Americorps and Americorps*VISTA

Beginning in 2009, the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service has worked closely with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program to help address community needs in the Marathon County area.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act, which created the Corporation for National and Community Service.  This legislation brought all domestic community service programs under the domain of one central organization.  The legislation also launched AmeriCorps, a national service program designed to meet the needs of the nation’s citizens in the areas of education, health, public safety, and the environment.  AmeriCorps incorporated two existing national service programs: AmeriCorps*VISTA and the National Civilian Community Corps.

The North Central Community Action Program AmeriCorps Team – Greater Wausau Area focuses primarily on educational outreach and service.  AmeriCorps members are placed in the Wausau School District, Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, the YMCA, the Department of Public Instruction, and various other organizations.  Members engage in tutoring, mentoring, recruiting volunteers, and facilitating educational programs.  Below are the web addresses for some of the organizations where AmeriCorps members serve in the Wausau area:

    

 

AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years.

WIPPS VISTA volunteers are placed within our organization, often co-sponsored by our partners throughout the state, and serve full-time for a year working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and more. WIPPS-placed VISTAs have assisted the Marathon County community with a myriad of needs, partnering with such local organizations as the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association, DPI, United Way, Project Step-Up of Marathon County, Get Smart Wausau, the Wisconsin College Access Program, and the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce. Past projects have targeted college readiness, tax preparation, and financial literacy. VISTAs have also created campus links by working with UW-Marathon County business courses to help staff Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites and create service learning opportunities for students enrolled in these classes.

For more on the AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA programs, visit the website: http://www.americorps.gov/