The document outlines the mission and operations of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which aims to improve lives and strengthen communities through volunteerism, focusing particularly on low-income populations. It details the AmeriCorps VISTA program's goals, criteria for project sponsorship, available resources, and various initiatives aimed at addressing poverty and empowering communities. The document also highlights opportunities for volunteers, benefits of serving, and various local organizations involved in the program across Kentucky.

1. Welcome to the
• Our Mission: Improve lives, strengthen
communities, and foster civic engagement
through service and volunteering

2. CNCS is an agency of the
United States Government
• Headquarters
1201 New York Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20525
202-606-5000
202-606-3472 (TTY)
• Kentucky
600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Place
Room 190, Mazzoli Federal Bldg.
Louisville, KY 40202
502-582-6384

3. KY is part of the Southern Cluster

4. CNCS Programs
• Senior Corps
• Americorps
• Learn and Serve

6. O
• VISTA—
Volunteers in
Service to
America

7. O
• VISTA
 Focus on Needs of Low-Income Persons
and Communities since inception in 1965
 Capacity Building, Sustainable Programs
 Full Time 12 month service commitment

8. Our Mission
"to strengthen and supplement efforts to eliminate and alleviate
poverty...in the United States by encouraging and enabling persons
from all walks of life and age groups..to perform meaningful and
constructive volunteer service in agencies, institutions, and
situations where the application of human talent and dedication
may assist in the solution of poverty and poverty-related
problems...to generate the commitment of private sector resources,
to encourage volunteer service at the local level, and to strengthen
local agencies and organizations to carry out the purpose (of the
program)" [42 U.S.C. 4951]

9. Criteria for Sponsoring a VISTA Project
• Be a public sector agency or a private nonprofit
501 (c) 3 status or have applied to IRS for same
• Have capacity to recruit, orient, train, supervise
and support local and nationally-recruited VISTA
members in appropriate capacity-building roles
• Have resources for VISTA members to perform
their tasks (space, equipment, supplies, mileage
reimbursement)

10. Criteria for VISTA project, cont.
• Understand the concept of, and be committed to
promoting national service
• Focus on mobilizing resources to achieve
defined goals directed towards alleviating
problems of low income communities
• Have capacity to build community partnerships
and collaborative efforts to achieve project self-
sufficiency in 3 - 5 years

11. Corporation Priorities
• Mobilizing More Volunteers
• Ensuring a Brighter Future for all of
America’s Youth
• Engaging Students in Communities
• Harnessing Baby Boomer’s Experience
• Responding to/Preparing for Disasters

12. Strategic Thinking -----
• Does this project meet a documented need?
• Does it relate to a Corporation priority?
• What about organizational capacity?
• Are ―project beneficiaries‖ involved in planning?
• Are goals well defined and attainable?
• Does it reflect community collaboration?
• Can this proposed project be sustainable?

13. What will it cost my agency?
• Have a clear work plan, a good VISTA Assignment Description
(VAD), a supervisor/mentor, and a work station for the VISTA
• Have thorough orientation and ongoing learning opportunities
• Make a reasonable attempt at accommodation for VISTAs with
disabilities
• Report on project progress—VISTA/supervisor report monthly;
sponsor reports quarterly with all requested attachments
• Have & follow a signed Memorandum of Agreement with
Corporation and Memo of Understanding with sub-sites
• Meet regularly with your VISTA—inspect what you expect
• Send in the Sponsor Verification Form: Fax to State Office every
two weeks, signed & annotated
• Notify State Office within 24 hours of early terminations, arrests,
auto accidents, serious member illness/injury/hospitalization, on job
injuries or AWOL situations
• Consider Cost Sharing

14. Cost-Sharing
A Cost-Share Partner commits to reimbursing the Corporation for the
VISTA member (s) living allowance -- about $9700 per member
annually. It is hoped that projects with resources can have one or
more of their VISTA volunteers as ―Cost Share‖
In Cost Share AmeriCorps*VISTA continues to provide:
• $5350 education award or $1,500 post-service stipend for each
member who completes 12 months of service
• Health coverage and optional life insurance
• Payroll services: members receive their support allowances via
direct deposit from AmeriCorps*VISTA
• Travel and per diem costs associated with supervisor and member
training.
• Moving allowances for members relocating to serve plus a $550
settling–in allowance.
• Up to $400 in child care for income eligible VISTAs

15. Involvement in National Service
• Seasons of Service with the Points of Light
Foundation—On Martin Luther King Jr Day,
January 17, 2011
• Governor’s Volunteerism Awards Ceremony in
April (Volunteerism Month)
• Global Youth Service Day--April 15-17, 2011
• National Volunteer Week- April 17-23, 2011
• Join Hands Day—May 2, 2009
• AmeriCorps Week— May 8-15, 2010
• Make a Difference Day October 23, 2010

16. AmeriCorps*VISTA Guiding Principles
in 2010
1. Anti-Poverty Focus —Helping
communities to get out of poverty
2. Community Empowerment—Low income
people in community part of planning
3. Capacity Building—helping organizations
that serve low-income communities
4. Sustainable Solutions—planning for
VISTA phase out from Year 1

17. A Brighter Future for Youth
• Youth Living in Poverty
• Youth with below average
reading skills
• Children of Prisoners
• Children & Youth affected by
disasters

