This July, seven of our Maker VISTA Members will be concluding their 365 days of service. Our Maker VISTA members have exhibited passion, commitment and hard work by confronting poverty through collaborative development of organizational, administrative and financial capacity for their host organizations.
Maker VISTA members worked onsite with their partner organization to foster collective impact by designing program structures, expanding partnerships, securing resources, organizing Maker Education education training, and linking their adopted communities to the larger Maker Movement. We are so grateful for their time, energy and the opportunities each member developed for respective subsites.
They truly captured the spirit of AmeriCorps VISTA, and exemplified how we “Get Things Done!” They displayed a strong willingness to apply what they know, learn what they needed, and take on new challenges to grow. We know these VISTA members care about people, communities, and creating a better America for All.
These VISTA Members are made up of individuals who transitioned straight from High School to coordinator level positions, or completed their year of service while taking classes or working towards a degree. This cohort contained people with who applied their Masters Degrees, Law Degrees, or past experiences to do outreach, recruit volunteers, fundraise, or create Professional Development. We watched members evolve from self taught mechanics to 3D printing experts, all while transforming education.
We want to share the amazing impact that these VISTA Members made, so take a look at our July 2015 VISTAGrads, by the numbers:
Number of Hours Volunteered: 14,248
Students supported: 5,560
Volunteers Recruited: 146
In Kind and Cash Donations collected: $55,104.86
The latest estimated value of a volunteer is $23.07 an hour, so these VISTAGrads saved their subsites a collective: $375,693.36
Members:
Jennifer Alba – “Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Kate Bell – “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls. Others build windmills” ~ Dutch Proverb
Ryan Cataldo
Sienna Cittadino – “Satisfy your demand for reason but always remember that charity is beyond reason, and God can be known through charity.” ~ Flannery O’Connor
Iman Cuffie – “This year I have learned more about myself than I ever could have imagined and discovered what I am truly passionate about. I take away a better understanding of my limits, strengths, and ability to work with others that I never would have tapped into without VISTA.”
Melissa Huch – “Even the smallest amount of support can give someone the confidence to move mountains.”
Elizabeth Mercado – “If you start somewhere not knowing what to do, you will eventually find yourself doing something really great.”
States occupied:
2 VISTA Members 1 VISTA Member 1 VISTA Member 2 VISTA Members 2 VISTA Members
Subsites partnered with:
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