MLK DAY AT THE ROXY!
Blogging about one’s own event can be difficult in my eyes. This is when I’m conscious of coming across as stuck up, fake, or WORSE to hype up an event that really wasn’t that eventful. So I’ll tell you a bit about the event and hopefully the video links below from NBC Montana and KPAX T.V. below will reflect that as well. KPAX T.V. MLK at the ROXyNBC Montana MLK Day at the ROXYAcross the state Montana Campus Compact and AmeriCorps members helped continued the MLK Read for Peace mission with a few creative add-ons within the community. In Missoula I…
MLK READ FOR PEACE
Photo credit: Adrienne Hopkins, Missoula Aging Services.I just got back at my desk after being at Lewis and Clark Elementary School here in Missoula. Today’s when many of Campus Compact’s Read For Peace events happen, and I’m nearly always moved to tears at some point during the day. I wouldn’t say I’m a very emotional person, but there’s something about six, seven and eight year old kids s thinking about segregation and learning about the civil rights movement, and applying it to their realities that always gets me choked up. The bafflement on kids faces when you talk about separate…
MTCC VISTA SUPPORTS VETERAN CENTER AT MSU
On Monday, January 8, the Veteran Support Center kicked off a semester long effort aimed at encouraging financial literacy among veteran students. The inaugural event was the Financial Success Summit, which covered scholarships, loans, and entrepreneurship. Subsequent events throughout the semester will have narrower focuses. Connor Harbison, the MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA serving at the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad, supported the staff at the Veteran Support Center, in order to put all of MSU’s resources to work for veteran students.“Working with veteran and non-traditional aged students, finances can be a big source of stress,” said Joe Schumacher, Director of Veteran Services. “Any…
FALL GAME JAM AT SKC!
On November 3rd through 5th AmeriCorps Leader Dayton Smith helped put on the Fall Game Jam at Salish Kootenai College, hosted by Flathead Tech4Good. “Water is Life” is this year’s theme at SKC. With that focus the purpose of the fall Game Jam was to bring local high-schoolers, SKC students and community volunteers together to tackle related issues with-in the community. With the”Water is Life” theme in mind, Tech4Good Game Jam focused on the unique challenges that Flathead Watershed faces.Now what is a watershed? The first thing that comes to my mind is a “shed that holds water”, but that’s not…
MSU BLACKSTONE VISTA REFLECTS ON PITCH COMPETITION
On November 15th, MTCC VISTA Connor Harbison hosted the Awards Ceremony for the 2017 Idea Challenge him and his team at Blackstone LaunchPad at Montana State University had been planning for months. This video pitch competition brought together 27 current MSU students to give 90 second elevator pitches for their business ideas and social ventures. This year, the Idea Challenge awarded $3,000 in prizes, garnered 1,869 votes and reached 532,586 social media profiles.This year’s pitches included an all-natural cleaning solution, modular tiny homes, handmade duck calls, metal campfire rings, a bar arcade in downtown Bozeman, among others. Blackstone LaunchPad’s team…
LAME DEER 2nd ANNUAL TALENT SHOW
On October 29th MTCC VISTA, Scarlett Day-Aleman and Lame Deer Boys and Girls Club VISTAs Christazia Johnson and Rebekah Guillotte hosted the second annual Lame Deer Talent Show. The Talent Show evolved this year from it’s first permutation as an art show in hopes to increase inclusivity to students beyond those with interest in visual arts. The VISTA Members hosted auditions for anything youth considered a talent. This year’s talents ranged from hula hooping, to jump rope, to drumming, and beyond. Kids as young as five and as old as 18 were invited to participate. A total of eight students performed…
FORK PECK BRIDGE STUDENTS TOUR UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
MTCC VISTAs Kaitlyn McCoy and Kaitlin Willbanks travelled with 11 high school students: 2 from Frazer, 1 from Wolf Point, 1 from Brockton, 7 from Poplar to the Twin Cities with American Indian College Funding (AICF) through the Bridge grant. AICF states the “The program aims to improve reading comprehension, research and essay-writing, understanding of math and science concepts, knowledge of college admissions processes, and awareness of the first-year college experience amongst program participants”.From a Fort Peck Reservation context the grant is structured to support students who have a college going attitude. Bridge programming works to familiarize these students to…
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO MONTANA, JILL!
