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 Simulation

Institute participants came from different areas and backgrounds to receive training in Red Cross certifications and Montana State DES Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Participants ranged from community members to department heads within the Compact affiliate colleges and universities.

Of the forty participants, twenty seven received certification in Department of Emergency Services CERT which included topics on Active Shooter, Fire Safety, Communication and Amateur Radio, and Disaster Psychology.

The other thir participants received American Red Cross certification in Emergency Shelter Management, International Humanitarian Law, and Psychological First Aid.

Our participants came from 2 year colleges, 4 year and Universities, tribal colleges, and different Montana communities. Our tribal colleges included: Aaniiih Nakoda College on the Fort Belknap Reservation; Blackfeet Community College on the Blackfeet Reservation; and Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation. There were also members of these tribal communities in attendance.

Our 2-year institution in attendance was  Helena College while our 4-year and universities were: Montana Tech, the University of Montana, Montana State University, MSU-Northern, MSU-Billings, and Rocky Mountain College.

Disaster Institute participants gained new skills in competencies in supporting either the American Red Cross of Montana or Department of Emergency Services and Community Emergency Response Team; as well as, a greater understanding of the roles colleges and higher education play in disaster preparedness. Many of our participants learned how Montana Campus Compact helps further civic engagement on college campuses and helps them establish and deepen partnerships with their communities. Participants also built up a great network of colleagues to draw on in the future and we hope to see some "good faith" effort put in to build up their communities and campuses first responders and disaster preparedness volunteers!

Big thanks to our event sponsors: The Corporation for National and Community Service, City Brew Coffee, The Montana Office of Community Service, Rocky Mountain College and to Jill Washburn, Rocky's community service coordinator and a tireless voice for disaster preparedness.

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 Goodrich

Please join us in congratulating our 2014 Montana Athletes In Service:
Tyler Adair, UM
Hunter Chandler, MSUN 
Aubrey Conceicao, MSU Billings
Darrell "D.J." Fish, SKC
Jordan Johnston, Carroll College
Dilan Starkel, Montana Western Football
Katie Tabaracci, Montana Tech
Julie Theis, MSU
Tinaya Monroe, Blackfeet Community College
Kelsey Oblender, Rocky Mountain College

As 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 of Montana, use their rivalry to raise a collective $150,000 in cash and close to 300,000 lbs of food for food-insecure Montanans. Here's to Educating Citizens and Building Communities. And thanks for the example you set with Can the Cats/Griz, UM and MSU.

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 their peers, educate on the races and issues, and get out the vote for Tuesday.

We're supporting get out the vote projects at Blackfeet Community College, Fort Peck Community College, the University of Montana, Montana State University, Salish Kootenai College and Bitterroot College of UM, as well as at Augustana College in South Dakota.

Voter guides for races across the country, including Montana and South Dakota can be found here.

Certainly there's plenty to be said about midterm elections lacking some of the panache of the quadrennials, when everybody's been hearing about the president's race about seven times a day, every day for the past 23 months. That said, we like to think of midterms as every bit as important, in the grand scheme, because even though the singularity of the president's role makes it easy to focus on, the Congress has the purse strings. Additionally, states are hugely empowered to manage their affairs in the U.S., compared to other places in the world and being informed about local races helps to ensure government is doing, or not doing, what it ought to. See you at the polls (or, if you've voted via absentee, at the post office!)

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 page

In addition to the University of Montana, Bitterroot College UM is integrating Get Out the Vote (GOTV) events throughout their school and community. The Salish Kootenai College will be hosting a “Voting Blitz” event on Election Day that offers free food, drinks, and rides to polling locations for campus and community members. Fort Peck Community College is hosting the same sort of event at their campus. Both schools hope to get newspaper and local news station coverage so be watching for those!

On the other side of the state, the Montana State University has collaborated with the Forward
Montana Foundation’s Bozeman chapter to host a wide range of GOTV events using the slogan, “Cat County Votes!” And finally, Augustana College of Sioux Falls, SD has taken the ideas, resources, and funding provided through CEEP and ran far with it. The Augie Government Club has planned tons of events leading up to and on Election Day. Ice cream socials have begun in all Residence Halls on campus, quick speeches in classrooms to raise awareness about the importance of voting, and a highly successful pledge drive/ absentee ballot event has already happened.

