Lacy Fiore Gets Things Done!

We caught up with Lacy Fiore, AmeriCorps VISTA alum and our current VISTA leader, to discuss the Compact’s Martin Luther King Jr. Read For Peace events. Lacy has led the organizing process for events across the state this year and spearheaded two very successful fundraising events that are ensuring that schools and libraries have access to current, age-appropriate books about Martin Luther King Jr.

Tell me about MTCC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Read For Peace event. (How it started, history, collaboration across AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps programs, who’s involved, how MTCC campuses get involved)
MLK Read For Peace was started by one of our VISTA alumni, Bess Pallares, in 2010.  Montana Campus Compact VISTAs collaborate with service members across the state to make this a successful event.  Service members include all of the AmeriCorps VISTA programs, and AmeriCorps prograsms like Food Corps and Energy Corps, and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, as well as Senior Corps members. MTCC campuses get involved by connecting college student volunteers with reading project, providing books, outreach for the event and some may even host the event.

Which Montana communities are hosting Read For Peace events this week?
We have VISTA members and AmeriCorps members hosting MLK Read For Peace projects in Missoula, Hamilton, Butte, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Glendive and Havre.  You can go to our website to contact a local coordinator to see how you can be part of Read For Peace.

If people want to volunteer as readers, how do they?
If anyone is interested in reading on MLK Read For Peace, they can contact me directly at 406-243-5671 or email me at fiore@mtcompact.org.

Tell us about Barnes And Noble supporting this event?
This year we partnered with our local Barnes and Noble and held two book fairs. At the book fairs, if anyone mentioned Montana Camps Compact or Read For Peace when checking out, a portion of their purchase would go to our initiative.  After both book fairs were finished, we raised over $850 towards MLK books.  With the book s we purchased, we sent them to smaller communities across Montana to support their Read For Peace events.  When the members are finished with the books they will be donated to their local schools and libraries.

Any words of encouragement or advice for volunteers?
Just get out and do it!  The kids love it and have a lot of fun learning about Dr. King.  It’s also fun for volunteers, too!
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Thanks Lacy!