MONTANA ATHLETES IN SERVICE 2015!
Salish Kootenai College’s DJ FishSince 2001, the colleges and universities that make up the Montana Campus Compact have honored the commitments of student athletes with the Montana Athletes In Service award. Whether it’s basketballer Jordan Johnston from Carroll College who worked with Four Georgians Elementary School on the Kids College project as well as Big Brother Big Sisters or SKC basketball player DJ Fish who mentored students with Student Support Services and youth basketball campus, Montana’s college student athletes offer some inspiring examples of what community leadership can look like.Campus Compact’s blog recently ran an interesting piece called “Building Civic…
COMPACT VISTA DALYA KEFI CHECKS IN
Dalya Kefi has served in since this January with Montana State University and the Greater Gallatin United Way’s kidsLINK Afterschool Program, so we decided to check in and share the great work she has been doing.What is your background that led you to serve as a VISTA member?MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA Dalya KefiMy mother was in the Peace Corps when she was my age, and both of my parents worked with the refugee community while I was growing up. I was exposed to non-profit work and international development as a child and always knew I would work with disadvantaged populations. I have…
MTCC VISTA SUMMER ASSOCIATE ALEX FOWLER CHECKS IN
Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates served ten weeks terms begining in June of 2015. These VISTAs focus on community needs like summer learning loss, nutrition, and STEM education. This summer we had the pleasure of placing 28 VISTA Summer Associates across Montana. They came from near and far, and today we checked in with Alex Fowler who came to serve all the way from North Carolina!Where are you from and how did you decide to come and serve in Montana?I am from the foothills of North Carolina. I live in a rural town of 1,500 with pretty views…
MTCC WELCOMES 16 NEW VISTAS TO SERVICE!
Montana’s July 2015 VISTA Class with Lieutenant Governor Angela McLeanThe Montana Campus Compact welcomed sixteen new AmeriCorps VISTA members into year-long terms of service with affiliate campuses last week. These brand new MTCC VISTAs come from cities across the country as well as right here in Montana. Staff and VISTA leaders spent five days in Helena helping to train, orient and prepare these inspiring folks for their service. Following Montana’s Pre-Service Orientation and Swearing In Ceremony with Lieutenant Governor McLean in Helena, MTCC’s VISTA class spent two and a half days at the Montana Learning Center on Canyon Ferry for…
CURRENT MEMBER CAT LENIS CHECKS IN FROM SPARROWS NEST
Cat Lenis is serving as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA with Sparrow’s Nest of Northwest Montana. I was lucky enough to get in touch with her and ask questions about the amazing work she has done and is continuing to do for the Flathead Valley.What is your background that led you to serve as a VISTA member?I was born, raised and went to undergrad and grad school in Worcester, Massachusetts. Although I love it there I was ready for something new once I graduated with my Master’s in Community Development and Planning. I knew some people that did a year…
MTCC VISTA ALUMNA BESS PALLARES CHECKS IN
Bess Pallares, MTCC VISTA AlumThis year marks the 50th anniversary of VISTA. In celebration of this special anniversary we will be featuring alumni periodically to see where they are now. We checked in with Bess Pallares who served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the University of Montana and Missoula County Public Schools. Check out the amazing things she has done and is currently doing below. Thank you for your service, Bess and good luck with everything you do!Where did you serve? I served with Missoula County Public Schools and University of Montana as a VISTA with the Partners In Education project…
WELCOME ABOARD, MTCC VISTA SUMMER ASSOCIATES!