Remember-your vote counts! Have your voice heard this year! Early voting is already underway and
Election Day is November 4. Access voter information at www.sos.mt.gov and don’t forget to access the fantastic nonpartisan senate candidate guides and voter guides provided by CEEP.(www.campuselect.org) Happy Voting!

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 year pilot program for recycling #5 plastics, expanding the recycling effort at Northern as well as the surrounding communities. Joseph also volunteers for community clean-up days.

In April 2014, Recycle Hi-Line recognized Joseph by presenting him with their Environmental Hero Award for his leadership and dedication to the community’s recycling efforts.

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!

MTCC'S FIRST VOLUNTEER OF THE GAME!

Samantha Zetler, Rocky Mountain College
student and Volunteer Of the Game

We're working with Montana's Governor's Office of Community Service and MTCC's board of directors to highlight some of our state's exemplary college student volunteers this fall. Our first Volunteer of the Game recipient is Samantha Zetler from Rocky Mountain College in Billings. Samantha's off-campus service focused with Billings nonprofit organization, the HUB. The HUB focuses on providing services to mentally ill, homeless people in Billings, and Samantha's given hours of her time to supporting HUB clients.

Additionally, Samantha is involved with Rocky's Community Service office, Debate and Spiritual Life programs. Samantha's an inspiring college student volunteer, and we're proud she's representing Rocky, and Campus Compact!

MTCC board member and Rocky president Bob Wilmouth along with Montana Commission on Community Service member Jim Larson will present the award during this Saturday's (September 27th) Battlin' Bears home football game against Eastern Oregon. If you see Samantha, please tell her you appreciate her service.

MTCC NATIONAL SERVICE ALUMS HONORED ON AMERICORPS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Campus Corps AmeriCorps Alum Jill Washburn

Today is a special birthday around here, AmeriCorps turned twenty! It'd be old enough to vote, drive and register for selective service if it were a person. The AmeriCorps program had its roots in the War on Poverty programs of the the early 1960s, and when it was signed into law in 2014, it marked a huge expansion of National Service programs.

I often tell folks that AmeriCorps is kind of the younger, bigger cousin of VISTA, or "Volunteers In Service To America." VISTA is correctly referred to as a domestic version of the Peace Corps, placing folks in one-year terms building capacity to move people out of poverty. The other huge part of that back story is the Senior Corps programs, like the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. Collectively, these programs get referred to as "National Service," and as VISTA currently resides administratively part of AmeriCorps, so too will the Senior Corps programs eventually.

At the more interesting local level, the affiliates of the Montana Campus Compact have been lucky to host both robust AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs in our twenty year history. In fact, much of the Compact's ability to "get things done for America*" (*that's AC's tag line) has been due to the strong support of the AmeriCorps programs, which has in turn leveraged millions of state and local dollars to address our most challenging problems.

Currently, MTCC AmeriCorps VISTAs focus on college access and success, STEM initiatives and projects that support veterans and military families.

MTCC VISTA Alum Roch Tuner

Montana's AmeriCorps Alums chapter used the occasion of this 20th anniversary to honor some exemplary alumni, among whom are MTCC's own: Jill Washburn (Campus Corps AmeriCorps), Wendy Jeschke (Campus Corps AmeriCorps), Jon Stephani (Campus Corps AmeriCorps), Charles "Roch" Turner (MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA), and Sandra Cain (Campus Corps AmeriCorps). Hear hear!

SEPTEMBER 11TH DAY OF SERVICE AND REMEMBRANCE PROJECTS ACROSS MONTANA

September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is quickly approaching. As many of you know we received a small grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to help fund projects around the state. Below is a listing of some of the great work that will be happening!

