By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger
It is hard to believe that just one year ago I was entering my role with the Decatur County Development Corporation wondering how I would build relationships and complete only one project. Today I am amazed at how I was able to achieve so many projects, make so many new connections and learn so much about Decatur County.
The past year has proven to be so much more than a year of service to my country and to my community. It has proven to be a year of service to myself. Knowing that I would have only one year of service, does not make writing this final column any easier. I have loved being of service to our communities.
Career education was the primary focus area of my service term. My work initially centered around fourth through eighth-grade students and educating them about careers they may be interested in. I found myself working instead with the Lamoni Exploration Academy students in Kindergarten through fifth grade and students at the Mormon Trail Middle and High School during their first ever career day. These two experiences proved to be invaluable for the students and created life-long memories for me.
At the beginning of my year of service, I found myself completing a “gap analysis.” I wanted to know what was missing in my VISTA Assignment Description. What I saw, changed how I approached financial literacy. It would also change how I conducted my own research and even thought about my own life and personal goals. The projects I created related to financial literacy and will allow those struggling financially to learn and grow for generations to come.
The financial literacy project will also enable nonprofits throughout Decatur County to utilize a newly created online resource directory. The Directory supports the Financial and Resource Scarcity and You online course. This online course will allow individuals to gain a deeper understanding of their personal financial and resource scarcity situation. Beginning to understand these situations and think through the resources available in the county will aid in expanding resources on an ongoing basis.
Service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Iowa is made up of some elements other than the projects designated by the host agency. These include a disability inclusion project, collaborative project, networking with a commissioner and a Martin Luther King Day of Service Project along with an AmeriCorps Week project. For each of these, I was able to design projects that were not only reflective of my own personality, goals, and community but also reflective of the needs of my host agency and my own desire to give something back to others.
For more information on these projects, please visit the AmeriCorps VISTA page on the Decatur County Development Corporation website at https://www.dcdciowa.org. My hope is that these projects are utilized long into the future.
It has been a real pleasure serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. I want to extend a thank you to Shannon Erb, Executive Director of the Decatur County Development Corporation (DCDC) as well as the DCDC Board of Directors for their vision of utilizing AmeriCorps VISTA to make Decatur the best place possible to live and work in. My hope is that DCDC continues to utilize AmeriCorps and that Decatur county will be meeting a new VISTA soon.
I encourage every American to help your country through National Service at some point in your life. Giving at least one year will aid you in both personal and professional development. To learn more about National Service visit www.natioanlservice.gov.