Alvernia University

Supervisor:  Jessica Umbenhauer

Email: jessica.umbenhauer@alvernia.edu

Alvernia University’s PACC*VISTA member will dedicate his or her service to advancing the South Reading Youth Initiative, a collaborative effort among Alvernia University and several community partners. The VISTA will plan and implement programming for the SRYI, recruit new SRYI participants, manage Alvernia student volunteers and maintain relationships with community partners involved in the SRYI program. The goal of the program is to provide a positive, supportive, and educational “safe haven” for at-risk youth in the underserved South Reading area.  Programming will include activities with the arts and cultural community, athletic events, mentoring and tutoring for elementary through high-school students and annual summer camps.

Bryn Mawr College

Supervisor: Nell Anderson

Email: nanderso@brynmawr.edu

This BMC VISTA project focuses on the development of three fledgling campus-community partnerships.  During the first year, the VISTA will serve as coordinator of our partnership with Parkway West High School and will work half-time at each site in order to build the awareness of the partnership at both sites, assist with management of college volunteers and projects, build channels of communication to support cross-site collaborations, conduct assessment, and organize a Parnership Sustainability Committee.

Bucknell University

Supervisor: Kristine Kengor

Email: kkengor@bucknell.edu

Bucknell's VISTA is primarily running an after-school tutoring program at two low income housing units in the area. We have expanded to include many other evening and weekend activities for families as well. In addition we do ESL outreach with two local school districts in the area.

Cabrini College

Supervisor: Stephen A. Eberle

Email: Stephen.A.Eberle@cabrini.edu

The VISTA Coordinator of Community Outreach will work with our Norristown partners and Cabrini College students, faculty, and staff to develop curricular and co-curricular programming that addresses poverty concerns.  This will occur through the continuation of a first-year service program, community immersion experiences, and the Norristown Youth Empowerment Program.  These opportunities will increase the capacity and quality of programs run by our partners and introduce our students to service.

Carlow University

Supervisor: Jessica Friedrichs

Email: friedrichsjx@carlow.edu

Carlow University's VISTA member works to promote students community involvement with agencies that serve women and children in the Pittsburgh area.  S/he is responsible for developing community partnerships, promoting student volunteerism and supporting service-learning courses.  The VISTA member is an integral part of the Service-Learning and Outreach Center, whose mission is to inspire an ethic of service at Carlow University to continue the Mercy tradition of building a just and merciful world.

Cedar Crest College

Supervisor: Tammy Bean

Email: tebean@cedarcrest.edu

The Cedar Crest College PACC-VISTA member will work with Lehigh Valley agencies providing programming needs for low-income communities in the areas of children, youth, hunger, homelessness and poverty, while promoting volunteerism and civic engagement to the students of the college.  The PACC-VISTA member will work closely with Cedar Crest College students to provide training and mentoring while they work to tutor and mentor local children and youth.

Chestnut Hill College

Supervisor: Ryan Murphy

Email: murphyr@chc.edu

The AmeriCorps PACC*VISTA will be responsible for deepening and sustaining the community partnership between Roxborough High School and Chestnut Hill College by increasing college student engagement in the Senior Project at Roxborough High School.

Drexel University

Supervisor: Thomas Dahan

Email: tad42@drexel.edu

Drexel University will reduce poverty within the Lancaster Ave. corridor of West Philadelphia by enhancing the capacity of students involved in the UNIV101 service-learning project required of all incoming first year students and through the institutionalization and expansion of the Guiding Youth to Careers program. Specifically, the VISTA will work with staff of the CCE to create and implement an orientation to civic engagement for all incoming students as well as work with existing partners (primarily education focused partnerships) to better understand the role that the CCE plays in meeting community needs through this wide scale program. The VISTA will also seek ways to provide a more permanent institutional home for the Guiding Youth to Careers program by working with volunteers and other stakeholders to encourage them to take more ownership over the program. At the same time, the VISTA will continue to strengthen the institutional ties for the High Schools that GYC partners with to provide services.

