Volunteers donated more than 240 hours of service this past Saturday for Cesar Chavez Day. The day was a great success and volunteers helped clean the grounds of one park, one cemetery and one middle school. They also volunteered with the elderly and threw a Easter Egg Hunt for children. Finally, volunteers helped clean up the South Franklin Community Center and helped referee and score keep for a soccer game.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who woke up early and gave their Saturday to improve the community!
Go to United Way's Facebook page to see all of the pictures of the projects!
The hardworking volunteers at Dixon Middle School!
This week is full of special events to help support great causes.
Tonight, RAH (a local agency that supports people with disabilities) is hosting their first Family Variety Show Fundraiser. The Variety Show will have tons of great performers, including a member of the Osmond family and much more.
They need to sell more tickets and they need our help and support. Tickets have been discounted to $5! You can get this price by buying the tickets online and entering the promotion code "variety"
Please support this great agency and have some fun while you are at it. Make sure to pass this information along.
Mark your calendars for May 8-15th! This week has been named the 3rd annual Americorps Week!
Some of you may ask, what is Americorps Week? Americorps has helped us out and provided some good websites with descriptions of what the week means and what we are supposed to do to participate.
Americorps Week is a recruitment and recognition event created to encourage more Americans to serve, salute the VISTAs who have worked so hard and to thank all the people who make Americorps possible.
So what activities should we plan to make this week a success? We are challenged to all come up with an idea to share at the next VISTA training meeting (don't forget to bring your favorite cereal)
So start brainstorming. Continue reading Americorps sites to help you generate some ideas!
Cesar Chavez fought for equal rights for Hispanic minorities and for fairer working conditions. To honor his legacy and the work he did to improve the lives of many in our nation, a day of service is held each year on the last Saturday in March.
This year, Sully, a United Way VISTA has worked hard to plan a great event to celebrate this honorable man. Volunteers can participate in various service projects this day. From planting flowers to decorating Easter eggs for children, you are sure to find an activity that you are interested in. Volunteers are needed to help make this day a success.
Date: Saturday, March 27th
Location: Registration is located at Dixon Middle School (75o W. 200 N. Provo) After registration volunteers will disperse to assigned service projects.
Time: 8:00 Registration (Service projects will be from 9-12)
Light refreshments will be provided. Dress appropriate for the weather in case you attend an outdoor activity!
The Lieutenant Governor's 2010 Conference on Service will be held April 6-8 in Salt Lake City. Registration has begun so be sure to save your spot. The conference begins with a day dedicated to training VISTAs and a banquet at night where our very own, Brian Wayment, will be honored as VISTA of the year. The second day will be full of keynote speakers and workshops. The last day we will put what we learned into action, and participate in a service project. Look for your email from Carrie for more information.
Hope you all can come! Look forward to seeing you there!
Once in awhile we get to enjoy one of the best things about being a VISTA, VISTA potlucks! Well I guess it's not one of the best things, but they are still great. We had a great turn out with lots of yummy food. We had a green, St. Patrick's Day theme.
I took a few pictures of our fun Friday afternoon.
Rachel and Amy The food line!
I'm looking forward to our next potluck! Thanks for all who came and participated :)
We'd like to congratulate Brian Wayment on his award of Utah VISTA of the Year 2010! Brian's VISTA assignments have focused on volunteer promotion and recruitment for the United Way of Utah County Volunteer Center. He has established a system for volunteers to expand the volunteer center's capacity, and he promotes community resources for the center through visits around the country. As a VISTA Leader, Brian supports his fellow VISTAs by going on annual site visits, coordinating trainings and sending out a monthly VISTA project newsletter.
In addition to the volunteer center, Brian has organized and coordinated the Utah County Angel Tree program for the past two years. He spent countless hours volunteering during two holiday seasons so that 5,808 children of low-income families in Utah County received Christmas gifts. Brian's dedication to volunteerism is obvious as he also coordinates the United Way of Utah County's Meals-on-Wheels volunteer route and also regularly volunteers for the programs.
Thank you for your work and congratulations Brian!