Twenty Nine MTCC VISTA Summer Associates were just sworn in, this is the Missoula crew.Monday, June 1st, 2015, Montana Campus Compact welcomed an unprecedented 29 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates to our campuses and communities across Montana! These Summer Associates will serve for 10 weeks in communities across the state, providing hands-on learning opportunities and educational programming for youth. Each project is associated with one of four focus areas: K-12 success, college access, summer learning loss or summer food programming. Some will be serving in tandem to strengthen current MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA projects like Jacquelyn Turmel serving homeless teens with Sparrow’s…
MTCC VISTA ALUM ALEX HERLICH CHECKS IN
Alex Herlich served as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA with Salish Kootenai College’s Upward Bound program which helps first generation and low income students attend college. Alex was responsible for developing public relations and community networks, overhauling recruitment policy, building at-distance summer curriculum, and piloting an arts outreach program with on-campus summer programs. In an effort to keep in touch with the amazing individuals who commit to a year of service, MTCC will periodically feature an alum or current member spotlight.When and where did you serve during your term as an AmeriCorps VISTA?I served from January 2014-January 2015 at Salish Kootenai College…
FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE: HONORS STUDENTS, BUILDS COMMUNITY
Flathead Valley Community CollegeOn Friday I was lucky to help honor some of Flathead Valley Community College’s exemplary student leaders, volunteers and service learning students at the campus’s Arts and Technology building. Each year, Campus Compact awards its Newman Civic Fellows Awards to students whose work addresses root causes of problems and help develop effective means to address problems creating lasting change. This year, FVCC’s Newman Civic Fellow was Scott Brooke, a second year student and Navy veteran who helped build the base of support for the Veterans Association and an endowed scholarship to help benefits-ineligible student veterans pay for…
MTCC VISTA ALUMNA PROFILE: RECYNTHIA ROBINSON
Rey participates in MTCC’s Service Selfie day! Recynthia Robinson served as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member throughout 2014 and into February of this year. Rey worked with the Lewis and Clark region of the Troops to Teacher Project and Montana State University in Bozeman. Troops to Teachers helps military veterans transition into teaching careers and links those teachers with parts of the country suffering teacher shortages. I talked to Rey about her life and the changes that have occurred since making her commitment to serve as a VISTA. I wanted to know how her life had changed from before…
MONTANA TECH INVESTS IN COMMUNITY!
MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA member Cody LaBean, serving with Montana Tech’s Institute for Educational Opportunities and Butte’s Local College Access Network, assisted with National TRiO Day on February 22nd in Helena. Here’s what he had to say about it:”National TRIO Day is a ‘National Day of Service’ that helps address the complex needs of young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives. TRiO Day was an opportunity for over 100 TRiO Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound students from Butte, Deer Lodge, and Helena to volunteer, visit campuses and consider postsecondary education. The group visited two Montana higher education institutions, and it highlighted the need for investment…
HAPPY 50, VISTA!
A vintage VISTA poster, apparently before Alaska was around?The VISTA program is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Over there years, there have been an amazing Montana Campus Compact, we bring the resources of a network of engaged colleges and universities to this important work. VISTAs who have served with us over the years have helped start up the successful Graduation Matters program, have helped open and expand food pantries, veterans services offices, service-learning offices, afterschool programs. MTCC VISTAs have supported college access and success work, and have built capacity for college student volunteers to address community needs all along the way….
TWELVE NEW VISTAS BEGIN THEIR SERVICE!
On January 29th we welcomed twelve new AmeriCorps VISTAs to Montana and Wyoming. They finished their Pre Service Orientation in Helena and continued to a Montana Campus Compact orientation immediately following, where they were joined by MTCC network staff. We spent three beautiful days at the Montana Learning Center outside of Helena where we got to know our members a little better and they got to know us. On January 31st we sent our members on their journeys across the state to begin serving. Our new members include:Brandon Fish- Blackfeet Community College, BrowningSamuel Garetson- Salish Kootenai College, Upward Bound, Pablo Sage…
CAMPUS ELECTION ENGAGEMENT WRAP-UP
Students at Augustana College prepare the sidewalks before Election DayMTCC’s election engagement work successfully mobilized over 15,000 college students and community members across the region in the summer and fall of 2014. Working closely with the national Campus Election Engagement Project (or “CEEP”) a grassroots, college-focused initiative begun by author Paul Loeb, Campus Compact institutions in Montana and South Dakota rose to the challenge of engaging students volunteers, voters and engaged citizens. The project mobilized college students to serve with local organization to increase youth voter turnout. At least 12,000 college students and young people across Montana and South Dakota were…
MTCC DISASTER INSTITUTE RESULTS ARE IN.
