PWC VISTA Project Blog

Farewell!

2011-04-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I will be leaving the PWC VISTA Project as Coordinator on 4/29 to begin a very similar position with the Mott Foundation and Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint on 5/9. This has been a tremendous growing experience for me over the last four years, personally and professionally. I am very grateful for all I've learned, the friends I've made and the greater understanding I have of the community and development. As each member comes and then moves on to bigger things I can see pieces of the greater puzzle. I see service etched into their thinking and solving processes, I can see a greater sense of self through community and I can see a deeper connection to the people, buildings and environment around them. Service has so many benefits and I'm proud to have been a part of it. Thank you to all for making this a success. Lansing will always be in my heart and I am carrying with me all these success stories to the new project in Flint. I will be in touch! I am passing this blog and the website off to Sergio Ruiz, VISTA to the Power of We Consortium, as of today. Peace, love and good food to all.

Mary

Thoughts from a Graduating VISTA...

2011-04-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

From Chad Badgero, 2nd term VISTA 4/'10-'11:

Before I came to AmeriCorps, I was a teacher and worked in the theatre. I had a strong desire to get more involved in Community Service, and I knew I wanted to contribute more to my community, but I didn't know exactly how to do that. When the Executive Director of the Old Town Commercial Association said they were looking for an AmeriCorps member, I didn't even know what that meant. But after signing on at the OTCA and beginning work in this amazing community, I realized a fulfillment and satisfaction that I never knew. By working with AmeriCorps and Old Town, I have found a passion for community service, felt a sense of satisfaction in revitalizing a community, and seen the tremendous impact one person, one group of dedicated individuals, and one organization can do to better our community and our world. The OTCA relies on their volunteers to make the over 111 events happen throughout the year, and AmeriCorps relies on volunteers in the same way to make our communities and our world a better place. I truly will never be the same after my two years of service with AmeriCorps. Some of my biggest accomplishments are the creation of Old Town's first community garden, the growth of Compassionate Feast (which provides local families with a complete Thanksgiving meal), being part of 4 ribbon cuttings for over 25 new businesses, assisting with the building of Old Town's first community built playground, growing their volunteer database from 800 to 1300+, and my involvement with the Farmers Market.

What I'm Doing as a VISTA

2011-03-03T07:16:00.001-08:00

My name is Serg Ruiz and I’m the AmeriCorps VISTA for the Power of We Consortium. As the Communications Coordinator I will be serving to increase the capacity of the consortium’s, and its member coalitions’ and organizations’, communication and social media tools. I’ll mostly be working with websites and things like Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and so on to increase the communication and linkages across the current membership and to expand our outreach to underserved populations and groups.

The Power of We Consortium is defined as community collaborative or a network of networks; by involving the community organizations in the process of cooperation and collaboration, the Power of We Consortium strives to improve the quality of life and self-sufficiency of all residents of Ingham County through a healthy community. Basing its efforts off of its 33 indicators of community well-being, the Power of We Consortium focuses resources through engaging the community as a whole to solve problems that cannot be solved by any single entity. Hopefully that was coherent because part of my assignment description is to increase recognition of the Consortium and its coaltions, programs, and initiatives.

A couple of the things that I’ve done so far were to redesign the Consortium’s newsletters, implement initial changes to the website and open dialogue with a few of our 12 coalitions about their communication and social media tools. I’ve met with Angela Austin, who is one of our new co-chairs and the coordinator of the Community Coalition for Youth, in regard to her website and the creation of a newsletter. I’ve also met with the Ingham Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network, the Ingham Great Start, Birth to Five Collaborative, and the Immigrant and Refugee Resource Collaborative about increasing their capacity. The IRRC is on route to move their website as a Power of We Consortium subsite, which is pretty exciting. The only hitch I’ve encountered is that coordinators tend to enact most of the changes themselves – which is great but it kind of leaves me out of the loop.

To widen my involvement, my supervisor sent out emails to a couple of our member organizations and our current VISTA sites and a few have responded to me for help. I’ll be working with our fellow VISTA sites at the Garden Project, with Willow Cherven, and the Old Town Association, with Chad Badgero, as well as a couple of other organizations such as the Fenner Nature Center, NAMI, and the Allen Neighborhood Center’s Youth Service Corps.

