issue Areas: Education, after-school programs

VISTAs: 23

New Hampshire
44 New Jersey vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 109

Projects: 16

Project Sponsors: 

Allies, Inc.

Boys & Girls Club of Trenton/Mercer County

Community Planning & Advocacy Council

Education Works

Free Teens, USA, Inc.

Greater Brunswick Charter School

HomeFront

Institute for Global Education & Service-Learning

ITNGreaterMercer

Literacy Volunteers of Ocean County

New Jersey Commission on National and 

Community Service

New Jersey State Parole Board

Newark Emergency Services for Families, Inc.

Northwest New Jersey Community Action 

Program

St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation

The LEAGUE Powered by Learning to Give

VISTA in New Jersey

There are three key components to the successful reentry of an ex-offender into a community. One of 

these is employment. Ex-offenders continue to report difficulties finding employment due to their criminal 

history. Recognizing this problem, VISTAs assigned to the New Jersey State Parole Board coordinated a 

Job and Health Fair for parolees in the Essex County area. Specifically included were employers willing to 

hire parolees, health screeners, low-income and transitional housing and educational resources, voter 

registration, driver’s license restoration, job readiness, and training.

The VISTAs from Newark helped coordinate this event. In addition, VISTAs from Camden and Mercer 

counties assisted on the day of the event. 

For the event, VISTAs helped plan and coordinate the following activities: media coverage, advertising, 

invitations, posters and banners, town permits, refreshments, participation registration forms, vendor 

registration forms, and event site location. They also secured employers, health screeners, and local social 

agencies to attend the event.

The Job and Health Fair was a huge success, with more than 500 parolees attending. Many other local and 

state agencies attended the event and expressed a desire to be part of the next fair. Other employers called 

after the event to find out more about the project and assisting parolees. 

Featured Project: New Jersey State Parole Board

Location: Essex County, Newark

Project Sponsor: New Jersey State Parole Board

Project Issue Area: Prisoner reentry

VISTAs: 11

New Jersey
vista Overcoming Poverty New Mexico 45

No. of VISTAs: 158

Projects: 5

Project Sponsors:

Corporation for Downtown Development

New Mexico Community Foundation

New Mexico Senior Olympics, Inc.

New Mexico State Aging and Long Term Care 

Department

SER de New Mexico, Inc.

VISTA in New Mexico

Concilio Campesino del Sudoeste, Inc., is a community-based, nonprofit organization that was established 

in 1972 in southern New Mexico. Concilio addresses the needs of a population that includes seniors, youth, 

migrant/seasonal farm workers, immigrants, and a large percentage of people who are monolingual 

Spanish or bilingual. Dona Ana County includes 37 of New Mexico’s 55 federally designated 

underdeveloped communities, also referred to as colonias. The New Mexico Environment Department 

claims that 97 percent of colonias residents are U.S. citizens. The rural areas are without safe, sanitary, 

and affordable housing, drinkable water, sewer, and drainage systems (U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development). Many of the colonias are located in the northern and southern areas of the county.

The 25 Concilio VISTAs focus on community development, organizational development, and program 

development objectives. The objectives of the VISTA project are to:

■ Develop programs to address issues and needs in the community

■ Recruit and train community members to sustain proposed programs

■ Actively engage community members in addressing issues and needs in the community

■ Develop and implement a sustainable strategy model to support a time-bank to increase civic 

engagement. A time-bank is an exchange system of time, services, and expertise among neighbors to 

strengthen their community.

Featured Project: Concilio Campesino Del Sudoeste, Inc.

Location: Dona Ana County

Project Sponsor: SER de New Mexico

Project Issue Area: Community development

VISTAs: 25

New Mexico
46 New York vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 245

Projects: 42

Project Sponsors: 

Advocates for Children

Alternatives Federal Credit Union (2 VISTA 

projects)

America SCORES

American Red Cross of Greater New York

Arab American Association of New York, Inc.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters for the Capital Region

Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse

Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment 

Services, Inc.

Children for Children

City of Binghamton

Community Impact

Cornell University

Dress for Success Worldwide

East Harlem Tutorial Program

Fifth Avenue Committee

Foothills UMC

Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, Inc.

Greyston Foundation

Groundwork, Inc.

Hamilton Hills Arts Center

Helping Others Prosper Everyday 

VISTA in New York

The American Red Cross exists to meet the needs of the community by improving the quality of human 

life, enhancing self-reliance and concern for others, and helping people mitigate, prepare for, and recover 

from emergencies. This VISTA project is working to create new infrastructures within targeted low-income 

communities through the development of youth-driven Red Cross Clubs that focus on increasing public 

awareness and empowering communities to be prepared for and able to respond to local disasters.

VISTAs focus on increasing emergency preparedness in low-income communities through:

■ Creation of partnerships with local colleges, universities, and school districts to form Emergency 

Preparedness/Red Cross Clubs to increase public awareness and community preparedness events

■ Assistance to schools in implementing fund-raising events that will allow low-income community 

members to participate in Red Cross training events

■ Recruitment of community volunteers to be liaisons and club leaders to ensure the sustainability of 

all programs

Since July 2003, VISTAs have recruited more than 5,000 community volunteers who have contributed 

nearly 30,000 hours of service. VISTAs’ fund-raising efforts have generated more than $177,000 worth of 

in-kind goods and services and well over $200,000 in cash. 

Fifteen Red Cross Clubs have been created to provide low-income individuals the opportunity to learn 

about preparedness, basic first aid and CPR, and health and safety trainings.

Featured Project: New York State Emergency Preparedness Project

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: American Red Cross of Greater New York

Project Issue Area: Emergency preparedness

VISTAs: 17

New York
vista Overcoming Poverty New York 47

VISTA in New York (continued)

Highbridge Community Life Center

IMPACT Coalition

JCTOD Outreach, Inc.

Just Food

Medicare Rights Center

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty

National Association of Community Health 

Centers, Inc.

New York City Coalition Against Hunger

New York Disaster Interfaith

New York Sustainable Agriculture Working 

Group, Inc. 

Operation Exodus Inner City

Seedco

Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union

The Osborne Association

Town of West Seneca (2 VISTA projects)

Upwardly Global

Westcott Community Center, Inc.

Westhab, Inc.

Youth Venture

Preschool children have fun learning about staying safe during a disaster with the Safety First 

Program, created by Angel Rivera (left), an American Red Cross VISTA in Syracuse, New York.
48 North Carolina vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 146

Projects: 13

Project Sponsors:

Administrative Office of the Courts

Asheville City Schools Foundation

Burlington Housing Authority

Chatham Citizen Corps Council

Classroom Central

Communities in Schools of North Carolina, Inc.

Elizabeth City State University

Guilford College

Nash County

North Carolina Campus Compact (Elon University)

Olive Hill Community Economic Development 

Corporation

One Economy Corporation

Welfare Reform Liaison Project, Inc.

VISTA in North Carolina

North Carolina’s higher education institutions seek to expand their roles as community resources and 

increase student opportunities for civic engagement and service. Campus Compact enables its member 

colleges and universities to engage as key community partners, mobilizing the vast human resources of 

students, faculty, and staff to meet the needs of the host communities. Mobilizing these tremendous 

resources, member campuses respond to local needs such as youth development, hunger, housing/

homelessness, literacy, mentoring, tutoring, the environment, senior care, and poverty reduction.

VISTAs serve in volunteer, community service, and service-learning offices on campuses, mobilizing 

students to become engaged in service efforts in low-income communities. VISTAs coordinate ongoing 

service projects, one-time events, and alternative break trips. They advise student groups and help build 

their capacity to do service, develop the leadership skills of students to sustain their service efforts, lead 

students in reflection on their service, collaborate with faculty to implement service-learning curriculum 

in their classrooms, and develop and sustain partnerships with community agencies.

VISTAs recruited 18,316 volunteers, who contributed 158,418 service hours, a value of nearly $2,974,000

for North Carolina communities. The VISTAs also generated nearly $50,000 in monetary donations and 

in-kind donation worth more than $46,000.

Featured Project: North Carolina Campus Compact

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: North Carolina Campus Compact, Elon University

Project Issue Areas: Housing, education, hunger, literacy, leadership 

development

VISTAs: 34

North Carolina
vista Overcoming Poverty North Dakota 49

No. of VISTAs: 13

Projects: 1

Project Sponsor: 

North Dakota State University

VISTA in North Dakota

The number of people incarcerated for drug and alcohol abuse has increased in North Dakota and, 

therefore, the number of children at risk because of that incarceration has increased. The RSVP and 

VISTA-led Mentoring ChIPs (Children of Incarcerated Parents) program sponsored by North Dakota 

State University (NDSU) serves six RSVP offices (Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Dickinson, Minot, 

and Bismarck) in North Dakota. This mentoring program works to keep these children from following 

their parents into prison.

VISTAs created a mentoring program for this specific population of children. Their combined efforts 

resulted in a program that created a process for conducting background checks for potential mentors, 

collaborated with NDSU Extension Services to tailor a training session and manual for the mentors, 

developed a system to track mentors and mentees, designed informational documents, recruited mentors 

and mentees, wrote an informational newsletter for the mentees, received grant money to support the 

program, and arranged mentor-mentee activities. 

