The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, and President Obama have declared March 10-18 as AmeriCorps*VISTA Week. Along eastern Montana, several VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members participate in programs that sponsor VISTA members.
The Communities in Action (CIA) Project, administered by the Richland County Health Department, Sidney, is implementing a sustainable community building process that combines all aspects of health and economic development to improve quality of life in eastern Montana. This unique, multi-faceted approach is a response to the modern day needs of frontier life and is established through identifying, developing, implementing, sustaining, and evaluating sustainable approaches to community development.
March 6-9 four AmeriCorps*VISTA members of the CIA Project gathered together with Judy Lapan, Richland County Health Department director, and Monique Vondall-Rieke, consultant on the project, for a retreat in Belfry, MT.
The VISTA members are Stephanie LaChapelle, Melissa Logan, Emily Schnurr and Anina Estrem. Stephanie is in her second year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA while Melissa, Emily and Anina are in their first year of service.
During the retreat, the VISTA members were able to reflect on their service and projects and, while coming to the final stretch of volunteer service, willingly shared their experiences.
Melissa Logan, originally from Washington, works with veterans services through the Sidney Job Service Program.
“It is important to volunteer within your own community and country,” Logan said. “With my background, I always think of volunteering out of the country.” Melissa majored in International Affairs, studied in India and saw the American influence first hand in other countries. This led her to volunteer in her homeland rather than joining Peace Corps, an international volunteer program.
The most valuable lesson learned by Melissa so far in her service is that “communities are so interesting – the way the oil field industry is evolving and the way the community is learning from past experience and watching how they change from the past is interesting,” she added.
She also said, “Veterans are an important part of our community and they’ve given a lot to our country and we need to give back to them.” The biggest needs for her project, Melissa admits, are for younger veterans to step forward, stop in to the Sidney Job Service office and emphasize their needs.
“How can we get information to assist them if they don’t reach out to be recognized?” she asks.
Melissa’s community projects include assisting in organizing a “Stand Down”, which is a one-stop direct service event that provides veterans with donations from the community and from the national and state military support community. This past year, this community event handed out over $150,000 in in-kind donations and gifts to local veterans. “It’s awesome,” Melissa said of the project.
Her project wants to help veterans, they want to get services to the veterans in the community and people are interested in learning all of the needs of veterans. Local businesses have shown enthusiasm, especially veteran business owners, according to Melissa.
Emily Schnurr is a VISTA member in the Poplar Schools in Poplar. She originates from Des Moines, IA, and has been focusing on getting more parents involved in their children’s education at the school.
“Poplar Schools needs motivated donors,” Emily says. “We need goods such as children’s clothes, shoes, books and especially dedicated parents to get involved in making the school a proud place.”
Emily began her interest in serving as a volunteer while taking a year off before attending graduate school, which is very typical of the type of person that becomes a VISTA member, according to Vondall-Rieke.
“Instead of sitting around doing nothing for a year, I wanted to serve and make a difference,” Emily said.
Her efforts have paid off. This year, with her help, the Poplar Schools’ Family Resource Center has increased the number of home visits conducted by teachers themselves. In addition, Emily has also been instrumental in facilitating a suicide prevention support group. She has also brought in at least one guest speaker and another will be speaking this week.
“What did I learn from my service?” Emily asked. “It takes longer than a year to change the world.”
These lessons are often learned by volunteers that are young and full of fresh new ideas, Vondall-Rieke and Lapan agree. The experience, they both add, is worth the effort. VISTA members are given a monthly living stipend while they serve and are also able to take a lump sum payment at the end of their service or put money towards student loans that they already have in exchange for their service.
Emily said her favorite thing about living in Poplar is “the sense of community”. She said she has met people that will “give you the shirt off their back and take the time to get to know you and welcome you to the community.”
Anina Estrem is the VISTA member located in Forsyth and Hysham. Anina is a Food Corps volunteer, which is a branch of AmeriCorps*VISTA that looks at bringing healthy, local food choices to communities.Her work in Forsyth has involved teaching agriculture to school-aged youth and starting a compost project with kindergartners and other elementary students.
“I wanted a job in sustainable agriculture and Food Corps fit it to a ‘T’,” Anina said.
The biggest lesson learned by Anina is that “communities move at their own pace and you can’t force them to move.” This concept agrees Vondall-Rieke, is very true because of the need for the community to “buy into” the project and feel a sense of ownership and origination of the project.
“Let’s face it – when these VISTA members are gone, the community needs to sustain the project,” Vondall-Rieke added.
Why sustainable agriculture, people may ask. “There is an obesity crisis in America,” Anina said. “We need to teach children how to eat healthy, we need people to get involved in getting healthy food in communities like Forsyth and communities like Hysham deserve to get a store.”
Currently, these communities travel up to 70 miles to find fresh produce. That distance, Anina agrees, is a long way to go to find fresh cucumbers and other produce. The rising cost of gas also contributes to the cost of fresh produce. Anina’s project includes students maintaining healthy gardens in Forsyth.
Overall, however, Anina feels that her project is a great way to build the community and get to be self-sufficient as well as a good way to help economic development in a rural town.
“We are pleased with our programs so far,” beams Lapan. These young women are sharing their fresh ideas and experiences with small communities that look to the future generation to help save small towns and help them with sustainability, agrees both Lapan and Vondall-Rieke.
Overall, the goal is to help jump-start communities in eastern Montana to take action and ownership in making their society healthy and to sustain these projects because they are the result of an assessment of community needs in the area.
Take the time to appreciate AmeriCorps*VISTA members in your community. Currently, Richland County Health Department is recruiting for three new VISTA members. If interested in the Communities in Action project, contact Judy Lapan at the department by calling 406-433-2207.
For information on the AmeriCorps programs offered in Montana and elsewhere, visit http://www.americorps.gov/. Please take the time to thank any AmeriCorps*VISTAs who volunteer to serve America during AmeriCorps Week.
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