This October MTCC hosted its first Disaster Institute in Billings, Montana, hosted by Rocky Mountain College. We partnered with American Red Cross of Montana (ARCMT), the Montana Department of Emergency Services (DES), the Governor’s Office of Community Service (OCS) to train 40 participants from across our wonderful state of Montana. We were excited to collaborate with these agencies in order to help our communities learn valuable lessons on disaster preparedness.ARCMT participants during the Shelter Management SimulationInstitute participants came from different areas and backgrounds to receive training in Red Cross certifications and Montana State DES Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training….
COMPACT PRE-THANKSGIVING NEWS ROUND-UP
On Saturday, November 22nd Campus Compact used the occasion of the Brawl of the The Wild (aka “Griz/Cat” or “Cat/Griz,” depending on where you’re from) to honor ten exemplary college student volunteers from our network.Photo courtesy of Todd GoodrichPlease join us in congratulating our 2014 Montana Athletes In Service:Tyler Adair, UMHunter Chandler, MSUN Aubrey Conceicao, MSU BillingsDarrell “D.J.” Fish, SKCJordan Johnston, Carroll CollegeDilan Starkel, Montana Western FootballKatie Tabaracci, Montana TechJulie Theis, MSUTinaya Monroe, Blackfeet Community CollegeKelsey Oblender, Rocky Mountain CollegeAs we head into this holiday, the Compact’s network office staff is thankful to live in a state where our two flagship universities, Montana State University and University…
GET INFORMED AND VOTE (AND GET YOUR FRIENDS TO)!
We’re not sure what exactly this means, but we like the sentiment.Tuesday, November 4th is Election Day across the country, and here in Montana we’ve got plenty to think about with important local elections and bond issues, state-level races and even a senate and (our lone) house seat all being sought.Montana Campus Compact has partnered with the Campus Election Engagement Project which works nationally to engage students in the important, practical work of being involved in elections, campaigns, voter education and mobilization and, ultimately, voting. Student’s from Compact affiliate campuses across Montana and South Dakota are working hard to engage…
LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT TO ELECTION DAY
The Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) has been hard at work with colleges and universities all across Montana and in South Dakota. Events generating the youth vote are in full swing.In western Montana, the University of Montana, in collaboration with MontPIRG and the Forward Montana Foundation, is hosting a full week of events on campus like “It’s All About that Vote!” and “Trick-or-Vote” parties. More information on these events can be found on the Forward Montana’s Facebook pageIn addition to the University of Montana, Bitterroot College UM is integrating Get Out the Vote (GOTV) events throughout their school and community….
MSU-NORTHERN HONORS VOLUNTEER OF THE GAME
MSU-Northern chancellor Greg Kegel awarded student Joseph Vernon with the Volunteer of the Game Award at a Lights home game on October 18. Nice work, Joseph!Joseph is MSU-Northern’s Sustainability Coordinator and has been instrumental in re-vitalizing Northern’s recycling efforts. Under his direction, the Sustainability Team has more than doubled the number of recycling bins available on campus and has brought a renewed awareness of the need to recycle.Joseph coordinates the Sustainability Team’s efforts with the communities Recycle Hi-Line efforts and can be found volunteering at the community drop-off site every month. Joseph took initiative to obtain seed money for a 1…
MTCC HOSTS DISASTER INSTITUTE AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
MTCC’s network office staff is getting excited to spend a couple days at Rocky Mountain College in Billings for the Disaster Institute, October 16-18. the Institute will convene partners from fourteen Compact affiliates from across the region, and will help build capacity of colleges and universities to support communities when disasters happen. Big thanks to the Corporation for National and Community Service for the funding support for this important work, to Montana DES, American Red Cross of Montana and Rocky. See you in Billings!