AmeriCorps VISTA serves to reduce and alleviate poverty in communities across the United States. My involvement in this effort is more behind-the-scenes than your normal VISTA, as I’m not directly managing volunteers or raising physical monies. It’s taken me some time to come to the understanding that I’m indirectly addressing the issue of poverty and its accompaniments by increasing the capacity of the organizations I help to be able to address their problems and reach their goals. By helping to create and enhance websites, social media tools, efficient communication, or resource sharing, the organizations I serve will be all-the-more able to attack the issues at hand that affect our populations in poverty.

Save Service on February 25th!

2011-03-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

Copied from www.SaveService.org

The United States Congress is considering a bill which would eliminate funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service, denying local organizations and millions of Americans the resources needed to strengthen their communities. If passed, your local community will lose the important support of organizations like Teach For America, Foster Grandparents, City Year, Senior Companions, Habitat for Humanity, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, YouthBuild and many others.

Our entire strategy to fight and win depends on unprecedented levels of community engagement. Without local support in large and visible demonstrations, we are unlikely to survive these attacks. As Tip O'Neil said, "All politics is local."

Sign up today to save service in your community by joining our "Save Service District Day" on Friday, February 25th. Join your neighbors in a visit to your local congressional district office and tell your Member of Congress to protect service. Our local communities cannot afford to lose the critical support these organizations provide.

Winter Wonderland Trail Enhancements Honors Dr. MLK, Jr.

2011-01-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

Lansing, MI - Ingham County Parks is hosting a service project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the spirit of service and "getting things done" Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps VISTA and State members will remove invasive species and build trails at Lake Lansing Park North on January 17th. Consortium national service members will be working together on projects such as removing Autumn Olive -- an invasive shrub which crowds the tree and shrub lines, harming the aesthetics and ecosystem of the park. Approximately 25 volunteers have committed to serve during either of the two shifts: 11:30am to 1:30pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

This event is one of many volunteer opportunities in local parks. One of 15 Consortium members dedicated to improving health through increased access to greeways, non-motorized transportation and health food, Nicholas Sanchez, coordinates a trail and greenway improvement program aimed at removing invasive speices and engaging community members. Nicholas leads individuals and group volunteers in learning about and caring for our community's natural areas and trails. To learn about how you can join the national service movement or help with trail enhancement, please contact AmeriCorps State Project Coordinator, Katie Ellero at kellero@ingham.org. For more information on Volunteers in Service to America and poverty alleviation, please contact Mary ZumBrunnen at mzumbrunnen@ingham.org

January 17, 2011 is the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. A part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative, the MLK Day of Service calls for Americans to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community".

A Day in the Life

2011-01-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

My name is Sergio Ruiz and I'm the AmeriCorps VISTA for the Power of We Consortium. As Communications Coordinator, I will be serving to help create and expand their communication and social media tools. I'm from Steubenville, OH and I graduated from the Ohio State University with a major in Security & Intelligence and minors in Arabic and Middle East Studies. I moved to Lansing, MI from Columbus, OH in mid-November and started at the Consortium on the 19th. Here are a couple of tips that I have to share based on my first day:

Make sure you have a plan of attack if you ride your bike to work on your first day. You just may board the wrong bus, intending to use the bike-and-ride feature, and leave your bike rigged up to the bus after you exit in hurried frustration. It's not easy to chase after a bus in dress shoes.

Bring a packed lunch and ingest copious amounts of caffiene. After your PSO, you will be extremely exhausted. The packed lunch will only make things easier and the caffiene will keep you awake. Nothing is worse than trying to suppress a yawn during a meeting. You look weird and disinterested, which are both bad impressions for a new person.

Always try to be attentive during meeting, no matter how tired you are. Or at least be more attentive than the most visibly bored person. Also, take the time to introduce yourself. Even though they may not interset you, give everyone your full attention.