Since the inception of the project, 13 volunteers have mentored 17 children. Based on the evaluations 

of the children, guardians, mentors, and mentees, these mentors have had a positive influence on the 

children. The children are doing better in school, have better relationships with family and friends, 

and have a good outlook on their future. In addition, contact information for a child residing in Twisp, 

Washington, was received from an inmate at the North Dakota women’s prison, and that information 

was passed on to the Washington offices, resulting in a match for the child.

Featured Project: North Dakota State University 

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: North Dakota State University

Project Issue Area: Mentoring children of incarcerated parents

VISTAs: 13

North Dakota
50 Ohio vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 270

Projects: 31

Project Sponsors: 

American Red Cross of Summit County

Burten, Bell, Carr Development

Canton Area YMCA

Cerebral Palsy, Inc.

Children’s Hunger Alliance

City of Cleveland

Cleveland Tenants Organization

Cleveland Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug 

Abuse Outreach

Columbus Housing Partnership, Inc.

Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

Dress for Success Warren-Youngstown

East Akron Community House Association

Family & Community Services of Portage County, 

Inc.

Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless

Greater Columbus Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity (2 VISTA projects)

Ohio CDC Association

Ohio Campus Compact (2 VISTA projects)

Ohio Community Computer Centers Network

Ohio Department of Youth Services

PowerNet of Dayton

Reuse Industries

VISTA in Ohio

Growing Program Grows Assets

“Once people are no longer in crisis and wondering where their next meal is coming from, they can begin 

to work on long-term strategies to pull themselves out of poverty.” 

That’s the viewpoint of Dustin Speakman, who, as the director of the Ohio Benefit Bank VISTA program, 

understands that financial stability is the first step toward building a secure financial future. The Ohio 

Benefit Bank, implemented by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, a VISTA sponsoring 

organization since 2006, assists Ohioans living in poverty to achieve that stability by helping them gain 

access to work support programs and tax credits.

The National Council of Churches, which developed the concept of the Benefit Bank as a means to simplify 

and centralize the process of applying for many state and federal benefits, chose Ohio for its pilot project. 

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF), the state’s largest charitable response to 

hunger, became the lead agency for implementing the Ohio Benefit Bank in 2006. That same year, OASHF 

received 12 VISTAs and a VISTA Leader to help put the Benefit Bank in operation. 

A web-based, counselor-assisted program, the Ohio Benefit Bank reduces the myriad of applications for 

various work support and other public assistance programs, such as Medicaid and Food Stamps, into one 

online application. Low-income clients respond to questions, providing information that is populated to 

a secure database, which helps determine their eligibility for various programs and submits applications 

for those for which they qualify. The Benefit Bank also helps clients complete and file tax forms, all free 

of charge. 

“Clients leave our offices relieved, with peace of mind that their applications are complete and knowing 

that help is on the way,” said VISTA Amy Schlueter, assigned to OASHF’s regional foodbank in Toledo.

Featured Project: OASHF The Benefit Bank 

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks

Project Issue Area: Asset development

VISTAs: 13

Ohio
vista Overcoming Poverty Ohio 51

VISTA in Ohio (continued)

Rural Action, Inc.

Southern State Community College (2 VISTA 

projects)

Spirit of Peace CDC

The Keren Emrich Foundation

The Legal Aid Society of Columbus

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest 

Foodbanks

Schlueter and her fellow VISTAs assigned to the 12 regional food banks recruit new organizations to 

become Ohio Benefit Bank sites. They set up training for the organizations’ staff and volunteer counselors 

on the software and the basics of taxes and work-support programs to help individuals with their tax 

preparation and application for public benefits. They also invite local financial institutions to partner with 

Benefit Bank sites to open accounts for clients and sponsor financial literacy fairs. 

“Not only does the program teach staff members and volunteers of faith-based and community 

organizations how to navigate the software,” said VISTA Suzanna Witte, “but it also works to take the 

mystery out of public benefits and the application process.” 

In addition to preparing training for all new Ohio Benefit Bank tax and benefit counselors, OASHF’s VISTAs 

conduct hunger-relief efforts at their assigned food banks. VISTAs coordinate backpack programs with local 

schools that send children home with a backpack full of food for the weekends. They are also involved 

with Kid’s Cafes, a program through which foodbanks provide free meals and healthy snacks to children 

who attend community-based after-school programs. 

As the Benefit Bank program expands, OASHF, which views its AmeriCorps VISTA project as a way to 

develop anti-hunger and anti-poverty leaders of tomorrow, fills many new staff positions with former 

VISTAs from the program. In July 2007, Jessica May, who developed 15 Ohio Benefit Bank sites and 

VISTAs Tom Hale, Amy Schlueter, and 

Haley Wightman celebrate the grand 

opening of The Ohio Benefit Bank.
52 Ohio vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Ohio (continued)

coordinated training for more than 50 counselors, completed her VISTA service and became an OASHF 

regional coordinator. 

“My experience with this project has influenced all facets of my life,” May said. “I am more aware of, and 

sensitive to, issues of poverty....I have learned the value of interacting with community members, and 

truly giving them a sense that their situations and opinions have just as much merit as everyone else’s.” 

May is also a transformed person. Her life goals and character have changed. “I am now passionate about 

social change, and because this project gave me more self confidence, I believe I am capable of making 

social change a reality,” she said.

Since September 2006, VISTAs have developed more than 650 Ohio Benefit Bank sites and coordinated 

training for more than 2,500 counselors. According to Speakman, these sites have returned more than 

$20 million in tax credits and work support program benefits to low- and moderate-income Ohioans. 

The VISTA team also secured in-kind donations totaling more than $100,000 and nearly $30,000 in cash 

resources. 

“The success of the Ohio Benefit Bank and the real impact it is having on the lives of Ohioans would not 

be possible without all of OASHF’s partners, particularly the Corporation for National and Community 

Service,” Speakman concluded. “The VISTA team is the backbone of the Ohio Benefit Bank movement.”

 VISTA Suzanna Witte prepares for an 

Ohio Benefit Bank tax training session.

Participants learn how to use the webbased Benefit Bank software to help lowincome Ohioans compute their taxes.
vista Overcoming Poverty Oklahoma 53

No. of VISTAs: 110

Projects: 11

Project Sponsors: 

7th Generation Community Services Corporation

Ada Regional United Way, Inc.

Bartlesville Regional United Way

Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, Inc.

Crawford County Volunteers for Literacy (2 VISTA 

projects)

Eagle Ridge Institute

Oklahoma CASA Association

Oklahoma State Department of Education

Stillwater Children’s Museum

World Won Development Center

VISTA in Oklahoma

Getting a Second Chance 

Incarcerated people face an unfriendly and often unfamiliar world when they are released from prison. 

Provided only $50 and a bus ticket, it is not uncommon for released prisoners to have no identification, 

nothing but prison-made clothes, and no means to obtain housing, work, health care, transportation, 

and other needs. Family relationships have often been severed, and support networks from the past are 

no longer in place. Prospective employers and landlords are reluctant to accept them. 

Thomas Harris has a firsthand acquaintance with these staggering challenges. Released from an Oklahoma 

prison after serving 31 years, Harris had to come to grips with the world around him and how it differed 

from his prison environment. He faced the people he once knew and found the strength to start 

a new beginning on the outside. 

Harris now inspires and encourages incarcerated men and women to strive for a better life through a 

prisoner reintegration program called Fitting Back In. The program helps former inmates reenter their 

communities as productive, valuable members of society. A VISTA with the program since 2006, Harris 

frequently makes presentations in prisons about Fitting Back In and its services. He openly shares his 

account of survival and his struggle with fitting back in society, especially with young people. “My 

testimony,” Harris explained, “lets them see the most precious thing on earth is freedom, and what you 

do with that freedom.”

Fitting Back In, run by World Won Development Center in Tulsa, is a three-phase, six-month program 

that works with offenders in prison and after they leave prison. Phase one involves a pre-release 

preparation course and a heavy emphasis on life skills in an effort to transform the criminal thinking 

process and establish a new foundation for productive growth. In phase two, participants begin 

reintegration by performing community service with other agencies and joining the workforce. Phase 

three includes follow-up care support: matching participants with a mentor and assisting them with 

finding employment and affordable housing.

Featured Project: Fitting Back In 

Location: Tulsa, Okmulgee, Miami, and Oklahoma City

Project Sponsor: World Won Development Center

Project Issue Area: Prisoner Reentry

VISTAs: 66

Oklahoma
54 Oklahoma vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Oklahoma (continued) A team of VISTAs renders skills and knowledge to advance the capacity and goals of Fitting Back In. VISTAs 

assist with establishing the organizational structure of the program, educating the community on reentry 

issues, and publicizing the program reentry strategy. They also leverage partner relationships with local 

organizations, businesses, churches, prison facilities, colleges, corporations, and government agencies. 

And like Harris, some VISTAs are former inmates, who provide encouragement and empathy and serve as 

role models for Fitting Back In participants. Their personal experience makes them a critical asset to the 

work of Fitting Back In.

George Caddy is such an asset. When his sons went to prison, Caddy gained insight into the complexities 

of incarceration and the way families are affected. “Because of my personal experience, my heart is in the 

work that I am doing,” said Caddy, a VISTA who leads a team that focuses on outreach to inmates in 12 

Oklahoma state correctional facilities to encourage participation in the reintegration program. “The need 

is so great and so rewarding to the people that we help. It’s a win-win situation,” Caddy concluded.

