Library LInes

If you have lived in Pocahontas County for any amount of time, chances are you have run into a VISTA, or a Volunteer in Service to America.

AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program that works to eliminate poverty by developing programs to better individuals and communities. Their website states: “The first VISTAs began serving in 1965 in the migrant farm worker camps in California, the hollows of eastern Kentucky, and the inner city of Hartford, Connecticut. Since then, more than 180,000 VISTAs have served throughout America to expand the capacity of homegrown efforts to address community challenges. Our impact is reflected in the hundreds of programs that VISTAs helped launch over the decades, including Head Start, Upward Bound, the credit union system, Habitat for Humanity and Neighborhood Watch.”

Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

I started my association with the Pocahontas County Free Libraries as a VISTA. I spent a year working mostly at the Green Bank library, facilitating the move to the current building, and the migration to our current circulation software. It was a rewarding experience. I’m very glad I spent that year as a VISTA.
PCFL has been approved for a VISTA for the coming year, and so I’m searching far and wide for someone who would be interested in spending a year helping the libraries get a good solid base of volunteers, and then helping to launch some outreach programs for the county. You must be at least 18 years of age, but there is no upper age limit. This is a 24/7 commitment, so while we probably would not work you 24/7, it does mean you cannot hold another job while you are a VISTA volunteer. You are paid a modest living allowance to cover basic necessities, and at the end of your year of service, you can choose an education award of $5,500 to pay for college or to pay off student loans, or you can choose an end-of service stipend of $1,500. You can find more information at www.nationalservice.gov. At the top of the page, hover your cursor over Programs, and click on AmeriCorps VISTA. Then, on the left side of this page is a link to AmeriCorps VISTA FAQs, which has lots of good information. If this sounds interesting to you, please give me a call at the library at 304-799-6000 or email director@ pocahontaslibrary.org

We’re ready to start soon, so don’t hesitate!