It's most likely safe not to ride your bike to work at all. You will be hit by a car. I was... and you will be too. You'll probably be halfway across the crosswalk when the driver will decide to turn right. You'll try to make your bike run parallel to the car but your momentum will be too great to suddenly turn. Tron is a video game for a reason and I learned that reason all too well that day. The driver will most likely keep driving after you're lying in the street, tangled in your bike frame. If you can see through the blood and tears, try to remember the license plate number.

Stay in touch with your new friends from PSO and your old friends as well. Maybe plan something for the weekend.

Most of all, don't let it get to you. You may have an entirely different day that I had but that doesn't mean that you won't feel negative or wary about your experience at some point. When you do, remember that things will get better. Don't lose hope. Inspirational quota reached.

PWC Welcomes Ed Wollman to Provide "What Color is Your Parachute" Workshop

2010-02-16T11:39:00.001-08:00

On February 26th, the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living's Ed Wollman, will provide a workshop available to all VISTAs, AmeriCorps State members and supervisors on how to identify members' skills, work values and best work environments to maximize their work output and relations. This is based on the Do What You Love....Love What You Do! workshops, created by Ed, to help discover hidden talents thereby helping members excel at their jobs and careers while learning how to work with different personality types. These workshops have been crafted from Dr. Richard Nelson Bolles best-selling career guidance book, Parachutes. With over 10 million copies sold, Fortune Magazine calls Parachutes the 'gold standard of Career Guides'.

2010-02-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps projects Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service 2010:

"Weekend Survival Kits" Fight Childhood Hunger in Lansing
January 15, 2010 (Lansing) - - What happens to a low-income child on the weekends when he can't get his breakfast and lunch free of charge at school?

See wrap-up of other Michigan projects in the Michigan Community Service Commission's reflection

2009 - A Reflection of Service

2009-11-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

2009 is wrapping up: I encourage each of you to take a minute and relflect on what service has meant for you over the year. How have your views of citizenry, community development and non-profit/governmental organizations changed? Have your personal opinions and goals been changed, challenged or strengthened?

During 2010 each of you will be cycling out at different points. Never again will we be as wowed as we were, and refreshed, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided much needed stimulus funding like it did in 2009. President Obama's election and dedication to service have provided powerful new examples of national dedication and improvement through citizenship and team efforts. The government, media and pop culture have gotten behind the cause.

This has been a ground breaking year. The PWC VISTA Project kicked it off with our MLK, Jr. Day of Service at South Lansing Community Development Association. In May, we saw the Summer of Service campaign - a push like none other for healthcare, poverty alleviation, education and the environment to name a few - thru service. This has coincided with massive governmental challenges and victory as we struggle to build a better infrastructure. 9/11 saw the culmination of service, and our VISTA group served as a team at Project Homeless Connect and built new trails in community gardens with the Garden Project.

We've gained and lost members, learned together at luncheons and had many opportunities to collaborate. As we move forward we will now be working with a new PWC Project: AmeriCorps State, with a focus on the environment's impact on health. 2010 is looking to be a year of new ideas, methods, improvements and networking with stronger support than ever.

I continue to enjoy working with each of you. Your contributions, personal and professional, the dedication with which you apply yourself, the choice to live at the poverty line and give of yourself in service to others is truly honorable. You are earning an education of different sort while lifting up your organization and those it serves. Thank you for making the choice to serve, thank you for enriching my personal and professional perspective as well. You are examples of real citizenship and the heart it takes to make the Capital Area better for the next generation.

FutureLab

2009-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

What is your vision for the future? An online challenge for the non-profit community to chart a vibrant 2020, FutureLab is attempting to create and facilitate conversations that shape a more dynamic future for our communities. The goal is to strengthen the non-profit community rather than individual causes and missions by:

- Identifying and developing high-impact ideas and insights that have the potential to transform the charitable community in the next 10 years.

- Generate and share publicity on those insights and strategies that organizations can contribute to and draw on collective wisdom to inform their decision making.

- Build networks and strenghten partnerships by breaking down existing barriers and facilitating new connections around common goals.