“The ex-offender population is one of the most discriminated against groups in the country,” noted VISTA 

Carolyn McCoy, a 64-year-old grandmother, who brings many years of experience as a public administrator 

and social service professional to her role at the Fitting Back In satellite office in Oklahoma City. As the site 

coordinator, McCoy trains volunteers, makes community contacts, collaborates with other organizations, 

Thomas Harris (right), a former inmate 

and now a VISTA at Fitting Back In, likes 

to share his prison experience with 

young people. “So far I’ve been plenty 

successful in expressing the horrors, 

disadvantages, stress, pressures, and 

sorrow that await you in prison,” he said.

“You never know if you are going to be 

able to wake up the next morning. My 

testimony lets them see that the most 

precious thing on earth is freedom, 

and what you do with that freedom.”
vista Overcoming Poverty Oklahoma 55

VISTA in Oklahoma (continued)

and develops community resources and programs to assist former inmates with job readiness skills, 

financial management competence, and behavior modification. 

The true success of Fitting Back In is its ability to keep graduates of the program from returning to 

prison. An astounding 50 percent to 70 percent of ex-offenders return to prison in Oklahoma. Fitting 

Back In has cut that rate for its graduates.

“Between 2006 and 2007, we increased awareness about the growing number of recidivists in our 

community and generated excellent publicity from our local news media,” said Billon Constable, 

executive director of World Won Development Center. “With the assistance of our VISTAs and community 

volunteers, we generated more than $75,000 in cash and in-kind donations, and we offered many 

programs and provided a safe and nurturing environment for more than 120 ex-offenders. Through the 

efforts of our VISTAs and community volunteers,” Constable continued, “not only have our clients 

received great professional and trade jobs, many have also reconciled with their families, purchased their 

own transportation, and mentored youth in their communities.” According to Constable, none of the 

program’s participants have gone back to prison since the program started in 2006. 

“After my prison experience, and dealing with people since I have been out, it made me realize death is 

not the greatest loss of life,” Harris said. “The greatest loss in life is what we let die inside while we live.”

“I know we have made a great impact 

on the city of Tulsa and our community 

because I have witnessed the lives that 

have been changed,” said George Caddy, 

a VISTA at Fitting Back In who conducts 

outreach to inmates in 12 Oklahoma state 

prisons. “When people’s lives are changed, 

it changes the community and everyone in 

the community,” Caddy said.
56 Oregon vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 108

Projects: 26

Project Sponsors:

African American Health Coalition

American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter 

(2 VISTA projects)

Catholic Community Services

Community Services Consortium

Four Rivers Health Care

Habitat for Humanity International

Heart of Oregon

Human Solutions

Lane County Department of Children and Families

Lewis & Clark College

Marion-Polk Food Share, Inc.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Oregon 

Chapter

Native American Youth and Family Center

Northwest Housing Alternatives, Inc

Oregon Commission for Voluntary Action & 

Service

Oregon Microenterprise Network

Portland Impact

Portland State University

SE Works

Southeast Uplift

The National Indian Child Welfare Association

VISTA in Oregon

Early College Fulfills Dreams for Native American Youth

The test for a newly minted graduate is often the same: Will my new degree provide me with the skills 

and knowledge I need to succeed in the next steps of my life? For a VISTA in Portland, Oregon, serving 

at the Native American Youth and Family Center, the answer is a resounding yes and maybe a lot more.

A graduate of Portland State University with a Masters Degree in Public Administration and an emphasis in 

nonprofit management, Heather Pruess is using her education and passion for volunteering as a VISTA to 

make a difference in the lives of the American Indian and Alaskan Native youth and their families. At the 

Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), which serves the Portland Metropolitan area, Pruess 

works at the NAYA Early College Academy, the nonprofit organization’s newest endeavor.

“In my role, I am responsible for creating the student and staff handbooks, managing volunteer recruitment, 

and overseeing aspects of the school’s infrastructure, both physical and programmatic,” Pruess said.

In September 2007, the NAYA Early College Academy opened its doors to 9th–12th graders seeking a 

hands-on, culturally relevant, student-centered learning environment that offers a blended high school 

and post-secondary curriculum. In Multnomah County, Native American students have a drop out rate of 

19.6 percent each year, compared with the general population of 6.3 percent. For those that leave school, 

the prospects are not promising. In Multnomah County, 50 percent of the Native Americans live well 

below the poverty level.

“My favorite moments at the NAYA Family Center have been those when the community is gathered and 

folks are reflecting on the love and hope that it holds for the students of the Academy,” explained Pruess. 

“In my seventh month here the benefits have exceeded what I initially hoped for or imagined.”

For over 30 years, NAYA Family Center has provided educational services, cultural arts programming, and 

direct support to reduce poverty to the Portland Metropolitan Area’s American Indian and Alaska Native 

Featured Project: Capacity Building in Native Communities

Location: Portland

Project Sponsor: Native American Youth and Family Center

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 10

Oregon
vista Overcoming Poverty Oregon 57

VISTA in Oregon (continued)

Tillamook County Commission on Children and 

Families

Umpqua Community Action Network

Western Oregon University

Youth Progress Association

community—the ninth largest native community in the United States with over 38,000 individuals. As an 

urban Indian agency, NAYA Family Center serves annually more than 1,200 youth and their families from 

nearly 300 different tribes. 

Pruess serves with eight other VISTAs at the NAYA Family Center. Now operating in its second year, the 

VISTA team is strengthening the agency infrastructure to solidify its management systems and identify and 

address opportunities to catalyze organizational growth. VISTAs design educational curriculum, develop 

new resources for donations, and set up programs to recruit and manage volunteers. They are also a key 

to enhancing community partnerships and improving communication throughout the Portland area 

regarding critical areas of need. 

VISTAs at the NAYA Family Center work 

to build the organization’s capacity and 

infrastructure. The VISTAs meet twice 

monthly to reconnect, share successes 

and frustrations, receive feedback, and 

plan group service projects. “Our work 

has a positive impact on the Portland 

native community and the students at 

the academy,” said VISTA Heather Pruess 

(far right). It is also part of an effort to 

alleviate poverty.
58 Oregon vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Oregon (continued) VISTA Shannon Effler developed and implemented a standardized client filing system to increase the 

efficiency and effectiveness of the youth services department at the NAYA Family Center. “I know that 

every system I develop eases the load of the case managers and advocates. Now they have more time to 

spend with clients,” Effler said. “I help to alleviate poverty by building the capacity of NAYA to carry 

through on its mission.”

“Each of the VISTA assignments directly impacts and supports growth in the areas of community building, 

housing, economic development, and civic engagement,” said Lynn Ward, who supervises the VISTA team. 

Thanks in part to Pruess’s efforts, “the Academy has helped NAYA become a leader in addressing 

widespread poverty through education.”

Education at the Academy goes beyond helping local youth receive the education they need to better their 

lives, it also touches the VISTAs. “I was lucky enough to begin my position before the school opened, 

allowing me to witness and participate in the creation of a school,” Pruess said. “I am learning that ... 

dedicated folks can enact positive change in any community.” 

For any new graduate, that might be the greatest lesson of all.

 VISTA Heather Pruess (second from right) 

creates the student and staff handbooks 

and recruits volunteers at the NAYA Family 

Center’s newly opened Early College 

Academy. Here she reviews the student 

handbook with (from left) Juan Spotted Elk, 

Kalene Desrosiers, and Aasin Willeto.

“I was lucky enough to begin my VISTA 

position before the school opened, 

allowing me to both witness and participate 

in the creation of a school,” Pruess said.
vista Overcoming Poverty Pennsylvania 59

No. of VISTAs: 236

Projects: 36

Project Sponsors:

Allegheny College

Ayuda Community Center

Big Brothers Big Sisters State Association of 

Pennsylvania

BuildaBridge International

Catholic Social Service

Central Northside Neighborhood Council

Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit

City Year, Inc.

Community Action Agency of Delaware County

Community Action Association of Pennsylvania

Community First Fund

Community Prevention Partnership of Berks 

County

Empowerment Group

Family Service of Montgomery County 

Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements

Headwaters Resource Conversation and 

Development Council

National Nursing Centers Consortium

North Hills Community Outreach

Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education 

Center

PathWaysPA

Pennsylvania Campus Compact

VISTA in Pennsylvania

Collaborative Project Supports Children and Families 

to Crack the Cycle of Poverty

When resources of local colleges, community volunteers, and VISTAs come together on the issues facing 

a population in need, the results for all involved can be very positive. An illuminating example is the 

Northwestern Pennsylvania Children and Youth Project. With 19 VISTAs, two VISTA Leaders, and 

hundreds of college students and other volunteers operating in a two-county area to address the needs 

of low-income children, the benefits flow in several directions.

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Children and Youth Project, a collaborative effort by Allegheny College, 

Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Mercyhurst College, consists of three initiatives: addressing 

the physical and mental health needs of children and their families, improving parenting skills and family 

communications, and enhancing educational programming and outcomes for primary school age children.

“The physical and mental heath issues include nutrition, tobacco use, addictions, and teen pregnancy,” 

noted David Roncolato, manager of the Children and Youth project and director of Community Service 

and Service-Learning at Allegheny College.

Since 2002, VISTA has supported virtually every aspect of the project, including building the capacity of 

organizations delivering social services; developing systems to manage recruitment and training of college 

students to mentor children and families; tutoring children in reading, math, and other basic subjects; and 

teaching family communications skills. 

