Howard serves as community VISTA leader
Howard serves as community VISTA leader
Amanda Howard serves with AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) as the community VISTA leader. In this position, she is able to assist the community VISTAs with professional development needs, support their reporting, help them meet program objectives of sponsoring organizations and offer clarifications of VISTA assignment duties. Prior to her service as the community VISTA leader, Howard served for two years as a VISTA working with the volunteer and parent workshop programs.
One major aspect of her service as a leader is the opportunity to assist community VISTAs with capacity building of sub-sites. Capacity building is the development of a program and its sustainability in a community. She strives to highlight the impactful work that the community VISTAs do on a daily basis, and says, “There are many great organizations that community VISTAs are serving with and they work very hard to better the lives of the people in our community.”
Howard, speaking on the numerous programs with which she has the opportunity to assist, says, “Community VISTAs in the Plato R-V School District are working on a grant to improve a building for a pre-school, a community VISTA at the Kaleidoscope Discovery Center in Rolla is working on a volunteer program that will support their youth robotics program, and a community VISTA at the Waynesville Rural Fire Protection District is creating a curriculum for a school-age fire safety program.”
Howard is also able to provide mentoring to current VISTAs, gained from her personal experience as a VISTA. Her goal is to keep a steady stream of communication and support with each community VISTA. She says, “I tell community VISTAs that I serve with to think of me as a professional friend. I’m here for them through ups and downs of VISTA service. I’m happy to help them submit reporting, congratulate them on a job well done, or just be a listening ear and make their service more enjoyable.”
Through several avenues and events, she is determined to bring growth to the VISTA program, as she is very involved in recruiting new VISTA members. Recruiting is one of Howard’s favorite duties as a VISTA leader. “I really enjoy getting to meet new people and building partnerships within the community,” Howard said. “Meeting people passionate about community service and finding ways to connect those people with a VISTA Project is very rewarding.”
“Amanda is serving her third term of service with Waynesville VISTA and also served as a VSA (VISTA Summer Associate) within our program. As a VISTA leader, she provides a tremendous amount of support to our Waynesville VISTAs, as well as our sub-site VISTAs. She has made great contributions in establishing and maintaining positive relationships with our sub-site supervisors and VISTAs. Amanda always has a positive attitude and smile on her face. She knows what it takes to be successful, and more importantly, demonstrates that work ethic on a daily basis. We appreciate her loyalty to our program and her service to the larger community,” said Todd Whalen, director of community resources and alternative education.
If you would also like to learn valuable skills, develop an appreciation for citizenship, help individuals reach their fullest potential, create sustainable community programs, and earn money for furthering your education, then AmeriCorps & VISTA service may be right for you. Visit the my.americorps.gov website for additional information or to apply for the paid service opportunities through AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA. For more specific instructions and information, contact the Community Resource Office (CRO) at (573) 842-2250 and like us on Facebook at “Waynesville Tiger Way”.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE OFFICE (CRO)
The Community Resource Office (CRO), under the direction of Todd Whalen, is a grant-supported department of the Waynesville R-VI School District that manages district volunteers, AmeriCorps school tutors, Club TIGER Afterschool Program, Snack in a Pack Program, student transitions, and more. These programs are made possible by grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Army Youth Programs in Your Neighborhood (AYPYN), and Department of Defense - Education Activity (DoDEA). For more information about the CRO Programs or how to get involved, contact (573) 842-2250 or community@waynesville.k12.mo.us.
"Issued December 29, 2017"