| VISTA volunteers will work to strengthen the service
infrastructure for low-income populations around the state. |
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Campuses
gain new
volunteer program
Montana Campus Compact, a statewide higher education organization that
supports campus-based public service, has been awarded funding for a new program that has
placed 15 volunteers on college campuses around Montana. Volunteers in Service to
America (VISTA) participants will serve full-time, one-year terms at Montana Campus
Compact member institutions. They will work to strengthen the service infrastructure for
low-income populations by coordinating volunteer efforts and expanding the financial
resources available for community service.
To meet these objectives, VISTA members will engage in grant writing, resource
mobilization, community agency coordination, fund-raising and event planning for campuses
in Billings, Bozeman, Browning, Butte, Crow Agency, Dillon, Great Falls, Havre, Helena,
Kalispell, Miles City, Missoula and Pablo.
The program, which began in April, joins a list of successful student and faculty
development programs already offered by Montana Campus Compact. They are the Campus Corps
and Montana Reads volunteer programs, as well as the prestigious Faculty Fellowships,
which are awarded to faculty members in all disciplines who demonstrate commitment to
academic service learning.
The UM-based Montana Campus Compact is a coalition of college presidents and
chancellors committed to helping students develop the values and skills of citizenship
through civic engagement and participation in public service. By creating a supportive
environment for involvement in community public service, participating academic leaders
believe that their institutions can best prepare the next generation of informed, active,
committed citizen leaders for Montana.
VISTA is part of AmeriCorps, a national service program that allows people of all ages
and backgrounds to earn help paying for an education in exchange for a year of service.
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