Eileen Gallagher, a VISTA for two years and now a VISTA leader with the Children and Youth project, 

mobilizes college volunteers and supports the Children and Youth project and eight VISTAs at various 

agencies across Crawford County. “I facilitate service opportunities for Allegheny College students, in 

collaboration with VISTA sites in the community,” Gallagher explained, noting that she has “sent college 

students into the community to do meaningful work, such as youth literacy tutoring, building a 

Featured Project: Children and Youth VISTA Project in Northwestern 

Pennsylvania

Location: Crawford and Erie Counties

Project Sponsor: Allegheny College

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 21

Pennsylvania 
60 Pennsylvania vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Pennsylvania (continued)

People’s Emergency Center

Philly Fellows

Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity

Public/Private Ventures (AMACHI)

SHARE Food Program

Tabor Community Services, Inc.

Temple University (Project Shine)

To Our Children’s Future With Health, Inc.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

United Way of Blair County

United Way of Pennsylvania

United Way of Pike County, Inc.

United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania

Urban Affairs Coalition

Volunteer Centers of Pennsylvania

wheelchair ramp, visiting the elderly, and feeding the hungry at the soup kitchen.” Gallagher is also a 

resource for local VISTAs and a member of the Children and Youth project’s leadership team. Through 

the years, Gallagher said, “I hope I have led by example.” 

VISTA Sadie Litzinger served for a year at the Crawford County Children’s Advisory Council, enhancing 

the council’s capacity to promote the health, education, safety, and wellness of children and families in 

Crawford County. Acting as a technical advisor, Litzinger created a formal structure and strategic plan for 

the council. She developed bylaws and facilitated the election of officers and formation of work committees. 

“By helping the members of the Children’s Advisory Council work together more cohesively,” Litzinger 

said, “I am helping the populations that it serves, be it school students, those in the mental health 

population, or those affected by domestic violence issues.”

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Children and Youth Project also collaborates with the International 

Institute of Erie to resettle recent immigrants. Many of these immigrants, having spent time in refugee 

camps abroad, continue to deal with the fear and apprehension associated with their experiences in those 

camps. VISTAs create programs that help immigrant families ease into American society. The programs 

help them learn English and American culture, develop financial literacy skills, and become self-sufficient. 

 VISTA Carley Whitley (left) coordinates 

teen programs at the County YMCA in 

Edinboro. At a Teen Night she organized 

for Halloween, festivities included an 

apple-bobbing contest, dancing, pizza 

‘n pop, a dodge ball tournament, limbo 

contest, and a special prize for the person 

wearing the funniest costume. When 

Whitley’s VISTA term ends, she wants to 

follow the path to being a youth pastor.
vista Overcoming Poverty Pennsylvania 61

VISTA in Pennsylvania (continued)

 “Our English as a second language and financial literacy classes help approximately 80 percent of refugees 

find and hold a job within six months after their arrival,” said Melody Yeouze, a VISTA at the International 

Institute of Erie. Benefits of the program run both ways, according to Yeouze. “What I did not expect was 

how much they would teach me,” she said. “Most of the time at the International Institute, I feel that I am 

the student and being taught a new life lesson each day.”

In the long run, clients of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Children and Youth Project face much better 

odds of getting out of poverty through increased access to resources and information about household 

finances, as well as through tutoring and other strategies designed to improve their educational 

performance. The project places VISTAs with social service agencies dedicated to working with children 

and youth, many of which partner with higher education institutions. 

The VISTAs increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the agency programs, according to Roncolato. 

“This year, the VISTAs and their agencies have mobilized 1,871 college students to work with 2,494 

elementary school children, 412 middle- and high-school students, and 21,272 families in low-income 

communities,” he said. The VISTAs also raised more than $140,000 in cash donations and $22,460 

in-kind donations.

VISTAs Sadie Litzinger (left) and 

Megan Thro (right) participate in a 

VISTA recruiting event at Allegheny 

College in Meadville, Penn. Litzinger 

serves with the Children and Youth VISTA 

Project of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Thro serves with the Center for Family 

Services’ Parenting Together program.
62 Puerto Rico vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 178

Projects: 35

Project Sponsors:

American Cancer Society

Asociacion Mayaguezana de Personas con 

Impedimentos, Inc.

Asociacion Pro Juventud y Comunidad del Barrio 

Palmas

Autonomous Municipality of Juyaya

Cantera Peninsula Project

Centro de Intervencion e Integracion Paso a Paso, 

Inc.

Centros Sor Isolina Ferre, Inc.

Coalicion Criolla de Cuidado Continuo a Personas 

sin Hogar

Coalition Pro-Homeless of the Eastern Area

Fondos Unidos De Puerto Rico

Gobierno Municipal de Vega Alta

Hogar Maria del Carmen, Inc.

La Tierra Prometida, Inc.

Mayaquez Children’s Library

Municipality of Caguas-Community Development

Municipality of Maunabo

Municipality of Moca-Mayors Office

Oficina para la Promocion y el Desarrollo Humano

Oikos, Inc. (Tu Centro Familiar)

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico

Prensa Comunitaria

Programa De Apoyo Y Enlace Comunitario, Inc.

Programa de Enlace y Servicio Comunitario, Inc 

Proyecto La Nueva Esperanza, Inc.

Puerto Rico Assistive Technology Program

Puerto Rico Office of the Ombudsman for the Elderly

Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation

Puerto Rico Youth At Risk, Inc.

Red de Ayuda Comunal de Emergencias, Inc.

San Agustin Del Coqui

Sports and Recreation Department

St. Luke’s Home Care and Hospice Program

Universidad del Este

Universidad del Turabo-AGMUS

University of the Sacred Heart

VISTA in Puerto Rico

Hogar Maria del Carmen is a home for the elderly that provides permanent housing and health care to 

those who have limited or no financial means of support; it also provides temporary emergency shelter 

and assistance to help needy elderly gain access to government programs and move into permanent 

housing situations. 

More than 17 percent of the 611 homeless in the project area comprising Aguadilla, Moca, Rincon, Isabela, 

and Aguada are elderly. Almost 96 percent of these homeless elderly have no financial means of support 

and limited or no familial intervention. Chronic health and mental conditions are amplified by no access 

to medical care and the overall circumstances related to life on the streets. Many elderly are eligible for 

government services but are intimidated or confused by bureaucratic systems and often do not complete 

paperwork to access needed services. 

VISTAs established a Volunteer Management Program, including a process for recruiting, retaining, and 

recognizing volunteers, which resulted in 30 new volunteers for the Hogar Maria del Carmen. They also 

worked on mobilizing resources, including identifying funding sources, preparing applications for funds, 

requesting donations, and identifying and contacting partners and community collaborators. Furthermore, 

they coordinated outreach efforts to identify homeless elderly and help them obtain access to services.

VISTA’s efforts resulted in the donation of a private residence (estimated value $168,000), to which the 

facility was recently relocated. VISTAs established contact with the pastor of a church in New York who 

arranged for a group of 10 youths to come to the home for four days to help paint the new facility inside 

and out. VISTAs obtained in-kind donations for all materials and equipment for this project. 

VISTAs also procured a $25,000 donation for operational support from a U.S. donor, with promises of 

continuing support. Outreach efforts have resulted in 18 elderly getting off the street into emergency, 

transitional, and permanent shelters; more than 100 obtaining eligibility for services including medical 

care and medicine from the State Medical Plan; 15 obtaining a health certificate; 15 receiving food stamps; 

20 receiving Meals on Wheels; and 29 being referred for mental care and substance abuse treatment. 

Finally, more than 450 indigent and homeless individuals participated in a health fair organized by VISTAs.

Featured Project: Hogar Maria del Carmen 

Location: Aguada

Project Sponsor: Hogar Maria del Carmen

Project Issue Areas: Health care, housing

VISTAs: 5

Puerto Rico
vista Overcoming Poverty Rhode Island 63

No. of VISTAs: 88

Projects: 19

Project Sponsors:

AIDS Care Ocean State

American Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter

AS220

City Year, Inc.

Community Mediation Center of Rhode Island

English for Action

Family Life Center

Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence

New England Farm Workers’ Council, Inc.

Providence Emergency Management Agency

Providence Police Department

Providence Youth Student Movement

Rhode Island Free Clinic

Rhode Island School of Design (for RI Campus 

Compact)

Rhode Island Training School

Volunteer Center of Rhode Island

Westbay Community Action, Inc.

Woodlawn Community Development Corporation

Woonasquatucket Valley Community Build

VISTA in Rhode Island

Volunteers Do It All at Free Health Clinic

Volunteers have made the Rhode Island Free Clinic the place it is today—an integral part of the health care 

delivery system in Rhode Island. The newly renovated, state-of-the art clinic in South Providence is the 

only site in the state dedicated exclusively to providing free medical care and preventive health services to 

people who are not insured and cannot afford medical care.

From patient care to data entry to Spanish interpreting, community volunteers help the clinic keep the 

uninsured healthy. Volunteers treat patients. Volunteers run patient workshops and healthy cooking 

demonstrations. Volunteers schedule patient visits, assist with medications, and obtain outside lab and 

referral services. 

It is a volunteer, in fact, who manages the clinic’s diverse group of more than 200 unpaid helpers. As the 

volunteer coordinator, VISTA Rishana Sklaroff Cohen works with the clinical staff to ensure that all clinic 

sessions are fully staffed with volunteers. The volunteer pool comes from all walks of life and includes 

physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, medical students, undergraduate 

students, retired professionals, and members of the community. 