Duquesne University—Hazelwood Project

Supervisor: Lina Dostilio

Email: dostiliol@duq.edu

The "Hazelwood Partnership VISTA" position will be a bridge between the Hazelwood community and Duquesne University to involve students and faculty in the FUSION program. FUSION builds home-community-school partnerships so that parents can become more engaged in the learning lives of their children. This VISTA position involves skills related to K-12 education, community organizing, and building university-community partnerships. Duquesne University and the Hazelwood neighborhood are located in Pittsburgh, PA.

Duquesne University—Uptown Parnters

Supervisor: Alia M. Pustorino-Clevenger

Email: pustorinoa@duq.edu

The Duquesne University/Uptown Partners project will work to address the needs of residents in the Uptown/Greater Hill District Community in Pittsburgh.  This partnership will design programs to benefit and impact the residents of this community based upon the input of residents in the community.  Focus areas will include the youth, elderly, and low income families.  

Gwynedd-Mercy College

Supervisor: Betsy Stone Plummer

Email: plummer.b@gmc.edu

The VISTA member will work with the College’s Mercy Works program administrator to develop a stronger, more streamlined and effective connection between local agencies and Gwynedd-Mercy College resources (i.e.: student/staff/faculty time, expertise, etc.)  The VISTA member will: 1.) gather, compile and publish information about the needs of the local community partners other agencies relevant to the resources of Gwynedd-Mercy College; 2.) gather, interpret and publish information about students’ volunteerism and knowledge of poverty issues and; 3.) develop and implement presentations to inform students as to root causes of poverty, the needs of the local poor, and how students might become involved in existing or new service projects. 

King's College—Volunteer Services

Supervisor:  Leanne Mazurick

Email: leannemazurick@kings.edu

The role of the VISTA will be to serve as primary liaison for The Green Initiative (TGI)at King's College to the McGlynn Learning Center and its community partners to identify needs, roles, responsibilities, and anticipated outcomes for volunteers. The main goal of the VISTA will be to capitalize on community partnerships to educate low-income children and their families on the environment, good nutrition, and the multiple benefits of a community garden. The VISTA will also work to promote service-learning across the curriculum at King's College as it relates to environmental sustainability and/or social justice.

King’s College—McGowan Hispanic Outreach Center

Supervisor: George Schmitz

Email: georgeschmitz@kings.edu

King's VISTA member will assist in the educational program of the McGowan Hispanic Outreach that address the unmet needs of the growing Hispanic community of Wilkes-Barre.

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Supervisor: Gene Eden         

Email: geden@lccc.edu

The LCCC PACC*VISTA program is designed to build awareness of community need and create a campus environment that embraces the idea of civic engagement and service as an integral part of the college experience.  The VISTA program is to address the issues of poverty and hunger and identify ways that students, faculty and staff can build partnerships and programs to address community needs.  Our project will focus on hunger and nutrition and will include creating a sustainable food drive.

Lock Haven University

Supervisor: Anne-Marie Turnage

Email: Aturnage@lhup.edu

Lock Haven University's 2009- 10 PACC VISTA project will focus on the poverty- related issue of Rural Community Development through an integrated approach to community health outreach.  By integrating the skills and talents of faculty and students across Health Science, the Physician Assistant graduate program and the Nursing program, the PACC VISTA will enable the university to provide more health care and health education to more citizens across more communities.  It will also allow these related academic departments to deepen and broaden their current civic engagement and service- learning initiatives.

Millersville University

Supervisor: Diane Fleichman

Email: diane.fleichman@millersville.edu

The VISTA will work with students and faculty to enhance civic engagement on campus as the University works toward a civic engagement requirement for graduation. The VISTA will also work with a former VISTA in the School District of Lancaster's alternative school to develop service projects for the students as well as develop a mentoring and tutoring program.