18. Legislated Program Areas
1. Health, education, welfare of American Indians
2. Care & Rehabilitation of mentally ill, developmentally
disabled, other individuals with disabilities
3. Problems related to homelessness, unemployment,
unemployed youth
4. Problems related to alcohol and drug abuse/prevention
5. Health care problems
6. Programs related to Community Service Block Grant,
Titlex VIII and X of Economic Opportunity Act 1964,
Head Start
7. Problems related to illiteracy

19. Serve America Act Additions
1. Assisting with reentry and reintegration of formerly
incarcerated youth and adults
2. Financial literacy, financial planning, asset building
3. Supporting before and after school programs,
mentoring, tutoring, life skills, service learning,
physical/nutritional/health needs of children
4. Community economic development initiatives with
priority in rural areas & other high need areas
5. Assisting veterans and family members
6. Health and wellness of individuals in low-income
communities, including programs to increase access to
preventive services, insurance and health services

20. More Opportunities to Serve
• Increasing organizational capacity to serve
as a volunteer connector organization for
their community;
• Building community networks of
organizations needing and/or providing
volunteers; and
• Building staff capacity to effectively recruit
and manage volunteers.

21. Asset Development
Helping Low-income individuals save
money, build equity, and start
businesses through:
• Financial literacy education
• Micro-enterprise training and development
• Overcoming Barriers to Long Term
employment
• Bridging the digital divide
• Individual Development
Accounts/Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance projects (VITA)

22. Strengthening Children/Families
• Empowering Local
Grassroots Initiatives for
Family Formation and
Development
• After School Programs and Child Care
• Childhood Literacy
• Families Affected by recent disasters

23. AmeriCorps*VISTA in KY
• Americana Community Center—Louisville-Umbrella
Americana Community Center,Adelante Hispanic Achievers,
Youth Ventures, Backside Learning Center, Neighborhood
House, Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Jewish Family
Vocational Service, Food Literacy Project.
• Bellewood Presbyterian Home for Children, Umbrella
Openings with Home of the Innocents & Maryhurst (both in
Louisville) and Bellewood in Lexington, Louisville and Bowling
Green. Assignment: recruit mentors and foster parents for
older foster youth.
• Brighton Center, Covington—Asset building, Financial
Education, homeless prevention
• Bullitt County Board of Education—Mentoring, tutoring, after
school programs

24. AmeriCorps*VISTAUmbrella in cont.
• Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning,
in KY,
Lexington, Kentucky Assignment: Promotion of Literacy in
Lexington area—one opening
• Catholic Charities (Louisville, Lexington & Owensboro)
Assignment: Help develop financial literacy and asset
building programs of three Catholic Charities Programs
• Christian Appalachian Project Umbrella (Martin,
Whitley City, David, Whitesburg, Pikeville,
Hagerhill, Mt Vernon, Booneville, and Sandy
Hook). Assignment: Building capacity of
programs serving Eastern Kentucky
• Kentucky Campus Compact—Assignment
VISTAs will help create Service Learning
opportunities for students in colleges/universities
• Kentucky Court Appointed Special Advocate
(CASA) Assignment: Works with Family
Courts to provide advocacy for abused, neglected,
and dependent children

25. VISTA Programs Continued
• Kentucky Domestic Violence Association—Assignment: Help build capacity of
local shelter for abused women and children through fundraising, newsletter
development AND develop Asset Building program for women in program.
• McCreary County Historical Foundation—Umbrella in Sterns—Assignments in
medical clinic, food bank, jobs training, counseling center, economic development,
artisan center
• National Safe Place—Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Assignment: Help build the capacity of Safe Place Programs in various cities
• Pine Mountain Settlement School Bledsoe, KentuckyAssignment: Expand
energy conservation, food, nutrition and healthy family programs
• United Way of Central Kentucky—--Umbrealla in Elizabethtown with Legal Aid
Nursing Home Ombudsman Program, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Ft. Knox Volunteer
Center, North Hardin Schools, Helping Hand.
• United Way of NE Kentucky, Umbrella in Ashland area. Assignments:
Openings with Two Hearts Pregnancy Center, Hillcrest Bruce Center, CARES
Program

26. How do Projects Find VISTA members?
• Local sponsors recruit them
• Young adults—generally college grads
apply for VISTA and select your program
(online at www.americorps.org) or call
1-800-942-2677 and request application
• They are referred to VISTA by friends,
family, and present/past VISTAs
• College placement officers suggest the
program; CNCS staff recruit statewide

27. UofL Recruitment Fair

28. Why serve with VISTA?
• Serve in an interesting place with
projects that help vulnerable people
and communities
• Meet new people from different backgrounds
• Have a rewarding / life changing experience
• Receive a modest living allowance- of
$858/mo in Kentucky, paid every other week-
Eligible for Earned Income Credit/food stamps
• Health insurance is provided
• Child care provided if income eligible
• Training and travel funds provided
• Can attend college classes while a VISTA

29. Education Benefits
•Education award of $5350 or $1500
stipend
•If choose Education Award also can
receive “forbearance” on repaying
federal student loans
•Some universities provide matching grants
for former members spending Education
Awards at their schools
•If choose stipend can receive deferment on
student loans while in VISTA

30. Corporation Web Pages
www.nationalservice.gov
www.americorps.gov
Emails
bwells@cns.gov
dtucker@cns.gov