At WVU, a dynamic AmeriCorps cohort called The Collaborative is sponsored by the Center for Service and Learning. The Collaborative’s VISTA members serve with a focus on fostering collaborative partnerships between the University and other stakeholders in the state – including local governments, nonprofit organizations, and concerned citizens – to battle West Virginia poverty in a variety of ways. This year, 14 full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members serve at 12 host sites in departments, colleges and offices throughout WVU, and the cohort is about to be expanded to add three additional projects.
Read more about the incredible poverty-fighting programs our VISTA members are proud to support.
If you are a full-time WVU employee interested in hosting an AmeriCorps VISTA member to support your poverty-fighting programming, contact National Service Coordinator Amanda Young at anyoung@mail.wvu.edu. If you are interested in serving as a full-time VISTA member for one year, contact AmeriCorps VISTA Leader Heather Beeseck at hbeeseck@mail.wvu.edu.
Most Americans are familiar with service corps such as the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Peace Corps, but many may not have heard of the dedicated AmeriCorps members who serve in our own community. AmeriCorps VISTA, or Volunteers in Service to America, is a national service program imagined by President Kennedy and founded in 1965. AmeriCorps members commit to one year of intensive volunteer service within the United States, working towards a common goal of fighting poverty by expanding the capacity of local nonprofit and educational organizations. The program was expanded by President Clinton in 1993, and today over 80,000 members serve annually in three unique branches.