Hamilton, Ohio– As part of AmeriCorps Week activities taking place across the country, Miami University will host a roundtable discussion on May 18 highlighting the important work being done by AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers in Ohio.
Three VISTAs representing Ohio Campus Compact will be discussing their contributions to their communities since becoming AmeriCorps members in the summer of 2010. Cayla Adams, Grace Andrews, and Jessica Toglia, who serve as the OCC VISTAs on all three of Miami University’s campuses in Butler County, want to inform people of the transformational impact that one year of service can have on Ohio communities. The work of these three VISTAs alone has been to generate hundreds of one-time and ongoing volunteers to help build capacity for area non-profits and schools; develop new poverty-alleviation initiatives that connect communities to campus resources; contribute to ongoing economic development projects in their communities; and increase awareness of poverty-related social justice issues to college students to encourage their commitment to improving America’s communities. And, with over 17,000 additional Ohioans serving in AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs, the total impact of service in Ohio is indeed staggering.
“I am very excited about this event as it will be a venue to showcase what the three OCC VISTAs have been working on,” says Toglia, the current VISTA at Miami University Hamilton. “With VISTAs placed at [all three Miami University campuses], we really are making an impact in Southwest Ohio and Butler County. It will be great to share publicly what that impact has been!”
Andrews, the VISTA serving at Miami University Oxford, feels that national service is a critical step in developing citizenship. “Before joining AmeriCorps, I thought of service to one’s country as military service. Now, I understand that we can all serve our country. When I step back and see the impact a few dedicated citizens have had on the communities in Southwest Ohio, I can’t wait to showcase it to the public!”
For Adams, “being a VISTA is a lot about civic engagement and not only on a personal level. I think a main part of what we do is to promote civic engagement in our communities. The only way to develop significant and lasting change in our communities is to inspire them to become active and informed members and citizens of their community and country respectively. This why broadening our reach and pooling resources as the three VISTAs on Miami's campuses is so important. We reach more ears and we open more eyes.”
Since its inception in 1994, more than 700,000 Americans have given more than 860 million hours of service through AmeriCorps, including 24,000 Ohioans. AmeriCorps members help students learn to read, mentor at-risk youth, provide health services, build homes for low-income families, and help nonprofits recruit more volunteers and better achieve their mission.
The Roundtable Discussion on the Impact of National Service will take place Wednesday, May 18 at 1 PM at the Wilks Conference Center, located on Miami University’s Hamilton Campus. AmeriCorps Week, May 14-21, is an annual recruitment and recognition event to demonstrate AmeriCorps' impact on critical issues, bring more Americans into service, and thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible. AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information, visit www.AmeriCorpsWeek.gov.
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