Join or share your insight and draw from others' wisdom at: http://www.independentsector.org/future.html

Social Innovation Fund

2009-10-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

A part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) will work with grantmaking entities to fund promising nonprofits that have deomonstrated significant impacts and outcomes. Investing in the capacity and exceleration of non-profits to find community solutions to regional problems, the goal of the SIF is to create a national network of region specific yearly funding to grantmakers (that can provide a 1:1 match giving at least 85% total to non-profits). One to 10 million dollars over the next three to five years will be disseminated to the grantmakers funneled to non-profits focusing on child and youth development, education for economically disadvantaged youth, reductions in poverty, health, resource conservation and local environmental quality, energy efficiency, civic engagement and reductions in crime. The NOFA will become available during the winter of 2010. Please see nationalservice.gov for details and continued updates.

United We Serve Culmination - come join us!

2009-08-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

As United We Serve "Summer of Service" wraps-up the Power of We Consortium VISTA Project, Garden Project, North Elementary, Haven House and Project Homeless Connect will be working to enrich the community through providing more access to fresh fruits and vegetables, building social capital and providing services to the Lansing area's vulnerable populations. This will be a break from VISTAs normal duties which include "indirect" services such as programming, volunteer recruitment and fundraising. Speical service projects such as these events and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service allow the VISTA members a hands-on opportunity to help the community.

On September 10th:
VISTA members will help provide one-day, one-stop shopping for vital services to the Lansing area's homeless populations in collaboration with the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network and the City of Lansing. Services will include medical and dental screening, hygiene services, and food and clothing services. VISTA members will be greeters, intake/check-in volunteers, moblie hospitality volunteers, restaurant service, clothing monitors and set-up and break-down volunteers.

On September 11th:
VISTA members will turn and spread compost, gather new pallets, weed, water, and tend new plots at North Elementary School community garden. The garden has been in continous operation since 1987, and formerly known as Henry North Community Garden. The large allotment garden is open to any community member committed to raising their own vegetables. In addition, the school garden and orchard provide students at North School with the opportunity to learn about where food comes from while engaging in science and providing better access to fresh, healthy foods.

If you're interested in joining us - we'd love to have more help - please sign up at http://www.serve.gov/ by searching "Power of We Consortium VISTA Project"...or if you'd like more information, please contact Mary ZumBrunnen at (517) 887-4594.

ARRO Film website from NorthWest Initiative

2009-08-20T06:30:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Please check out the new www.ARROfilm.blogspot.com where our VISTA member Jeana-Dee Allen has spent her time interviewing a woman who's brother has been in prison more than 20 years and the effects it's had on the family. As this project grows and the film is finalized there will be continual updates and clips on line. Please stay tuned and check it out.

Good News for Serve America!!

2009-07-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just received an email from Alan Khazei this morning from Be the Change Inc. containing some great news!!!

"Yesterday, the Senate Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee reported out a funding package that includes $1.157 billion for the Corporation for Naitonal and Community Services for FY 2010.

This is huge, and it's thanks to you and all of your hard work. Not only is this a record amount of federal funding for service --- $267 million more than last year -- but it's $98 million more than the House appropriated last week, and even $8 million more than President Obama requested!

Please go to http://tools.bethechangeinc.org/appropsthx to thank Senators Harkin and Cochran, the Chair and Ranking Members of the Subcommittee, for their strong commitment to service.

Again - thank you. But our work is not yet done. Now that the House and Senate have spoken, the appropriations debate will go to a joint conference committee. The date hasn't been scheduled yet, but it will take place soon and we will be back in touch when more details are made available.

In the meantime, please take this time to thank Senators Harkin and Cochran. The dream of a fully-funded Serve America Act has never been close to reality."

Random Acts of Kindness

2009-07-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.bethechangeinc.org/changewire/2009/07/27/random-acts-of-kindness/

PWC VISTA Project Highlights Report in:

2009-06-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

I'm very pleased to share our first annual report. Thanks to all of our members, the MI CNCS Office, The Power of We Consortium, Michigan State University Extension and our Ingham County Commissioners for making this possible!

View '08-'09 PWC VISTA Highlights

United We Serve Campaign Kick Off

2009-06-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

United We Serve
Submitted by NationalService... on Fri, 06/19/2009 - 11:22
Stories From The Field

In a video message released on Wednesday, President Obama unveiled United We Serve - a sustained effort to expand the size and impact of volunteer efforts in addressing tough challenges facing the nation.

