By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is one of many programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Unlike other National Service programs, VISTA members are unique in that they only serve in communities with poverty issues and only engage in capacity building activities. Capacity building activities are those that create programs and make positive changes within a community.
As I mentioned in a prior column, AmeriCorps VISTA members are specifically charged with building programs and putting systems in place to create change. I am experiencing a great deal of success with this and am excited to continue to share information about these projects through this column.
One of the key elements to the success of the programs I am building will be volunteers who will assist in carrying out specific elements of each program and helping to continue designing things such as workshops and ensuring that recommended additions for the resource directory are accurate and entered into the directory properly.
I am a strong believer in the power of volunteers and understand that serving as a volunteer can have many positive effects on both the volunteer and the organization they serve. Prior to reading this column, you may not have considered the Decatur County Development Corporation as a place to volunteer. It is! There are several volunteer needs and we would like to tap into skills and ideas from varied educational and career backgrounds. Equally important is that we are looking for volunteers who simply have a desire to do good in our community and who can bring creative ideas to the table.
At this point in time, we are looking for volunteers that would be interested in assisting with verification of updates and corrections for the resource directory, individuals interested in presenting information about careers to fourth through eighth grade students and volunteers interested in assisting with the development of a high school internship program.
If you are interested in learning more about current volunteer possibilities or are interested in seeing how your ideas may fit with our organization, please contact me so we can arrange a time to visit.
Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me. I enjoy having conversations with individual who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.