Recently, the Daily Herald decided to spotlight some community minded companies and individuals in Utah Valley. They included a whole section on philanthropy. Included in this great section, one of our VISTA's projects were highlighted. The Volunteer Care Clinic (Elizabeth's project) is a medical clinic that provides basic health care services to the uninsured. The clinic is run by volunteers.
Raquel took my request to write up a reflection on her time of service seriously, she used her creativity to write us a poem, describing her year. I will personally miss having her sitting in front with us, always with a smile and able to make us laugh. I hope we all love our service as much as Raquel has! Thank you Raquel! Enjoy her poem.
Hasta la VISTA (A Farewell Poem) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- As my VISTA service winds down to its end I prepare to part with benevolent friends. I shed unseen tears for sweet moments and revel in the memory of living at poverty level. I never felt jipped or deprived or neglected My rewards were sufficient and more than expected. Living stipend, bus pass and housing support Unbeatable insurance and educational award.
Not to mention San Diego—how I loved PSO, And many more trainings that helped me to grow. So many bonuses to spice up my year Bees Game, Living Legends, Saliva Sisters—Oh dear.
Conferences, workshops, materials—all free! Like the flights, hotel stays, fancy meals, and ask me About “Crucial Conversations” and what your “True Colors” are I learned all that too, I’ve experienced it all. And if I’m ever in an pretty dangerous situation I’ll recall my recent training on emergency preparation.
My leaders were supportive and always took the time To answer all my questions and offer good advice. At monthly VISTA potlucks I would learn what others do Connections Council and TCN helped me build up networks too.
My VAD described the tasks I should complete within the year My primary assignment: Urge the youth to volunteer! With co-workers I’d visit schools to build up good relations We’d set up booths to promote events or deliver presentations.
Global Youth Service Day—what a perfect way to start Recruiting several youth groups to plan and serve with heart. Next came Summer of Service; 13 projects in 3 months From Courage Reins to nursing homes—adults and teens and runts.
And because I felt desirous to reward my volunteers I learned the art of seeking out donations without fear. As 30 sponsors feely gave, you bet my heart was soaring Our End-of-Summer Celebration resembled Christmas morning!
And Family Volunteer Day was a project to remember Hotcakes first, to warm us in the chill of mid-November. Then the 220 volunteers went out to various sites Stuffing stockings, building homes, hanging décor & Christmas lights. All the families seemed delighted—giving 2 hours was no trouble To serve the many folks in our community who struggle.
What fun it was to get involved in additional events Day of Caring—what a blast! But talk about intense. We raced paper planes for Campaign Week; all colors shapes and sizes And had profile spotlight guessing games and penny wars and prizes! AmeriCorps Week hygiene drive and VISTA Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther reader’s theater and Dia de los Reyes. And Yay!—my Spanish came in handy almost every day For translating and taking calls and keeping forms updated.
I was blessed to serve United Way, thanks to AmeriCorps Taking 2-1-1 calls: Swine Flu, VITA, and there’s more… Sub for Santa, Disney Day and court-appointed service Calls that made me smile or laugh and some that made me nervous. So many people with urgent needs I may have never noticed Now my eyes and heart know more; they’ve developed an outward focus.
Thank you to the people who have made my year so special. I’ve seen such goodness in your hearts, you’ve been so influential. My VISTA term seemed short and sweet, but now I’m on a roll. “Enter to learn, go forth to serve,” may this be our common goal.
Raquel Lopez Quintana AmeriCorps VISTA United Way of Utah County 2009-2010
AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed to fight poverty. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for one year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency. They do not generally provide direct services, but instead focus their efforts on building the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of organizations that help to fight poverty in their communities.
The Volunteer Empowerment Project
There are 19 AmeriCorps VISTA members on the Volunteer Empowerment Project, which is run by the United Way of Utah County. The members are located in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, St. George, and Richfield. Their focuses are quite varied, but they all have one common goal: to fight poverty.
Please enjoy reading about the projects and successes of our Volunteer Empowerment VISTAs!
The hardworking volunteers at Dixon Middle School!
Working hard at the Orem City Cemetery!
