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| Public Health Initiatives VISTA Fellows Austin Burke, BS |
The
Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) was recently selected by the Corporation
for National and Community Service (CNCS) to serve Kansas as an AmeriCorps VISTA
Intermediary Sponsor. AmeriCorps VISTA is a national and community service
program administered by the CNCS placing volunteers in poverty-fighting
organizations across the United States.
Through this award, CCSR will create WSU VISTA Fellows connecting them
with nonprofits, government, and public health serving agencies statewide. This
project is an innovative way to connect WSU with community organizations that
address poverty.
Through
the VISTA Fellows Project, WSU graduates will engage in one year of hands-on service
in their community while applying knowledge, expertise and skills they learned during
their educational experience. “It’s a way to put their degree to use while
giving back to their community,” said Teresa Strausz, MSOD, LMSW, CCSR Community
Engagement and Learning Coordinator. WSU VISTA Fellows
help build capacity of nonprofits and other organizations whose missions and/or
services impact those who are economically disadvantaged.
The
inaugural group of VISTA Fellows arrived in Kansas on July 18 serving Peace
Connections/Circles of Hope in Harvey County, Communities In Schools of
Wichita/Sedgwick County, Rainbows United, Inc. and CCSR’s Public Health
Initiatives team. You can find these Fellows engaged in a variety of activities
including program development, marketing/communications, fund development/grant
writing, and volunteer management.
Scott
Wituk, CCSR’s Executive Director said, “We are honored to be selected by CNCS
to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA Intermediary Sponsor. This is a great opportunity for recent WSU graduates
to apply what they have learned through their WSU coursework. I think they will
learn a lot more through this applied experience and it will also position them
to be more engaged citizens for the rest of their lives. I also know we have a lot of hard,
challenging work in front of us, but are hopeful that in a few years, dozens of
WSU VISTA Fellows will be actively engaged in addressing poverty throughout
Kansas.”
WSU
VISTA Fellows serve 40 hours per week for one year, receiving an educational
stipend in addition to a modest living allowance. CCSR accepts applications
anytime from organizations interested in hosting VISTA Fellows as well as
students or graduates interested in serving as a WSU VISTA Fellow.
More
information is provided online at www.wichita.edu/CCSR/AmericorpsVISTA. For
the application process or to discuss VISTA contact Teresa Strausz at teresa.strausz@wichita.edu or 316-978-6778.
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