Misercordia University

Supervisor: Christine Somers

Email: csomers@misericordia.edu

Our project is to engage students in service in the community with particular emphasis in reducing poverty in the community by partnering with 2 community agencies that work with homeless woman. The Vista will assess the needs of these agencies and encourage our students, clubs, to use their professional skills and volunteer at these two Centers. The Vista will also be able to help with MLK Day of Service, be involved with Social Justice programs (Hunger and Homelessness Awarenss week and MLK Day of Service).

Monroe Campus—NCC

Supervisor: Belinda Austin

Email: BAustin@northampton.edu

Demand for emergency food assistance in Monroe County is growing.  The NCC-Monroe Campus, in conjunction with Monroe County Human Services Agencies and Emergency Food Assistance providers will engage Monroe Campus students, faculty and staff, and utilize the VISTA resources to develop a base of partners that will enhance the coordination and delivery of emergency food assistance services to Monroe County residents.

Northampton Community College (NCC)

Supervisor: Debra Bohr

Email: dbohr@northampton.edu

The PACC*VISTA at NCC will enhance and expand an existing after school mentoring program at the college.  Underserved youth from local agencies will be brought to the college for programming, both educational and recreational.  NCC students will serve as mentors during these activities.

Penn State—Brandywine

Supervisor: Dr. Matthew R. Shupp

Email: mrs32@psu.edu

Penn State Brandywine intends to utilize tested and effective literacy program models designed to alleviate poverty with three lower income communities – Upper Darby (Delaware County), Chester (Delaware County), and Overbrook (Philadelphia County), Pennsylvania.

PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development)

Supervisor: Hillary A. Kane

Email: hillarya@pobox.upenn.edu

The Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND) AmeriCorps VISTA will manage college partnerships with local high schools as part of the Senior Projects Initiative.  The Senior Projects Initiative is designed to increase the academic rigor and quality of high school seniors’ exit projects.  College students will be recruited to serve as “academic coaches” for high school students and the PACC*VISTA will help manage that process.  The PACC*VISTA will:  work to train college students to coach the high school students, work with community service directors to establish this project on various area campuses, and will work with high school teachers and students to ensure the program meets their diverse needs.

Saint Joseph's University

Supervisor: Ann Marie Jursca

Email: ajursca@sju.edu

The project proposes to strengthen and empower community partners to better articulate needs in order to deepen campus-community partner collaboration in addressing educational, health care and homelessness issues of the local community. 

Shippensburg University

Supervisor: Donna Gross

Email: dkgros@ship.edu

Shippensburg University will be implementing for the fourth year, a mentoring program between at-risk students at Shippensburg High School and college students primarily in the education, social work, or psychology departments.  This program will focus primarily on relationship building, community service, and career exploration.

Susquehanna University

Supervisor:  Eric Lassahn

Email: lassahn@susqu.edu

The AmeriCorps*VISTA member will facilitate Susquehanna University’s long term efforts to reach out to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The VISTA member will work to increase the attention of faculty, staff, and most especially students on an understanding of complex issues related to poverty and disaster recovery through service-learning classes.  The VISTA member will coordinate service trips to the Gulf Coast, continue educational and fundraising initiatives, strengthen existing and establish new partnerships on and off campus related to disaster relief, and support students’ involvement in addressing issues related to homelessness both locally and in areas affected by disaster. Support for the newly formed Disaster Response Team which will address disaster on local and regional levels will be an emphasis this year.

Temple University

Supervisor:  Barbara Ferman

Email: bferman@temple.edu

We, The University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia (UCCP) at Temple University , are excited to host a VISTA for a second year to help us further refine and expand our Temple Youth VOICES P.O.W.E.R. Internship Project so that we can increase our capacity to engage Philadelphia high school students in service and critical leadership skill development.  The P.O.W.E.R. Internship is designed to engage urban high school students in developing the skills and abilities to become current and future leaders in the non profits and government organizations established to support the development of their communities.  As leaders, these interns will be at the forefront of identifying and addressing the root causes of poverty in their own communities. 