Jill, second from the right, with her fellow AmeriCorps leaders in 2012.It was a bittersweet day for us this Monday, in Big Sky Country: Rocky Mountain College’s Jill Washburn packed up a U-Haul, and is heading to Vermont. For the past five years Jill’s been a great, consistent face of community engagement, service, volunteerism, veterans services and parent relations at Rocky, with Campus Compact, in Billings and across our state.Before her time as a staffer at Rocky, Jill served two terms as an AmeriCorps leader -also with Rocky and the American Red Cross- in Billings. In that capacity she organized…
LIBBY STUDENTS CELEBRATE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE
My name is Maya Koepke and I’ve been serving as a MTCC VISTA in Libby, MT since August 2017. My VISTA Assignment Description is focused on strengthening our Gear Up and student internship programs at Libby Middle High School. In my past three months here I’ve learned that the Libby community takes great pride in the land they live on, the surrounding Kootenai National Forest. This year it has been an exciting honor, that our Kootenai National Forest was chosen to supply the National Christmas Tree to the White House lawn in Washington, DC.The lighting of the National Christmas Tree…
SPARROWS NEST’S FIRST RESIDENT STARTS COLLEGE!
Estevon Torres is a CAT!For the past four years an emerging nonprofit called Sparrows Nest of Northwest Montana has been making headway on addressing teen homelessness in the Flathead. Sparrows Nest does some incredibly necessary work there helping homeless teens with safe housing so they can continue and complete their studies, work, and live. We’ve helped provide four AmeriCorps VISTAs over the past four years, and they are on the home stretch with the support we can provide. Over the years, we’ve seen them go from a good idea hatched by caring community members to an organization with a board, staff…
MPSEOC BRINGS COLLEGE FAIR TO MISSOULA!
MPSEOC’s College Fair in Missoula!Montana Post-Secondary Educational Opportunities Council (MPSEOC or “mop-sock”) is a non-profit organization representing over 25 higher education institutions in Montana. Every year MPSEOC hosts 24 College Fairs across Montana, reaching over 10,000 students. Lauren Tobias, our MTCC VISTA Member serving a second service term with MPSEOC sees the fairs as “a great, and often times the only direct college exposure students in small towns across our fourth largest state in the nation get”.High School Students test out the MPSEOC Photo Booth.Serving as an MTCC VISTA with Poplar High School and Fort Peck Community College last year I…
SEPTEMBER 11th – MTCC VISTAS SERVE AND REMEMBER
Helena area VISTAs spearheaded a food drive!With 26 VISTA Members statewide, Montana Campus Compact has the capacity to leave a lasting community impact on National Days of Service, both 9/11 and MLK Jr. Day. This year Members found themselves creating service projects, collaborating with other VISTAs, and lending hands to existing community events and service sites.In the Northwest region Members Maryelizabeth Koepele and Maya Koepke donated over 16 hours to a pet shelter overwhelmed with animals from families’ needing to evacuate Eureka due to wildfires. Troy Member Haley Spurlin organized a letter writing campaign for those same firefighters at her…
AN RI RA: KEEPING KIDS CENTRAL IN A BUTTE TRADITION
VISTA Member Cora Crecelius spent the afternoon of August 11th and 12th at Butte’s An Ri Ra Festival celebrating the town’s Irish Heritage.Every year tents are set up selling food, drinks, and Irish-themed souvenirs and clothing. Events are held throughout both days featuring Irish musicians and dancers. Because Cora’s Supervisor, Kid’s Coalition Director Kathy Tutty, is part of the Gaelic Cultural Society she got to help out by putting together a children’s tent stocked with: arts and crafts, a sandbox, and pool noodles for kids to practice “Caber Toss” (a tradition of throwing tree trunks as far as possible).For this event Cora gathered volunteers to…
10 OUT OF 10