“I am responsible for establishing and maintaining the clinic’s volunteer infrastructure, so that the clinic 

is able to provide quality health care services to uninsured adults in Rhode Island,” said Cohen, who 

graduated from Oberlin College in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry. “There 

are few opportunities for uninsured adults to obtain health care, and by providing this service we are 

building a healthier, stronger community,” she explained.

Each day at the clinic brings challenges and rewards for Cohen, who said, “This is particularly true on the 

days when there are few volunteers scheduled.” She takes great satisfaction in knowing that because of her 

work, patients receive much needed health care services. “Through my efforts, I am able to schedule 

another provider or interpreter to come in and make sure all our patients are seen.”

Featured Project: Rhode Island Free Clinic

Location: Providence

Project Sponsor: Rhode Island Free Clinic

Project Issue Area: Health care

VISTAs: 3

Rhode Island
64 Rhode Island vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Rhode Island (continued) Jessica Knapp, another VISTA who recently 

completed her service at the clinic, oversaw fundraising and boosted the clinic’s visibility in the 

larger community through media relations. Knapp 

began her VISTA service during an “exciting time 

of growth” for the community-based nonprofit 

health center. “I was lucky,” she said. “The clinic 

was in the process of moving into a new space that 

tripled its patient capacity. The preparation for this 

move was a huge project, and I helped coordinate 

a community volunteer day to assist in our move. 

More than 60 volunteers from in and around 

Providence came to help us set up furniture, move 

supplies, and prepare the new space for our 

patients,” Knapp recalled. “The move made it 

possible for the clinic to provide health care to 

even more uninsured Rhode Islanders.”

The clinic recently brought on a third VISTA, Kimberly Lay, to help develop its research capabilities and 

manage the electronic health records system. “I implemented and maintain the system, and train 

volunteers and staff members to use it,” said Lay, a recipient of a master’s degree in microbiology, who 

plans to attend medical school. Lay also uses the system to track outcomes, collect patient information to 

generate reports for grants, and increase the capacity for research in chronic disease management. 

“I coordinate the work of a variety of volunteers and make many decisions that affect how the clinic is run,” 

said Lay. She also coordinates the Patient Assistance Program, which procures free medication for the clinic’s 

uninsured patients. The community volunteers she mobilizes help patients with the application process, order 

refills, notify patients when their medications are available, and educate patients about the program. ”The 

volunteers are dedicated and advocate for the patients to ensure they get the best possible care,” she said.

Serving at the clinic reminds Lay of the challenges people in poverty must overcome. “Growing up in 

poverty has motivated me to help others to get the care they need so that they are able to make a change,” 

said Lay, the daughter of Cambodian refugees. “For many impoverished people, the only way to improve 

their lives is for them to become educated about how to make those changes, starting with their own wellbeing. VISTA has given me the opportunity to work with low-income individuals in a health care setting 

and to educate them on how to live healthier lives.” 

Since the first two VISTAs arrived several years ago at Rhode Island Free Clinic, Executive Director Lisa 

Smolski said she has witnessed expansion across all areas of the organization. “Volunteer hours increased. 

VISTA Kimberly Lay coordinates research 

at Rhode Island Free Clinic and leads the

data-entry team that is converting the

clinic’s paper records to electronic files.
vista Overcoming Poverty Rhode Island 65

VISTA in Rhode Island (continued)

Dollars that were raised to support operations more than doubled,” Smolski said. “Our VISTAs have also 

increased our visibility in the larger community through the media, resulting in increased numbers of 

volunteers, donated services, and charitable donations. The most important measure of the program’s 

success is the number of patient visits, which grew by nearly 50 percent.”

Rhode Island Free Clinic is only as good as the volunteers and small core staff who make it work. “These 

are the people who believe in our mission and its ability to make a real difference in people’s lives,” 

Smolski said. ”Our VISTAs are a critical part of all that we do and every accomplishment that we have 

enjoyed. They bring enthusiasm, commitment, idealism, and a willingness to work and learn that is an 

inspiration to us all. They have become a part of our organization and its culture—with each VISTA 

building on the efforts of those who have come before.”

Jessica Knapp, a VISTA community 

coordinator at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, 

instructs community volunteers during the 

clinic relocation to a more spacious facility.
66 South Carolina vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 156

Projects: 16

Project Sponsors:

Alpha Bora Comprehensive Services

Berean Community Development Corp.

College of Charleston

Communities In Schools of the Midlands

Community Development & Improvement 

Corporation

Community Development Corporation of Marlboro 

County

Community Organization for Rights and 

Empowerment

Habitat for Humanity International

James R. Clark Memorial Sickle Cell Foundation

Ministering Life in the Kingdom of God, Inc.

Need Supplied Ministries

Noisette Foundation

South Carolina Association of Community 

Development Corporations

United Way of the Midlands

United Way of the Piedmont

YWCA of Greenville

VISTA in South Carolina

In 2007, the Noisette Foundation, one of 12 organizations awarded a VISTA Prisoner Reentry Project, 

created an innovative partnership with city government, community and faith-based organizations, and 

elementary schools. The goal of the partnership is to address issues affecting the communities in the 

Lowcountry, including: high percentage rate of student failures in a financially challenged Charleston 

County school district, environmental erosion of the Noisette Creek Preserve located in an improvised area 

of N. Charleston, lack of available resources to small minority contractors whose businesses were at risk of 

failure, and high recidivism rate and lack of prisoner reentry support services in the Lowcountry Region. 

Each Noisette Foundation partner hosts at minimum one VISTA, who focuses on helping the partner 

agency create a sustainable infrastructure for organizational development; program development; resource 

development; and volunteer recruitment, retention, and management.

During the past two years, VISTAs serving with the prisoner reentry project have achieved several results, 

including: securing more than $25,000 in donations to furnish a training center; expanding the local 

reentry advisory committee to include law enforcement members, community leaders, service providers, 

policy-makers, educators, and ex-offenders; strengthening the relationship with South Carolina Prison 

Fellowship, which led to a collaboration with the SPICE (Self-Paced In Class Education) Program at South 

Carolina Department of Corrections; joining The Corps Network, a Washington, DC-based advocacy and 

technical assistance organization, which led to AmeriCorps National funding for the Noisette Foundation 

Lowcounty Civic Justice Corps (LCJC); developing a partnership with the Sustainability Institute and Urban 

Alliance to implement green building techniques and energy-efficient appliances in the construction work 

that LCJC performs; and developing SC STRONG, a self-sustaining re-education program for ex-offenders. 

Featured Project: Civic Justice Corps of Metro Charleston

Location: Charleston

Project Sponsor: Noisette Foundation

Project Issue Areas: Housing, job development, technology, asset 

development, financial literacy, education, environment

VISTAs: 7

South Carolina
vista Overcoming Poverty South Dakota 67

No. of VISTAs: 19

Projects: 3

Project Sponsors: 

Children’s Home Society

University of South Dakota

Volunteers of America, Dakotas

VISTA in South Dakota

Fully 90 percent of the people served by Volunteers of America, Dakotas live below the federal poverty 

level. More than half are Native Americans and 10 percent are immigrants and refugees new to the state. 

Nearly 50 percent of the youth served in the residential facilities have no family home to return to and 

almost all of the youth lack the skills needed to live successfully on their own. 

Approximately 30 percent of the youth who come to the drop-in center are homeless, have no food or 

clothing, and little, if any, family support.

Recognizing the importance that one adult can make in the life of a child, VISTAs have developed 

volunteer recruitment processes, established a volunteer retention plan, and developed information about 

volunteering targeted specifically at baby boomers and college students. Other VISTA activities have 

focused on the importance of assisting other nonprofit agencies that have a need for volunteers to help 

support their programs, especially in rural areas like South Dakota. The VISTAs have begun looking for 

mentors for the youth in the programs, working directly with programs in developing processes of 

outreach to the streets, and also working directly with tribal communities. 

Although the Brighter Tomorrows Project is new, 473 volunteers were recruited during its first year. 

VISTAs assisted in raising $421,704 in cash resources and $23,422 worth of in-kind resources. The money 

raised will allow projects to continue critical services in their community. The volunteers recruited will 

help programs offer more activities for their participants.

Featured Project: Brighter Tomorrows 

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: Volunteers of America, Dakotas

Project Issue Areas: Strengthening America’s Children and Families

VISTAs: 13

South Dakota
68 Tennessee vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 130

Projects: 17 

Project Sponsors: 

Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 

Tennessee Heartland

Graceworks Ministries, Inc.

Habitat for Humanity International

Metropolitan Board of Education Community 

Career Center

Moccasin Bend Girl Scout Council

National Alliance on Mental Illness, Tennessee

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast 

Tennessee

Tennessee Commission on Aging & Disability

Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth

Tennessee Literacy Coalition

Tennessee State University

Tennessee’s Community Assistance Corporation 

(2 VISTA projects)

United Way of the Mid-South

United Ways of Tennessee

West Tennessee Special Technology Access 

Resource Center (2 VISTA projects)

VISTA in Tennessee

Local and state budget challenges cause high caseloads for foster care caseworkers and juvenile court. 

