For those of you who may not know, I graduated from Washington University in May (hooray!... boo), and two days ago I moved back to St. Louis to start a job. Specifically, I'll be serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA for the next year. VISTA stands for Volunteer in Service to America, and VISTA is the branch of AmeriCorps that specifically deals with poverty. The other branch of AmeriCorps is State, and State members perform direct service - tutoring, counseling, etc. VISTAs do not perform direct service but are responsible for the behind-the-scenes work at organizations, such as development (fundraising) and volunteer coordination. My official title is Development/Education and Awareness VISTA, and the site where I'll be serving is a nonprofit organization called College Bound. College Bound works with under-resourced high school students in St. Louis, with the ultimate goal for them being graduation from a four-year college or university. I'll be responsible, along with my co-VISTA, for writing grant applications, planning fundraisers and working with various donor groups.
As a VISTA, I am a "federally funded national service participant" (words from one of the online tutorials I went through in preparation for orientation), which basically translates into "you're going to do a lot of great things for your country, and we're not going to pay you very much for it in hopes that you gain a better understanding of poverty." Though I try to be reasonable with money, I've never really had to follow a strict budget, so that will be a new experience. My roommate, a friend from college, is working for College Bound through AmeriCorps State, so I'm sure you will hear stories of the ways we come up with to pinch pennies.
I've been anticipating the start of my job since I got hired in March, so I'm very excited to get started, but also a little overwhelmed. I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I will meet my fellow VISTAs, learn a lot about poverty and what we can do to fight it, and hopefully have some time to explore the city, since I've never been to New Mexico. I also hope that they'll finally explain why there is a star in the AmeriCorps*VISTA name. Why not just a space? Does AmeriCorps want us to feel like stars? Is serving like getting beaten up until you see stars? Do we get a free ride into space when we finish our year? So many possibilities...
*SHAMELESS PLUG* I will get back from PSO just in time to dance on an alumni team at Dance Marathon 2010! Dance Marathon, or DM, is a fabulous event at Washington University that raises money for Children's Miracle Network. All of the money goes to two outstanding pediatric hospitals in St. Louis. I was a team leader, or Morale Captain, my sophomore year, and then served on the Executive Board for two years. I am so excited to dance again (without having to worry about a single logistical detail!), and I'd love to raise as much money as I can. If you feel so inclined, you can donate online and read more about my DM experience here: http://www.dmstl.org/profile/2467. Thanks so much for your support of all my nonprofit endeavors!
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