Two weeks ago we posted about the American Indian College Fund (AICF) Bridge Grant ($100,000 distributed over two years) that VISTA Members Kaitlyn McCoy and Carly Hosford-Israel applied for and recently received during their terms of service with Fort Peck Community College (FPCC). The grant aims to increase American Indian and Alaska Native high school students’ college readiness. FPCC delivers the AICF Bridge Curriculum Guide throughout the year in: academic classes during a summer academy, culturally focused camping trips, college admissions knowledge, first-year experience classes, a book club, and college campus visits. This week we got a little more personal…
GRANT ROLLOUT WITH A CULTURAL LENS PT. 1
Earlier this year MTCC VISTAs Kaitlyn McCoy’s and my own service site, Fort Peck Community College(FPCC) was awarded the American Indian College Fund (AICF) Native Pathways to College Bridge Program Grant – $100,000 distributed over the course of two years. The grant aims to increase American Indian and Alaska Native high school students’ college readiness. FPCC delivers the ACIF Bridge Curriculum Guide throughout the year in: academic classes during a summer academy, culturally focused camping trips, college admissions knowledge, first-year college experience classes, a book club, and college campus visits.The most essential element of all program planning is the link…
DARBY LACY’S VETERAN VISTA ADVICE
MTCC VISTA Alumna, Darby Lacy.Darby Lacy just completed a year of service with the Bozeman Area Community Foundation. She agreed to share some reflections with our incoming members. Thanks Darby!________________________________ “As I began my year of service a little over a year ago, I remember feeling as if I had so many days to fill with activities to strengthen my community. I also had no clue where to start. Upon reflection, a few principles and practices helped me find my footing for a meaningful year of service – which went by quicker than I could have ever imagined. Even though…
MOUNTAINS AND MARATHONS – FINDING A PATH WITH NICO COMPOSTO
Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member Nico Composto reflects on the stages of life that brought him to serve as a VISTA in Montana and his revelations moving forward.A talented runner; a valued service member; and a good friend”It is wild to think of the moments that influence our lives. The small, seemingly insignificant happenings that change everything. For me, an odd web of unexpected coincidences led me to make several irrational choices landing me in the middle of Montana, a place I never thought I would be and certainly didn’t think I would spend the rest of my life….
AMERICORPS VISTA SCARLETT DAY-ALEMAN REFLECTS ON CONISISTENCY
Scarlett Day-Aleman is a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Member serving in Lame Deer, Montana. She shared the following piece with us recently. Thanks, Scarlett!_________________________________________________________________Ten of the past twelve months of my life have been spent in service to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Lame Deer, Montana. I have served with two different, equally amazing, organizations. I have learned so much and made some amazing connections with the community around me. I would not trade a minute of what I am doing, or what I did in the summer, for anything in the world. Just to make it clear: I do…
REMEMBERING GEORGE WITH CHARLIE BRIGGS
When George Dennison passed away earlier this year, it prompted us to reach out to many of the folks with whom Dennison had worked to establish, grow and support Campus Compact and National Service in Montana. Recently we heard from Charlie Briggs. Charlie is a University of Montana alum, and is the public policy and development officer with Easter Seals Goodwill of the Northern Rockies. When I got my start with Campus Compact, Charlie was director of the Governor’s Office of Community Service. He shared some thoughts about George here. Thank you, Charlie.________________________________________In Montana, the Commission is housed in the…
NASA BLASTS OFF FROM BIGFORK WITH CARTER OLLERVIDEZ
Hello, my name is Carter Ollervidez. I am a MTCC AmeriCorps Leader serving at ACES afterschool program in Big Fork, MT. We got the great opportunity to be part of a NASA STEM challenge. I went to Helena to attend a two day, face-to-face training with NASA in order to fully grasp the STEM challenge my students will be taking on.During our training, the first challenge was landing on the surface of Mars! I worked with a partner using the Engineering Design Process (EDP). Together we embarked on a mission of building a drag device to slow down a capsule…