The result is a lack of case-management attention to children in state custody (mostly in foster homes) 

and significant delays in reestablishing safe and permanent home environments. The impact on these 

children is measured in acting-out behaviors, school suspensions, poor academic performance, poor 

self-image, low promotion rates, and high school dropout rates. The presence of adult advocates shortens 

foster care placements and (overall) improves all negative impacts of state custody. Many Tennessee 

communities have no child advocate programs.

In this CASA project, VISTAs build court and community partnerships, raise local support funding, recruit 

community volunteers, create and implement community outreach programs, develop or enhance advocate 

training systems, and develop or enhance organizational infrastructure sufficient for the local community 

to sustain an active CASA affiliate organization.

VISTA service has created four new local CASA affiliates that are now fully sustained by the community. 

Three additional affiliates are close to being sustainable. VISTAs have recruited and helped train more than 

100 new advocates and raised more than $350,000 to support local CASA organizations. New local CASA 

organizations and advocates have worked with more than 500 abused and neglected children, with an 

overall result of shortening the time required for children to return to safe and permanent home settings. 

Residual effects on these Tennessee children include reduced truancy and delinquent behaviors; reduced 

school suspensions and grade retentions; improved academic performance; and improved attitude, 

socialization and self-image.

Featured Project: CASA of the Tennessee Heartland 

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsor: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the 

Tennessee Heartland 

Project Issue Area: Child abuse and neglect

VISTAs: 10

Tennessee
vista Overcoming Poverty Texas 69

VISTA in Texas

Texas faces a critical challenge. Demographic projections show that unless the state reverses the trend 

of declining college participation and success rates, Texas will become less educated, less prosperous, 

less economically competitive, and have fewer opportunities and a lower quality of life for its people. 

The Texas State Demographer projects that if past downward trends in participation in higher education 

are not corrected, by 2040 the annual loss in household income will exceed $80 billion. All the ensuing 

consequences of this loss—related to economic competitiveness, quality of life, and opportunity for 

all the people of the state—will be felt most acutely by those in poverty. This projected economic 

impact was a major reason for the creation in 2000 of Texas’ higher education plan, Closing the Gaps 

by 2015.

College for Texans is an 

unprecedented statewide 

initiative that informs and 

advises low-income families 

about the benefits of higher 

education. The College for 

Texans’ slogan is Education: 

Go Get It, and a cornerstone 

strategy of the program is 

the creation of “Go Centers” 

in high schools that provide 

college information, 

motivation, and assistance to 

students and their families. 

VISTAs create Go Centers in 

low-income high schools 

and their feeder schools in 

Featured Project: Go Centers for Texas

Location: Austin, San Antonio, and Houston

Project Sponsor: College for All Texans Foundation

Project Issue Area: Youth development

VISTAs: 15

Texas

No. of VISTAs: 321

Projects: 53

Project Sponsors: 

A Circle of Ten

Abundance Living, Inc.

Admission Control

Advocacy Resource Center for Housing

American Red Cross, Chisholm Trail Chapter

Antioch Community Transformation Network

Austin Habitat for Humanity

Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry & Support 

Center, Inc.

Boat People SOS of Houston

Border Fair Housing and Economic Justice Center

Center for Faith and Health Initiatives

Center of Hope (The Provision Center of Parker 

County)

Central Dallas Ministries

Coalition of Texans with Disabilities

College for All Texans Foundation

Community Housing Corporation

Cornerstone Outreach Center (2 VISTA projects)

El Pente Community Development Corporation 

FaithWorks of Abilene, Inc.

Foundation Communities

Goodwill Industries of Central East Texas, Inc.

Green Light Ministries, Inc.

Housing Services Incorporated

Houston Hope
70 Texas vista Building Capacity

VISTA in Texas (continued)

Imagine Art

International Rescue Committee

La Union del Pueblo Entero

Langetree Duckfarm Eco Center

Liberty Heights Community Center

Longview Community Ministries

Martinez Street Women’s Center

Minorities for Equality in Employment, Education, 

Liberty and Justice

One Economy Corporation

People Empowerment Project

Project Vida Health Center

Promise Helpers

Reasoning Mind, Inc.

Saint Edward’s University

Tech Corps Texas

Texas A&M University

Texas Association of Second Harvesters Food 

Banks, Inc.

Texas Conference of Churches

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

The City of Van

The First Tee of Greater Austin

The Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc.

University of Texas Austin, Charles A. Dana Center

United Cerebral Palsy Association of Texas

United Way of Southern Cameron County

United Way of Tyler/Smith County

Valley Mills Library Association, Inc.

Youth Advocates, Inc.

San Antonio and Houston. VISTAs develop and implement Go Center plans, programs, and activities 

to reverse the downward trend in participation rates and to ensure that neither financial aid, nor a 

lack of a social support system, is a barrier to youth seeking higher education. VISTAs also work with 

local program sponsors in San Antonio and Houston to help students prepare for higher education.
vista Overcoming Poverty Utah 71

No. of VISTAs: 172

Projects: 25

Project Sponsors:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah

Carbon School District

Center for the School of the Future

Central Utah Center for Independent Living

City of East Carbon

Community Services Council

Crossroads Urban Center

Green River Community Center

Habitat for Humanity Western States Regional 

Support Center

International Rescue Committee Salt Lake City 

(2 VISTA projects)

Jesus Field Youth Center

March of Dimes – Utah Chapter

San Juan Foundation

Somali Community Development of Utah

Southwest Utah Public Health Department

SPLORE

St. Anne’s Center

The Arc of Utah

United Way of Utah County

University of Utah

University of Utah Neighborhood Partners

Utah Commission on Volunteers

Utah Community Action Partnership Program

Wasatch Community Gardens

VISTA in Utah

Food insecurity is a growing problem in Utah. Due to low wages and the high cost of housing, utilities, 

transportation, and health care, a growing number of low-income Utahans are struggling to make ends 

meet and provide for their basic food needs. Many are turning to food pantries on a regular basis, which 

are designed to assist people in emergency situations and are not equipped to meet on-going supplemental 

food needs. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 737,000 Utahans are food insecure, meaning 

that they do not have “access at all times, to enough food for a healthy life for all household members.” 

Utah has the third highest rate of food insecurity in the country.

With the assistance of VISTAs, the Crossroads Urban Center created a self-sustaining food distribution 

system that involves the wider community and encourages volunteer service and self sufficiency. The 

Community Co-op provides a convenient way for Utahans with limited means to consistently use their 

own resources to stretch their grocery budget, reduce their reliance on emergency food assistance, and 

eat more nutritiously. The co-op also encourages its members to volunteer at least two hours per month. 

After two years of operation, membership in the co-op grew to 3,800 with 40 community partners. The 

co-op has moved to a new warehouse and has a full-time director and three part-time staff in addition to 

the VISTAs. The co-op produces a monthly newsletter and has a website and database designed by VISTAs. 

Co-op members average 3,000 volunteer hours per month in their communities and with the co-op. 

Featured Project: Crossroads Community Co-op 

Location: Salt Lake City

Project Sponsor: Crossroads Urban Center

Project Issue Area: Food distribution

VISTAs: 5

Utah
72 Vermont vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 48

Projects: 3

Project Sponsors: 

Community and Economic Development Office

Town of Brattleboro

Washington County Youth Services Bureau

VISTA in Vermont

Research documents that the highest levels of juvenile crime, substance abuse, and other high-risk 

behaviors occur between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays when most parents are at work and youth are 

unsupervised. After-school programs and activities are understaffed, underfunded, and, in rural Vermont, 

rarely available.

VISTAs serve statewide with the Washington County Youth Service Bureau. They recruit, train, and 

support community volunteers and mentors. The VISTAs also work with nonprofits to create or revise 

volunteer and mentor recruitment plans and promote and sustain high-quality opportunities for youth. 

The VISTAs accomplish these tasks by implementing service projects, helping develop curricula for 

activities and programs, making and supporting mentor/youth matches, and developing public relations 

materials (e.g., brochures, press releases, articles, PSAs, videos). 

VISTAs build capacity and sustainability by creating and evaluating programs, creating or improving 

operational systems (manuals and databases), creating or improving public relations systems (newsletters, 

web sites), developing or revising a resource development plan, implementing resource development 

strategies (e.g., raise in-kind and cash donations), and developing and maintaining a donor list and 

writing grants.

VISTAs have recruited almost 400 community volunteers to assist with out-of-school activities and serve as 

mentors to youth between 6- and 17-years-old. In addition, the VISTAs raised $126,116 in cash donations 

and in-kind resources worth $20,872.

Featured Project: Washington County Youth Service Bureau

Location: Montpelier

Project Sponsor: Washington County Youth Service Bureau

Project Issue Area: Youth development

VISTAs: 16

Vermont
vista Overcoming Poverty Virginia 73

No. of VISTAs: 200

Projects: 15

Project Sponsors: 

Baby Steps, Inc.

Beans and Rice, Inc.

Bragg Hill Family Life Center

Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries

Community Mediation Center

Hand and Hand, Inc.

International Rescue Committee

Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

New River Community Action, Inc.

Queen Street Beacon at the Crossroads

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project

The Nature Conservancy

University of Virginia Community Relations Office

Virginia One Church One Child

Youth Venture

VISTA in Virginia 

From its location in the southeast community of Newport News, the Moton Community House (MCH) 

had served as a safe haven for the neighborhood’s youth. More than any other area of the city, this urban 

community is plagued with high incidents of gang-related violence, teen pregnancy, teen homicides, 

homelessness, and substance abuse. But with reduced funding resources and staff and a deteriorating 

facility, MCH all but ceased providing services to this most vulnerable population. 