The initiative, which will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, officially kicks off on June 22, during the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, and runs for 81 days through a new National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.
To make it easy to get involved, the President is urging Americans to visit the Corporation's web site, http://www.Serve.gov - where visitors can search for local volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers by posting their organization's projects, or get ideas for creating their own projects with friends, families, and neighbors.

During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change - and stay engaged long after September. The President's call focuses on four key areas where everyone can make an impact in their community: energy and the environment, health care, education and community renewal.

With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. This initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects. "United We Serve" is an initial 81 days of service but will grow into a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans.

What can you do?
* Create Your Own Project
* Register Your Project / Recruit Volunteers
* Find a Volunteer Opportunity
* Share Your Story

Visit http://www.Serve.gov

United We Serve | servicewire.org

2009-06-23T07:41:00.001-07:00

United We Serve | servicewire.org

Shared via AddThis

Become a citizen co-sponsor of the Serve America Act

2009-03-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Help pass the Serve America Act by becoming a Citizen Co-Sponsor at http://www.bethechangeaction.org/servicenation/take_action/cosponsor. For more information about the Serve America Act and to hear Senator Hatch's thoughts, cut and paste http://www.bethechangeinc.org/changewire/2009/03/11/help/ into your browser for Service Nation's Changewire blog and YouTube update.

VISTA In-Service Training opportunity this March

2009-03-11T08:06:00.001-07:00

Greetings! The PWC VISTA Project is happy to announce Continued Development In-Service Training for those VISTAs who began service in December 2008. If someone can suggest how to successfully hyperlink in these posts, I would be most obliged. In the meantime, click on over to our website for Continued Development (http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/continued_development.htm) or PSO information ( http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/pso.htm) for the training content and agenda. To summarize, workshops will include: building public awareness campaigns, community networking and poverty alleviation. Please call (517) 887-4594 with questions.

June PSO, come on board....

2009-03-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

During the summer, the PWC VISTA Project has the opportunity to bring on six new VISTA members. We have the first opening for a VISTA at Gateway Community Services (see job description) begining in June. Please have application paperwork to me by the first week of May. Log onto the PWC VISTA homepage at http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/home.htm and follow the links to other opportunities.

Yes We Did!

2009-01-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

The PWC VISTAs helped usher in a new era on January 19th, MLK, Jr. Day, with a new President to follow, strengthened committment to service and fresh hope. As President Obama says, "Yes we can!" - and we did. The VISTAs and other volunteers served the day away at South Lansing Community Development Association (SLCDA) (http://www.slcda.org/) completing their goal of strengthening future farm markets with advertising equipment, but also washing and painting the church SLCDA's staff is housed in. In the Spring, VISTAs will embark on step two of this project's goal in linking local people with local food in one of Lansing's food deserts. When the weather warms, the Project will assemble this fresh equipment and assist with further set-up. Check out http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/home.htm and http://www.slcda.org/ for further details in the coming weeks.

MLK Day: Healthy Environment Supporting Healthy Lifestyles

2009-01-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

For the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (1/19/09) PWC VISTAs in partnership with the South Lansing Community Development Association, Grace United Methodist Church and the MI Department of Community Mental Health will be sewing and painting flags along with assembling and painting sandwich boards for local gardener and farm merchants to use at the Benjamin Davis Farm Market (Lansing, MI) in the Spring. This educational farm market event will help provide healthy food access in food deserts as part of the Environmental Change to Support Health initiative funded by Food Stamp Nutrition Education and the Michigan Nutrition Network. PWC AmeriCorps VISTAs will "Make it a Day On... Not a Day Off"!

13 is our Lucky Number!

2008-11-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

We have exciting news: All 13 of our VISTAs openings have been filled. The PWC VISTAs will now serve at: Haven House, South Lansing Community Development Association, South Side Community Coalition, Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network, NorthWest Initiatives, Reach Studio Art Center, Christian Services/LOVE INC, Refugee Development Center, North Neighborhood Center, The Garden Project, Franklin Street Community Housing Corporation, New Life Program and Old Town Commerical Association to help build capacity.

