Volunteers in Service to America (*VISTA)
About Volunteers in Service to America
AmeriCorps*VISTA is a national service program that addresses the problems of poverty by providing people of diverse backgrounds and ages with an opportunity for full-time community service.*VISTAs serve for a year term, addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities by developing permanent infrastructure for organizations and securing resources for human and civic development. Additional information about the AmeriCorps *VISTA program can be accessed at www.americorps.gov
About CHHA *VISTA Umbrella Project
The Coal Heritage Highway Authority provides *VISTA resources to organizations that demonstrate an anti-poverty focus and serve our 11 county geographic region in southern West Virginia. *VISTA services are aimed to affect sustainability of projects and programs within a 3 year time frame. Focus areas of project sites include but are not limited to: non-profit capacity building, economic development, community development, wastewater management, drug abuse recovery, and long term flood recovery.
*VISTA Project Accomplishments
The CHHA Umbrella Project has grown significantly as we are near our *VISTA placement capacity; the CHHA has 21 *VISTA members serving organizations in 15 West Virginian counties, and 35+ organizations have applied through the CHHA for *VISTA services this year.
In the past year, 21*VISTA members within the Coal Heritage Highway Authority Umbrella Project have generated the following resources for their communities:
- Number of new volunteers recruited: 1,415
- Total hours of service performed by community volunteers: 5,061
- Dollar amount of grant funds secured: $206,000
- Dollar amount of local funds secured: $217,628
- Number of new organizational partnerships created: 93
*VISTA Partnerships & Projects
We have partnered with the following organizations by providing *VISTA resources to build capacity at the local community level:
How can your organization apply for a *VISTA position?
To be eligible for a *VISTA position, your organization must be a public, private, or faith-based nonprofit, or a local, state, or federal agency.
Please contact the Coal Heritage Highway Authority to request an application: 304-256-6941
How can you apply to serve as a *VISTA member?
To apply as an AmeriCorps *VISTA member, visit http://my.americorps.gov, and register by completing your profile, username and password. Return to the "My AmeriCorps" portal, sign-in, and complete your online application. After your online application is complete, you can submit it to the Coal Heritage Highway Authority or other projects.