Campus Compact Institution or Project Sponsor	Rocky Mountain College
Person Completing Form Name, title	Jill Washburn, Community Service Coordinator
Email	Jill.washburn@rocky.edu	Phone	406-238-7394

Event Name	Red Cross Roll Call and Red,White & Zoo
Location including zip code	Billings, Montana 59102
Date	8/23/14 and 9/11/14	Time- Varied	varied
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Jill Washburn Community Service Coordinator
Email	Jill.washburn@rocky.edu	Phone	406-238-7394

Project Description Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

1.     Red, White and Zoo: ZooMontana will be holding its first ever “RED, WHITE, and ZOO” event on Sunday, September 7, 2014 and we are looking to you to be a part of this historic event!  “RED, WHITE, and ZOO” is planned to memorialize the events that took place on September 11, 2001. On Sunday, September 7th, ZooMontana, in conjunction with the community of Billings, will paint a 10,000 square foot flag to honor those affected by the 9/11 tragedy. Pierce RV has temporarily donated field space across from ZooMontana while Sherwin Williams has agreed to donate the environmentally friendly paint needed for the project. Created by Rocky Mountain College alum Zac Bonhoff. During the Student Life Experience activity on 8/23/14, RMC volunteers will be tye dying 100 t-shirts that will be handed out to volunteers who will supporting the creation of the flag on September 7th. We are using this opportunity to talk to students about 9/11 and the commitment to service. 2.    Red Cross Roll Call: We are hoping to inspire college students to make every day a day of service by   having three guests from the American Red Cross of Montana share their experience about serving at Ground Zero and during the Oklahoma City bombings. After each guest presents there will be time to   have a brief Q &A with each person. The goal will be to have at least 15 students attend the event who will be interested in attending the disaster institute and get involved with Rocky’s initiatives around Ready Campus. 3.   On 9/11 during the day we will also create a big thank you banner to be given to the Billings Fire Department.

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Campus Compact Institution or (Project Sponsor)	Red Lodge Area Community Foundation
Person Completing  Form Name, title	Austin A Terreri MTCC VISTA
Email	terreri@mtcompact.org	Phone 446-2820

Event Name	Toiletry Drive
Location including zip code	Red Lodge Montana 59068
Date	08/25/2014	Time of project	All day from 09/11-09/25
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Austin A Terreri MTCC VISTA
Email	terreri@mtcompact.org	Phone 860-391-2192

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Campus Compact Institution or (Project Sponsor)	Montana Tech
Person Completing Form Name, title	RuthAnne Shope, Site Supervisor for MTCC AmeriCorps LCAN VISTA
Email	RShope@mtech.edu	Phone	406.496.4692

Event Name	Gleaning for Our Community
Location including zip code	Butte Food Bank, 59701
Date	Thursday, September 11, 2014	Time of project	8:00 A – 12:00 P
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Megan Boyce
Email	meganb@nahn.com	Phone

Project Description Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

Gleaning for Our Community is an event planned by a committee of AmeriCorps members or former members within the Butte community including Energy Corps, Food Corps, and VISTA to glean, clean and process fresh produce donations for Butte Food Bank recipients. Gleaning begins Saturday, September 6 after the Butte Farmer’s Market, press coverage and signage is throughout the community asking community members to participate in Gleaning for Our Community from local gardens, and gleaning by students will wrap up Wednesday, September 10 with the community gardens on Park Street and at East Middle school. Training for how to process fresh produce safely will begin Thursday, September 11 at 8:00 AM. Outreach for process and gleaning has been extended to the community and campus both including specific outreach to veterans.

Campus Compact Institution or Project Sponsor	Missoula Senior Corps- RSVP Volunteer Program Missoula Aging Services- 337 Stephens Ave. Missoula  MT 59801
Person Completing Form Name, title	Colleen Baldwin, Senior Corps Program Manager
Email	cab@missoulaagingservices.org	Phone	(406) 728-7682

Event Name	Sept. 11- East Missoula Fire Canvassing Project
Location including zip code	East Missoula Fire Department 300 Montana Ave.- Missoula MT 59802
Date	September 11, 2014	Time- Varied	5-9 p.m.
Primary Event Contact Name, title	David Kunzelman, American Red Cross- Project Leader
Email	David.Kunzelman@redcross.org	Phone	800-272-6668

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Campus Compact Institution or (Project Sponsor)	Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming
Person Completing Form Name, title	Lacy Fiore
Email	fiore@mtcompact.org	Phone	412.498.7161

Event Name	Lone Pine Revitalization
Location including zip code	Lone Pine State Park, 59901
Date	September 14, 2014	Time of project	10am-4pm
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Lacy Fiore,  Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA
Email	fiore@mtcompact.org	Phone	412.498.7161