Thiel College

Supervisor: Mike Williams

Email: mwilliams@thiel.edu

The VISTA member will identify groups within the community that are already responding to some aspect of poverty. Next, the VISTA will undertake a social profile for the community — one that goes beyond Census data. Subsequently, he or she should be able to determine what social needs are not being met at all and what social needs are only being met in part. Then, the VISTA can meet with members of the Thiel community to determine which of those needs could be met by Thiel faculty, staff and students through service-learning and civic engagement. This will be the basis of Thiel's first formal service-learning program.

University of Pittsburgh—SPRING Network

Supervisor: Tracy Soska

Email: tsssw@pitt.edu

The VISTA will work between the universities in the SPRING Service Learning Network and a major community partner, Pittsburgh Cares, on connecting faculty and schools to service projects for service learning courses or special service initiatives that respond to social safety net issues in the Southwest PA Region, especially hunger issues and needs.

Westminster College

Supervisor: Terri Lenox

Email: lenoxtl@westminster.edu

The VISTA project at Westminster College is to work with the Drinko Center in setting up an infrastructure to support service-learning and community service.  Our VISTA works with Service-Learning Faculty Fellows to coordinate with local nonprofit agencies, coordinates student volunteers, and will focus on building capacity for civic engagement in the Lawrence/Mercer County areas and in the College community.

Westmoreland County Community College

Supervisor: Joyce Clohessy

Email: clohessyj@my.wccc.edu

The PACC*VISTA member at WCCC will work with the county foodbank and other local organizations to address the nutritional and hunger needs of low-income families.

Widener University

Supervisor: Cecilia McCormick

Email: cmmccormick@widener.edu

During year one, the VISTA member will support the university’s ongoing efforts to address the volunteer needs of the Chester community by coordinating volunteer efforts in the PSC, a Bonner Leader Program with education and mentoring outreach programs such as Widener Cares, Widener Big Friends, and at community organizations like the YWCA and CityTeam Ministries.  Students of the PSC are expected to serve and volunteer in their local community to make an impact by improving educational opportunities and supporting community programs that focus on literacy issues, mentoring, and nutrition/anti-hunger initiatives. Students must also participate in regular training and reflection activities sponsored by their campuses, their community partners, and the Bonner Foundation.  First and foremost, the VISTA member will serve as a mentor and role model demonstrating the importance of service in the community to our student volunteers. The VISTA member will serve as the coordinator for education and mentoring initiatives such as Widener Cares, Widener Big Friends, YWCA, CityTeam Ministries, and Bernardine Center that are associated with the PSC/Bonner Leaders Program. Responsibilities will comprise of coordinating volunteer opportunities, assisting in the training of student members, supporting volunteer placement, as well as conducting site visits and ongoing project evaluation. 

The VISTA member will also serve as a liaison between Widener and schools in the community to deepen and support volunteer partnerships. By aiding in the development of these student volunteers and helping them to promote their cause, the VISTA member is providing community partners with capable volunteers in order to meet the educational needs of the Chester community. 

Wilkes University

Supervisor:  Megan Boone

Email: megan.boone@wilkes.edu

The VISTA member’s primary responsibility will be to assist in a program that focuses on environmental sustainability. One means of environmental sustainability is through Small Plot INtensive (SPIN) farming techniques and curriculum that introduces a means of environmental healing, healthy eating, and nutritious foods to people who do not often have enough fresh produce and/or who live in marginalized neighborhoods. The SPIN curriculum will also be used to teach economics to youth engaged in the program. The main goal of the VISTA is to work collaboratively with the community agencies to create a Children’s Farmer’s market. The VISTA will also assist the community service coordinator in promoting environmental sustainability focused service-learning across the curriculum.

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