Recognizing the important role and valuable services of MCH, Hand and Hand, Inc. entered into a 

partnership with MCH. Hand and Hand, Inc. serves as an intermediary VISTA sponsoring organization, 

assigning VISTAs to smaller, grassroots organizations. Three VISTAs joined MCH with the goal of 

garnering the necessary community resources to renovate the facility and develop a volunteer service 

program. VISTAs secured volunteer commitments from 50 sailors aboard the U.S.S. George Washington, 

10 community organizations and businesses, and the Mayor’s office. The first group of volunteers assisted 

with the renovation activities. In 2006, another group of community organizations made a commitment 

to help provide the much needed youth programs and activities.

Since 2005, VISTAs have generated $35,000 in cash contributions, secured $10,000 in donated goods and 

services, and recruited more than 200 volunteers. MCH currently serves about 100 youths weekly, who 

participate in computer classes, dance groups, family strengthening classes, gang violence prevention, and 

boxing. MCH’s boxing program is one of the top amateur boxing programs in the Virginia area. 

Featured Project: Moton Community House 

Location: Newport News

Project Sponsor: Hand and Hand, Inc.

Project Issue Area: Youth development

VISTAs: 3

Virginia
74 Washington vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 230

Projects: 29

Project Sponsors:

Associated Ministries

Columbia-Pacific Resource Conservation and 

Development District

Enterprise for Progress in the Community

Girl Scouts of Western Washington

Gonzaga University – Center for Community 

Action and Service-Learning

Habitat for Humanity International

Human Services Council

International Rescue Committee Seattle

Lutheran Community Services Northwest

North Columbia Community Action Council

Northeast Community Center Association

Northeast Washington Rural Resources 

Development Association

Olympic Community Action Programs

People of Color Against AIDS Network

Planned Parenthood of Western Washington

Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Efforts 

Skagit County Community Action Agency

Solid Ground

Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department

The Church Council of Greater Seattle

The Opportunity Council

Valley Cities Counseling & Consultation

Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston 

Counties

Volunteers of America Northwest Washington

Volunteers of America Spokane

Washington State Association of RSVP Directors

Washington State Employment Security 

Department

Western Washington University – Washington 

Campus Compact

VISTA in Washington

As the number of men and women in our prison system grows steadily, another population increases in 

our midst—the innocent children of prisoners. More than 27,000 children in Washington have a parent 

in prison. When parents are incarcerated, it impacts the entire family. The children struggle to find their 

way through obstacles of depression, isolation, attachment issues, and low self-esteem. These children 

need support systems to have a healthy childhood, including positive role models and the opportunity 

to maintain connections to their incarcerated parents.

In 2002, recognizing that family bonds need to be strengthened during parental incarceration, 

Volunteers of America Western Washington created an AmeriCorps VISTA position to meet this specific 

need. Words Travel was created to use literacy as the vehicle to connect children to their incarcerated 

parents. In 2003, a VISTA secured funding to launch a mentoring program for children of incarcerated 

parents. In 2007, VISTAs continued to build familial strengths during the time of separation by 

supporting the development and implementation of parenting classes tailored for incarcerated parents. 

The VISTAs have been instrumental in the process of developing and supporting the Children of Promise 

programs at Volunteers of America Western Washington.

Despite the prison walls, Words Travel has connected children and their parents, mended broken 

relationships, and helped strengthen the family unit. A total of 305 incarcerated parents, both mothers 

and fathers, and 515 children have completed the Words Travel program. Through Mentoring Children of 

Promise, 128 youth have a caring, consistent mentor in their lives. Raising Children of Promise, a new 

pilot parenting program at Monroe Correctional Complex, has already served 20 incarcerated fathers, 

improving their parenting skills and the lives of their 46 children.

Featured Project: Volunteers of America 

Location: Northwest Washington 

Project Sponsor: Volunteers of America Northwest Washington

Project Issue Area: Children of prisoners

VISTAs: 17

Washington
vista Overcoming Poverty West Virginia 75

VISTA in West Virginia

The city of Mullens and Wyoming County have been faced with many poverty issues due to the decline in 

coal industry activity and a devastating flood in 2001. The Rural Appalachian Improvement League (RAIL) 

addresses the root causes of poverty in southern West Virginia by building human and civic capacity 

through the incubation of nonprofit and grassroots organizations and through the provision of health, 

home repair, and education programs. 

VISTAs serving at RAIL and at its partners, the Office of Surface Mining and the Upper Guyandotte 

Watershed Association, built the foundation for a watershed agency, secured a $200,000 Brownfield 

Assessment Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, and, most recently, secured for Wyoming 

County the prestigious Groundwork USA Pilot Community designation.

The Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association is a nonprofit corporation that oversees the installation of 

decentralized wastewater treatment and other projects aimed at clearing streams of dangerous pollutants. 

The association’s work addresses 260 square miles from the headwaters of the Guyandotte River to the 

mouth of Pinnacle Creek, through portions of Wyoming and Raleigh Counties. The EPA grant is being 

used to study mine-scarred lands in eastern Wyoming County.

Featured Project: Rural Appalachian Improvement League 

Location: City of Mullens and Wyoming County 

Project Sponsor: Coal Heritage Highway Authority

Project Issue Area: Environmental and economic development

VISTAs: 8

West Virginia

No. of VISTAs: 134

Projects: 9

Project Sponsors:

Citizen’s Conservation Corps of West Virginia

Coal Heritage Highway Authority

Doddridge County Family Resource Network

Eastern Regional Family Resource Network

LifeBridge, Inc.

Pocahontas Communications Cooperative

Step by Step, Inc.

West Virginia Commission for National and 

Community Service

West Virginia University Extension Services
76 Wisconsin vista Building Capacity

No. of VISTAs: 151

Projects: 10

Project Sponsors:

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin 

System, UW-Extension

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee

Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Inc.

Milwaukee Public Schools

Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community, Inc.

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

RSVP of Dane County, Inc.

United Way of Dane County

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

VISTA in Wisconsin

VISTA has helped thousands of school children in Madison succeed in school and advance their educational 

and economic prospects during the past decade. In the mid-1990s, Art Rainwater, superintendent of the 

Madison Metropolitan School District, faced the grim reality that African American children in his district, 

who typically came from the city’s poorer neighborhoods, were seven times more likely than their white 

counterparts to test below the minimum reading performance level. 

Recognizing the importance that literacy can play in helping youth complete high school and earn a 

living, Rainwater formed a unique partnership that included a team of VISTAs from the Schools of Hope 

Literacy Project, the United Way of Dane County, and Madison Metropolitan School District to develop 

and implement a system to recruit and manage community volunteers as tutors for kids. In 2006, the 

VISTA cadre engaged more than 600 community volunteers to work with classroom teachers to tutor 

some 3,000 K–5 students in 24 elementary schools and several after-school community programs. 

Between 1995 and 2005, the last year a standardized reading test was administered, African American 

students scoring at the minimal performance level fell from 28.5 percent to 5.5 percent, while Latino/

Hispanic students dropped from 9.7 percent to 0.6 percent, and white students from 4.1 percent to 0.3 

percent. Superintendent Rainwater attributes these impressive results to VISTA’s tutor mobilization efforts 

and the innovative community partnership, which has brought thousands of volunteers and parents into 

the process of educating their children and improving their schools. 

Featured Project: Schools of Hope Literacy Project

Location: Madison

Project Sponsors: United Way of Dane County

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 32

Wisconsin
vista Overcoming Poverty Wyoming 77

VISTA in Wyoming

Children living in poverty in Wyoming are being immunized against diseases and against illiteracy, thanks 

to VISTAs’ efforts with pediatricians and parents. 

VISTAs help Raising Readers in Wyoming, a program that supports children and parents in early literacy, 

supply books and information to medical care providers who distribute them at well-child health care 

visits and immunizations. Statistics show parents who are given books and “prescriptions” to read by their 

children’s doctors are four times more likely to read and share books with their young children. Families 

living in poverty are eight times more likely to follow their doctor’s “prescription.” According to the most 

recent census data, 19 percent of Wyoming’s children are living in poverty. 

VISTAs at Raising Readers organize and recruit volunteers and doctors, make presentations, publicize the 

program, organize fund-raisers, and request donations. They create newsletters, organize research projects, 

and plan literacy and fund-raising events.

VISTAs have recruited several hundred community volunteers. The volunteers were instrumental in 

preparing and delivering books to 1,300 low-income parents in the first year, 3,100 in the second year, 

and 4,900 in the third year. In annual surveys of parents participating in the program, 85 percent stated 

they increased the number of times per week they read to their children. During this same time period, 

the Wyoming Chapter of the American Association of Pediatricians reported a 10 percent increase in the 

number of children immunized.

Featured Project: Raising Readers in Wyoming

Location: Statewide

Project Sponsors: Raising Readers in Wyoming, Inc.

Project Issue Area: Education

VISTAs: 2

Wyoming

No. of VISTAs: 70

Projects: 17

Project Sponsors:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Wyoming

Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne

Cheyenne Health and Wellness Center

Child Advocacy Services of the Big Horns

Community Action of Laramie County, Inc.

Community Action Partnership of Natrona County

Converse County Coalition Against Family 

Violence and Sexual Assault

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area

Habitat for Humanity Western States Regional 

Support Center

Needs, Inc.

