1. VISTA Assignment Description (VAD)
AmeriCorps VISTA: Willie Brooks
Member ID: 1099952 Effective Dates: 07/18/2015 - 07/16/2016
Title: Community Relations Coordinator VISTA
Sponsoring Organization: The Oaks Academy
Project Name: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty by Building Relationships both
Project Number: 14VSNIN005
Project Period: 04/05/2015 - 05/28/2016
Site Name (if applicable):
Focus Area(s)
Primary: Education
Secondary:
VISTA Assignment Objectives and Member Activities
Goal of the Project: The VISTA member will work to build on our neighborhood renewal
efforts by guiding staff and faculty 'neighborhood champions' in community engagement
work based on research of best practices. The VISTA member will also work to develop
a volunteer program to engage local churches, businesses and other service groups,
and develop opportunities for community partnerships and expansion of the alumni
engagement program. After the term of the VISTA is complete, community engagement
initiatives will continue through the engagement and participation of Oaks staff and
volunteers trained and identified by the VISTA. The VISTA's performance will be
measured by the quality and quantity of the events/associations/organizations identified.
Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 07/14/15 - 07/13/16)
Become familiar with The Oaks Academy
Member Activity: Meet with key staff members (specifically school leadership) to learn about the
organization's history, founding, core values, educational philosophy, and other distinctive mission
characteristics
Member Activity: Participate in or observe school-wide functions such as classroom observation,
family tree organization gatherings, faculty training/orientation
Member Activity: Participate in advancement team activities, including weekly team meetings and
advancement events.
Member Activity: Review collateral materials, including the core values handout, educational
philosophy handout, website and weekly blog posts, components of board packets from meetings and
orientations, annual reports
Member Activity: Meet with supervisor weekly to discuss learnings, ask questions, and prioritize
member activities

2. Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 07/14/15 - 07/13/16)
Become familiar with The Oaks neighborhood communities
Member Activity: Meet with school staff members who have most familiarity with the neighborhoods,
including Heads of School, Directors of Adminstration, staff members who live in the neighborhoods
Member Activity: Take a tour, by foot and by car, hosted by Oaks staff members of neighborhoods
that The Oaks serves
Member Activity: Research publicly available information about the Near Eastside Community
Organization and the Fall Creek area
Member Activity: Review research gathered and reports developed by the former Neighborhood
Relations VISTA and related internal task forces, and former Alumni Relations VISTA
Member Activity: Meet with Admissions staff to determine how neighborhood relations relates to the
admissions process
Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 07/14/15 - 07/13/16)
Develop/enhance neighborhood liaison and volunteer programs
Member Activity: Develop/enhance and carry out neighborhood liaison training sessions (one-on-
one or small group meetings)
Member Activity: Brainstorm ideas/concerns for connecting with low-income families through the
neighborhood engagement strategy
Member Activity: Identify service opportunities available for volunteers, and identify
companies/organizations with service days or programs
Member Activity: Develop suggested strategies for organizing a volunteer program (map
opportunities with potential volunteer groups); develop internal strategies for carrying out volunteer
program (days-of-service, episodic, ongoing)
Member Activity: Explore referral programs (resources for low-income families), explore additional
community partners, how best to connect them – what it could look like, what it would cost
Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 07/14/15 - 07/13/16)
Develop and enhance alumni engagement program
Member Activity: Enhance information tracking system of alumni contact information and statistics
(i.e. explore ways to move from Excel to a database system, use website to gather information)
Member Activity: Develop protocol for engaging alumni long-term (through high school visits, events)
Member Activity: Work with Director of High School Placement on development and implementation
of 5-year alumni engagement plan
Member Activity: Provide content for communications related to alumni (write profiles, blogposts,
further develop alumni Facebook page)
Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 07/14/15 - 07/13/16)
Sustainability
Member Activity: Document and organize all research, recommendations, ideas, donor contact
information
Member Activity: Transfer all files to supervisor
Member Activity: Coordinate final reporting with supervisor