New VISTAs will be attending Pre-Service Orientation in Chicago December 2nd through the 5th and attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Our website (http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/home.htm) reflects these updates. Please check out the Current VISTAs page to learn about our new additions and what their doing in each organization.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

ServiceNation

2008-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

On September 11th and 12th, 2008 a movement began to inspire America: ServiceNation. By 2020, we hope to have 100 million citizens serving their nation in schools, workplaces and faith-based community organizations. Proudly, our Governor Granholm signed the pledge: a Declaration of Service, as the first Governor followed by NY and CA. This is an opportunity for citizens to unite around common causes and take responsibility for their future.

"This campaign now focuses on building a national grassroots movement aimed at inspiring widespread public support for increasing voluntary community and national service opportunities, solving problems with proven service strategies, and elevating service as a core ideal of civic engagement. ServiceNation encourages all Americans to step forward and take the lead in bridging our divides, strengthening our communities, and building a more vibrant democracy" (bethechange.org, 2008).

If you're interested in learning more please go to http://bethechangeinc.org/servicenation or to sign the pledge click on http://bethechangeaction.org/servicenation/take_action/declaration

Let's make this happen.To hear more from ServiceNation, check out their ChangeWire: news and notes from the world of social change at http://www.bethechangeinc.org/changewire/

December Pre-Service Orientation

2008-10-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Power of We Consortium VISTA project has sworn in members at South Lansing Community Development Association and Reach Studio Art Center early. We still have five slots to fill at the Pre-Service Orientation during Dec. 2nd - 5th in Chicago, IL. If you're interested in working with:

Haven House
Gateway Community Services
Franklin Street Community Housing Corporation
The Garden Project
Old Town Commerical Association

Please call the Project Coordinator at (517) 887-4594 or email mzumbrunnen@ingham.org. We must fill out application and paperwork before October 22nd.

Check back soon for the good works these dedicated service volunteers are completing.

New sub-sites

2008-10-09T07:45:00.001-07:00

Greetings! We have successfully brought on board two new VISTA sub-sites and re-upped a continuing project. Welcome to Gateway Community Services and Haven House with congratulations to South Side Community Coalition.

Gateway Community Services has provided a comprehensive range of services to children, adolescents and families in crisis in the Greater Lansing area since 1970 to empower and strengthen them to become stable and self-sustaining members of the community.

Haven House provides emergency housing and support services for one-parent and two-parent families with children. The shelter helps families who are homeless prepare for permanent housing by developing and promoting self-sufficiency, stability, and financial responsibility.

We're also continuing work with South Side Community Coalition that provides educational programs, job training, life skills, and recreational opportunities for the youth and community members on the south side of Lansing.

For more information please email: mzumbrunnen@ingham.org

November Pre-Service Orientation: Position Openings!

2008-07-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

We currently have six openings available for new VISTAs to begin their term of service on November 21st. Please see the PWC Project website at http://www.ingham.org/ce/CD/home.htm for details about position openings.

A Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) will be held November 17th-20th, most likely in Chicago, IL. During this time new VISTA members will be sworn in, trained on poverty related topics and educated about what it means to be a VISTA. Check out www.americorps.gov to learn more about PSO.

If you have questions please don't hesitate to call me at (517) 887-4594 or email mzumbrunnen@ingham.org.

New Pre-Service Orientation (PSO)!

2008-07-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce we will be sending a new VISTA (Refugee Development Center) to PSO in August and up to six in November. Paperwork deadlines will be announced as they are settled and updates posted.

Look for project plans and position announcements on the PWC VISTA Project and the www.americorps.gov websites. If you are interested in applying, please create an account on the My AmeriCorps portal to access the application.

Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions at: mzumbrunnen@ingham.org
or call (517) 887-4594.

Best wishes!

Welcome! We're up and running....

2008-07-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Power of We Consortium VISTA Project Blog. This is our space to share ideas, network, celebrate successes and problem solve together. Please remember to use this site in a professional manner that will benefit our VISTA members. I'm proud to be part of the this project and excited to see the growth of each individual VISTA and their organization as a result of their determined capacity building. Here's to the future of continued service and sustainable development of Lansing non-profits!