Raising Readers in Wyoming, Inc.

Sheridan Community Education Foundation

Teton Literacy Program

Wyoming Children’s Access Network, Inc.

Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming State 

Hospital, Evanston

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services

Wyoming Legal Services
78 state

VISTAs by Gender

VISTA by the Numbers

VISTAs by Age

Men Women

76%

24%

8%

20–29

18–19

50 and over

30–49

58%

20%

14%

VISTAs by Education Level

For Style Only

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Less than HS HS Graduate Some College College

Graduate

Education Level

Number of VISTAs

78 VISTAs by the numbers vista Building Capacity
vista Overcoming Poverty VISTAs by the numbers 79

1431

Community Economic Development

Disaster

Education

Environment

Health

Homeland Security

Human Need

Housing

Public Safety

Various

386

2428

159

109 326

864

756

476

9

729

79 57 50 4 4 1 19

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Number of Projects

Type of Organization

Nonprofit Higher

Education

State

Government

Local

Government

Federal

Government

Native 

American

Tribe

For

Profit

Other

Projects by Organizational Type

Issues Addressed by VISTAs
80 Corporation State Program Offices vista Building Capacity

Corporation State Program Offices

VISTA helps to enhance the quality of life for the impoverished in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 

the Virgin Islands. VISTA resources are targeted and managed through five regional and 47 state offices maintained by 

the Corporation for National and Community Service, VISTA’s parent agency. These field offices are staffed by people 

who live and work in communities served by VISTA projects.

Alabama State Office

950 22nd Street North, Suite 428

Birmingham, AL 35203

(205) 731-0030

Alaska State Office

Jackson Federal Building

915 Second Ave., Ste. 3190

Seattle, WA 98174

(206) 220-7736

Arizona State Office

230 North First Avenue, Suite 200

Phoenix, AZ 85003

(602) 514-7171

Arkansas State Office

Federal Building

700 West Capitol Street, Room 2506

Little Rock, AR 72201

(501) 324-5234

California State Office

11150 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 670

Los Angeles, CA 90064

(310) 235-7421

Northern California State Office

1301 Clay Street, Suite 365-S

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 637-7140

Colorado State Office

Denver Federal Center, Bldg. 46

P.O. Box 25505

Denver, CO 80225-0505

(303) 236-2033

Connecticut State Office

280 Trumbull Street

Hartford, CT 06103-3510

(860) 240-3237

Delaware State Office

Fallon Federal Building

31 Hopkins Plaza, Suite 400-B

Baltimore, MD 21201

(410) 962-4443

District of Columbia State Office

1201 New York Ave., NW

Suite 9201

Washington, DC 20525

(202) 606-6818

Florida State Office

3165 McCrory Street, Suite 115

Orlando, FL 32803-3750

(407) 648-6117

Georgia State Office

401 West Peachtree Street, NW

Peachtree Summit Building

16th Floor

Atlanta, GA 30308-3519

(404) 331-4646

Hawaii State Office

300 Ala Moana Blvd.

Honolulu, HI 96850-0001

(808) 541-2832

Idaho State Office

304 North 8th Street, Room 344

Boise, ID 83702-5835

(208) 334-1707

Illinois State Office

77 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 442

Chicago, IL 60604-3511

(312) 353-8283

Indiana State Office

46 East Ohio Street, Room 226

Indianapolis, IN 46204-4317

(317) 226-6724

Iowa State Office

Federal Building

210 Walnut Street, Room 917

Des Moines, IA 50309-2195

(515) 284-4816

Kansas State Office

444 S.E. Quincy, Room 260

Topeka, KS 66683-3572

(785) 234-5033

Kentucky State Office

600 Martin L. King Place, Room 190

Louisville, KY 40202-2230

(502) 582-6384

Louisiana State Office

707 Florida Street, Suite 316

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

(225) 389-0471

Maine State Office

J.C. Cleveland Federal Building

55 Pleasant Street - Suite 1501

Concord, NH 03301

(603) 226-7780

Maryland State Office

Fallon Federal Building

31 Hopkins Plaza, Suite 400-B

Baltimore, MD 21201

(410) 962-4443

Massachusetts State Office

10 Causeway Street, Room 473

Boston, MA 02222-1038

(617) 565-7006
vista Overcoming Poverty

Michigan State Office

211 West Fort Street, Suite 1408

Detroit, MI 48226-2799

(313) 226-7848

Minnesota State Office

431 South 7th Street, Room 2405

Minneapolis, MN 55415-1854

(612) 334-4083

Mississippi State Office

210 East Capitol Street, Room 920

Jackson, MS 39201

(601) 965-5664

Missouri State Office

2345 Grand Blvd., Suite 650

Kansas City, MO 64108

(816) 426-2079

Montana State Office

208 North Montana Avenue, Suite 206

Helena, MT 59601-3837

(406) 449-5404

Nebraska State Office

100 Centennial Mall North, 

Room 247A

Lincoln, NE 68508-3896

(402) 437-5474

Nevada State Office

400 S. Virginia Street, Suite 548

Reno, NV 89501

(775) 784-7474

New Hampshire State Office

J.C. Cleveland Federal Building

55 Pleasant Street, Suite 1501

Concord, NH 03301

(603) 226-7780

New Jersey State Office

44 South Clinton, Suite 312

Trenton, NJ 08609-1507

(609) 989-2245

New Mexico State Office

120 S. Federal Place, Room 315

Santa Fe, NM 87501-2026

(505) 988-6577

New York State Office

Leo O’Brien Federal Bldg.

1 Clinton Square, Suite 900

Albany, NY 12207

(518) 431-4150

North Carolina State Office

Federal Bldg, PO Century Station

300 Fayetteville Street, R. 414

Raleigh, NC 27601

(919) 856-4731

North Dakota State Office

225 S. Pierre Street, Room 225

Pierre, SD 57501-2452

(605) 224-5996

Ohio State Office

51 North High Street, Suite 800

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 469-7442

Oklahoma State Office

215 Dean A. McGee, Suite 324

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

(405) 231-5201

Oregon State Office

620 SW Main Street, Room 714

Portland, OR 97205

(503) 326-3282

Pennsylvania State Office

The Curtis Center

601 Walnut St., Suite 876E

Philadelphia, PA 19106

(215) 597-2806

Puerto Rico State Office

150 Carlos Chardon Ave., Suite 662

San Juan, PR 00918-1737

(787) 766-5314

Rhode Island State Office

400 Westminster Street, Room 203

Providence, RI 02903

(401) 528-5426

South Carolina State Office

1835 Assembly Street, Suite 872

Columbia, SC 29201-2430

(803) 765-5771

South Dakota State Office

225 S. Pierre Street, Room 225

Pierre, SD 57501-2452

(605) 224-5996

Tennessee State Office

233 Cumberland Bend Drive, 

Suite 112

Nashville, TN 37228

(615) 736-5561

Texas State Office

300 E. 8th St., Suite G-169

Austin, TX 78701-3220

(512) 916-7000

Utah State Office

125 South State Street, Suite 8416

Bennett Federal Building

Salt Lake City, UT 84138

(801) 524-5411

Vermont State Office

J.C. Cleveland Federal Building

55 Pleasant Street - Suite 1501

Concord, NH 03301

(603) 226-7780

Virginia State Office

400 North 8th Street, Suite 446

P. O. Box 10066

Richmond, VA 23240-1832

(804) 771-2197

Virgin Islands State Office

150 Carlos Chardon Ave., Suite 662

San Juan, PR 00918-1737

(787) 766-5314

Washington State Office

Jackson Federal Building

915 Second Avenue, Suite 3190

Seattle, WA 98174-1103

(206) 220-7745

West Virginia State Office

10 Hale Street, Suite 203

Charleston, WV 25301-1409

(304) 347-5246

Wisconsin State Office

310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Room 1240

Milwaukee, WI 53203-2211

(414) 297-1118

Wyoming State Office

308 West 21st Street, Suite 206

Cheyenne, WY 82001-3663

(307) 772-2385

 Corporation State Program Offices 81
Become a VISTA 

VISTAs choose from projects throughout the country, based on their skills and interests, and 

serve full time for one year with community-based organizations, working to overcome poverty. 

Assignments may involve starting new programs; recruiting and training volunteers; writing 

grant proposals; seeking out sponsorships; establishing partnerships with local businesses, 

organizations, churches, and schools; planning community meetings; or handling public 

relations. Whatever the task or challenge, VISTAs make a lasting difference for low-income 

communities in need.

Join the more than 177,000 individuals who have dedicated a year of their lives to fighting 

poverty in the United States. Join AmeriCorps VISTA.

Find out more at americorps.gov

Or call 800.942.2677

TTY 800.833.3722

Sponsor a VISTA Project

Develop a VISTA project and host VISTAs as they work to expand your organization’s capacity 

to solve community problems. VISTAs help organizations like yours to create the sustainable 

infrastructure needed to fight poverty in their communities.

Contact your local Corporation State Office

Or call 202.606.5000

TTY 202.565.2799

Email: vista@americorps.gov



Call 800-942-2677 (TTY 800-833-3722)

americorps.gov

AmeriCorps VISTA is an anti-poverty program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal 

agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. 

VISTA offers service opportunities to individuals 18 or older without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, 

gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation or other nonmerit factors. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 

U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent residents.