AmeriCorps VISTA members under The VISTA Collaborative at WVU are still serving from home as the end of the socially-distanced semester approaches. There are 12 VISTA members serving from home in a number of ways, and three more members will join in mid-May, bringing the cohort to a total of 15 acting members for this year. The VISTA Collaborative operates under the WVU Center for Service and Learning and strives to promote higher education as a pathway out of poverty.
Here are some highlights from our current VISTAs:
VISTA Nicole Chadderton, serving at WVU Potomac State College, has been using her own skills of sewing to create non-surgical face masks for community members in Keyser, WV during the coronavirus pandemic. Fifty-seven (57) masks have been hand-made and distributed to doctors, health professionals, and an array of essential community members still working hard to keep us safe and healthy.
VISTA Joan Simonetti with the Brooke Extension Service completed a PORTAL Update, "1 = COVID-19 Information Center,” which can be used by individuals and businesses to get the latest information on economic disaster assistance. Information has been gleaned from WV Small Business Development Center, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, Representatives David B. McKinley conference calls, newsletters, and emails. Information is distributed through a 350 person email blast and social media postings on a weekly basis. To find this information on Facebook, visit https://www.facebook.com/bizhivewv/.
Dashboard Design VISTA for the Data HEART (Health, Engagement, and Research Team), Jacob Souch, recently published an article in the Journal of Rural Health with his host site supervisor, Data HEART Director, and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Dr. Jeralynn S. Cossman. Their article “A Commentary on Rural-Urban Disparities in COVID-19 Testing Rates per 100,000 and Risk Factors” was accepted for publication on April 13. In their research, they used a non-parametric correlational approach to show that states ranked higher in COVID-19 risk factors like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, lung cancer, and e-cigarette use are ranked lower in COVID-19 testing rates and higher test positivity rate. The prevalence rates of COVID-19 risk factors tend to be higher for rural states, like West Virginia which has the highest rates of hypertension and obesity. The combination of these results—a low testing rate and a higher test positivity rate—suggest that high-risk states are not capturing the medically vulnerable populations effectively in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
VISTA Christian established a system at The RACK Student Food Pantry which ensured social distancing. With the help of his supervisor Deron, VISTA Christian put together a plan for pre-packaging bags with essential items in them for students to take with them during the Coronavirus pandemic. Deron and Christian took inventory and determined what and how much could be put in each bag. Common items included pasta and sauce, canned Meat, canned vegetables, applesauce, beans and peanut butter. A vegetarian option was also made available.
VISTA Brooks at the Statler Engineering College has been working closely with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Wyrick, in order to satisfy all needed requirements to establish an online class for the college’s Grand Challenges Scholars Program. This class is set to begin in the Fall of 2020 and will be a student led seminar for students to discuss progress and help each other work through challenges.
VISTA Yaadieah Pritchett at the WVU Collegiate Recovery Center has been hosting weekly meditation sessions on Zoom as an outlet to manage stress and anxiety for students in recovery who are struggling with the lockdown and have been managing day-to-day recovery without their usual group meetings. She facilitates these mediations with at least five students per week.
VISTA Nick Oyerly at the WVU Center for Service and Learning’s Social Action Clinic is currently working to promote the Calling Community program. This is a campus initiative which prompts college students to make regular calls with senior citizens who may be experiencing loneliness due to the quarantine. He also continues to work virtually with two students on their social action projects.
Data Management VISTA AviElle Raymore serves with the WVU Sociology and Anthropology Department and has worked arduously compiling Excel files of state-level data on factors that lead to increased suicide such as unemployment, homelessness, veteran status, poverty rates, etc.
AdventureWV VISTA Birdie Hawkins created Zoom videos to feature on the organization’s website describing Adventure WV Trips for Virtual Decide WVU Days to help make information about their program more accessible during quarantine. She has also been teaching RPTR 251 classes with 9 students virtually over Zoom every Thursday 2-5pm and contributes to the Adventure WV Instagram page by hosting an interactive tree identification walk throughout the neighborhood, teaching viewers about different trees. Tune in on their Instagram page by following @adventure_wv.
As part of the semester’s coffee hour series, VISTA Catherine Gooding with the Honors Excel Program at WVU organized and hosted a virtual coffee hour over Zoom with the ASPIRE Office, which helps students apply for nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships. Overall, eight students attended the coffee hour, including both Honors EXCEL and Honors Foundations program students. The event gave students a chance to learn about the opportunities available to them through ASPIRE, and how an Honors EXCEL project could make them more competitive applicants.
VISTA Jonah Kone serving with the WVU Land Use Law Clinic is focused on researching rural business incubators and how they can help jump start the local economy in different cities in our great state.
CC Flight, VISTA Leader at The VISTA Collaborative at WVU continues to motivate, manage, and act as a resource for the team of VISTAs as they serve from home. She helped plan a webinar for AmeriCorps members across West Virginia that showcased AdventureWV faculty member Patricia Chan presenting “Creating a Culture of Feedback that Works.” Access the webinar.
Interested in what we do and how you can get involved? Find more about The VISTA Collaborative.