18.5.09
SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Today, I received a letter from the Mercy Foundation's Tree of Hope Fund. I will be getting money to buy supplies for hygiene and nutrition activities! I'm very excited, though I will need some other funds for things unrelated to hygiene and nutrition, so I will leave that to my summer associates!
17.5.09
Northwest Service Symposium
Thursday-Friday, I was in Portland, OR at the 14th Annual Northwest National Service Symposium. It was a forum to learn what other AmeriCorps/AmeriCorps*VISTA/AmeriCoprs Learn & Serve members were doing. The Symposium is through the AmeriCorps Network Northwest that serves Washington and Oregon.
We're the only groups in the country who have a symposium and they've been doing it for 14 years. They ask for submissions of artwork -- poems, games, paintings, stories, etc. -- and they get collected and put into a book published for the attendees of the symposium. There are also different break out sessions put on by AmeriCorps and VISTA members about what they are doing at their sites. It was a really great forum to get new ideas, hear about other people's positions and network with other people, creating bridges between various organizations across the Northwest.
I learned about "Warm Socks for Cold Soles" started by a woman in Washington. She just started out small and it grew exponentially. She has now been asked to come to the White House to speek to a committee about making it into a national program. I am thinking about implementing it along with the Homeless Count. We collect blankets for the event to be passed out, but socks would be a really great thing to be able to give to the homeless as well. I also learned about a program at OSU (Extension, not to be mistaken for my biggest rival Ohio State, but Oregon State) that is a simulation that I could use instead of doing the Walk-a-Mile program. It was also a great place to meet up with PSO members and find out how their service was going and what issues/problems they had had already.
I've also learned that the UCAN VISTA Coalition is one of a kind. It has been a great help to have other Vistas as a support, as well as more senior (already been serving for several months) act as mentors to help me adjust to the area and find out about resources in the community for work and personal use. I couldn't do without it!
I should find out this week whether I got the money I requested from the Mercy Foundation for my summer activity program. I will also hopefully have picked my other Summer Associate!
We're the only groups in the country who have a symposium and they've been doing it for 14 years. They ask for submissions of artwork -- poems, games, paintings, stories, etc. -- and they get collected and put into a book published for the attendees of the symposium. There are also different break out sessions put on by AmeriCorps and VISTA members about what they are doing at their sites. It was a really great forum to get new ideas, hear about other people's positions and network with other people, creating bridges between various organizations across the Northwest.
I learned about "Warm Socks for Cold Soles" started by a woman in Washington. She just started out small and it grew exponentially. She has now been asked to come to the White House to speek to a committee about making it into a national program. I am thinking about implementing it along with the Homeless Count. We collect blankets for the event to be passed out, but socks would be a really great thing to be able to give to the homeless as well. I also learned about a program at OSU (Extension, not to be mistaken for my biggest rival Ohio State, but Oregon State) that is a simulation that I could use instead of doing the Walk-a-Mile program. It was also a great place to meet up with PSO members and find out how their service was going and what issues/problems they had had already.
I've also learned that the UCAN VISTA Coalition is one of a kind. It has been a great help to have other Vistas as a support, as well as more senior (already been serving for several months) act as mentors to help me adjust to the area and find out about resources in the community for work and personal use. I couldn't do without it!
I should find out this week whether I got the money I requested from the Mercy Foundation for my summer activity program. I will also hopefully have picked my other Summer Associate!
10.5.09
The 1st Month
Ops, I've been really bad at updating this. I've had some long days.
What have I been doing?
I have been working on my Summer Activity Program for one of the low-income housing sites that we do services for in Sutherlin, OR. I am not going to be running the program, but I will have 2 summer associates (AmeriCorps*VISTAs) that will be doing all the program planning and running.
I wrote a local foundation for some money from one of their funds for supplies. I am awaiting to here if they will be donating any money. I have also been working on getting some special events scheduled for the kids. Right now, I have the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife coming to do a presentation with animal pelts, as well as donating birdhouse kits. I have been in contact with the local Sheriff's department about having the McGruff Crime Dog make an appearance with a deputy to talk about safety and what he does for a living.
We are also going to have garden themed activties this year as the property has agreed to participate in UCAN's "Plant Another Row to Go" program. The program is asking local farmers, and anyone else to "plant another row" to donate to the homeless, so they can have fresh produce and flowers. So we will be working with the children in the raised beds, and teaching them how to garden, as well as how to give back to others.
I have another project that I'm trying to figure out what to do with -- Walk-a-Mile. Last year, it didn't go very well, which could have been due to the fact it wasn an election year. There were suggestions to have people in the community pair with the homeless instead of politicians with low-income people, but I haven't had the chance to meet with my supervisor to discuss other options.
I've also been tagging along going to the Coast to do presentations at schools about AmeriCorps and our summer associate positions. Next week, I will be going to Portland for the Northwest Service Symposium -- I thought it'd be nice to get out of Roseburg for awhile!
I suppose that's it for now. Sorry for the delay!
What have I been doing?
I have been working on my Summer Activity Program for one of the low-income housing sites that we do services for in Sutherlin, OR. I am not going to be running the program, but I will have 2 summer associates (AmeriCorps*VISTAs) that will be doing all the program planning and running.
I wrote a local foundation for some money from one of their funds for supplies. I am awaiting to here if they will be donating any money. I have also been working on getting some special events scheduled for the kids. Right now, I have the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife coming to do a presentation with animal pelts, as well as donating birdhouse kits. I have been in contact with the local Sheriff's department about having the McGruff Crime Dog make an appearance with a deputy to talk about safety and what he does for a living.
We are also going to have garden themed activties this year as the property has agreed to participate in UCAN's "Plant Another Row to Go" program. The program is asking local farmers, and anyone else to "plant another row" to donate to the homeless, so they can have fresh produce and flowers. So we will be working with the children in the raised beds, and teaching them how to garden, as well as how to give back to others.
I have another project that I'm trying to figure out what to do with -- Walk-a-Mile. Last year, it didn't go very well, which could have been due to the fact it wasn an election year. There were suggestions to have people in the community pair with the homeless instead of politicians with low-income people, but I haven't had the chance to meet with my supervisor to discuss other options.
I've also been tagging along going to the Coast to do presentations at schools about AmeriCorps and our summer associate positions. Next week, I will be going to Portland for the Northwest Service Symposium -- I thought it'd be nice to get out of Roseburg for awhile!
I suppose that's it for now. Sorry for the delay!
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