July 16, 2007
Record Number of VISTAs to Take Oath
The largest AmeriCorps*VISTA group ever assembled in Montana will be sworn in during a special ceremony at the Capitol Wednesday, July 18 at 1:30 p.m.
A total of 64 new VISTAs, or Volunteers in Service to America, will take an oath of service in the Old Supreme Court Chambers with Chief Justice Karla Gray officiating. The group joins 30 current members who joined in January 2007.
For one year, the volunteers will work to eliminate poverty by helping individuals and low-income neighborhoods in both large communities, such as Great Falls and Missoula, and in more rural destinations like Livingston and Sidney.
According to Vicki Turner of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, several much-needed projects await the new charges.
“They will be working on projects such as building community partnerships, establishing individual development account programs and fighting hunger and homelessness,” said Turner, the DPHHS Prevention Resource Center director. “The projects all emphasize working together within communities to build long-term solutions to these problems.”
The Prevention Resource Center is one of four umbrella organizations who oversee AmeriCorps*VISTA, a national service program, for the state. Other groups include Communities in Action, the Montana Campus Compact and the Montana Legal Services Association.
At the community level, the VISTAs are sponsored by a diverse group of organizations and public agencies, such as Boys and Girls Club, CASA, public libraries, credit unions, homeless shelters and after-school programs.
In exchange for their efforts, the VISTAs receive a modest monthly subsistence, health insurance, training, and travel and relocation expense. After completing their service year, they’ll receive either a $1,200 stipend or an education award of $4,724 to finance further schooling or to pay off qualified student loans.
To join, an individual must be at least 18 years old, but there is no upper age limit.
For more information about AmeriCorps*VISTA please visit http://www.americorps.gov/vista/ or call Turner at (406) 444-3484.