Project Description Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

On September 11th 2014 Participants and volunteers with receive professional level training in fire reduction methodology on national park trail systems. A trainer will be provided at no cost from the Lone Pine State Park. Once our volunteers are certified we will finalize all plans for the September 14th service project. Fire reduction is imperative to mitigation disasters in NW Montana. Our event is being held at Lone Pine State Park on September 14, 2014.  We will arrive at the park at 10am and go over details as to what we will be doing.  One part of the project is to pull noxious weeds around the park.  These weeds are a threat to Montana’s environment and when they invade and spread, they cause a reduction in wildlife forage and degrade fisheries through erosion and sediment buildup.  This will help control the weeds and improve fire safety.  Another project we will be working on is checking the sapling trees.  Mature trees were removed in 2007 from an infestation of dwarf mistletoe.  They were removed to prevent dwarf mistletoe from spreading and also to reduce the risk of fire from trees that dwarf mistletoe has killed.  To replace the trees that had been lost, they planted the sapling trees.  Dwarf mistletoe spreads easily and can be very dangerous.  Branches in the trees retain water, rendering them heavy, and can potentially fall on someone.  The new sapling trees have nets on them that need to be monitored.  If the trees are big enough, we will remove the nets.  If not, we will adjust accordingly.  These nets cover the terminal bud at the top of the tree, protecting it from wildlife.    We will be in the park for a full day and hope to remove a substantial amount of noxious weeds and able to check a lot of the sapling trees.

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Campus Compact Institution or (Project Sponsor)	Flathead Valley Community College
Person Completing Form Name, title	Wendy Jeschke
Email	wjeschke@fvcc.edu	Phone	756-3908

Event Name	Red, White, and Blue Run
Location including zip code	777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, MT  59901
Date	September 5, 2014	Time of project	4:00 p.m.
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Wendy Jeschke
Email	wjeschke@fvcc.edu	Phone	756-3908

Project Description Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

Flathead Valley Community College is hosting a Red, White and Blue Run to honor September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The non-timed 3K fun run/walk will take place September 5 at 4 p.m. on the college campus in Kalispell and will be open to FVCC students and community, including employees, alumni and ambassadors, trustees, and AmeriCorps alumni.  Participants will be doused with non-toxic red and blue-colored cornstarch powder throughout the course.  Sponsored by the FVCC Service Learning/AmeriCorps and Intramurals programs, the family-friendly race will be appropriate for all ages.  In honor of our veterans and first responders, all proceeds will be donated to Montana Wounded Warriors.  Incorporated into this event, is the importance of emergency preparedness.  A variety of organizations with be represented at this event:  American Red Cross, Office of Emergency Services, and the Governor’s Office of Community Service.  Community College Citizen Preparedness Program (3CP2) training sessions are also being offered to the community at no cost.   Participants will be able to recognize, prepare for and recover from disasters ranging from severe weather to terrorism.  Classes are scheduled for September 11 from 6 – 8 and September 16 from 1:30 – 3:30.  Volunteers are needed for variety of activities.   We need volunteers for color stations, water stations, traffic control, information tables and clean up.  Volunteers will consist of FVCC students, staff, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps State Parks, and Senior Corps/RSVP.

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Campus Compact Institution or (Project Sponsor)	Blackfeet Community College
Person Completing Form Name, title	Marissa Bremner, MTCC VISTA
Email	bremner@mtcompact.org	Phone	4064700703

Event Name	9/11 Cultural Healing with Veterans
Location including zip code	Blackfeet Community College 504 SE Boundary
Date	9/11/14	Time of project	12:00
Primary Event Contact Name, title	Marissa Bremner
Email	bremner@mtcompact.org	Phone	4064700703

Project Description Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

The 9/11 service project will be held at the Blackfeet Community College. I will be putting on a feed for the veterans in the community. The veterans will be able to invite their families if they would like. They are also going to learn about cultural healing as an option for recovering from PTSD, which affects most veterans who have been involved in war.

Project Description

Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes. Toiletries are one of the easiest things to donate, yet also one of the most easily overlooked necessities for people in need. Our project will truly honor the intent of the 9/11 National Day of Service through benefitting our veterans, helping organization  prepare for emergencies and disasters, and getting the community involved through volunteering and donating. We will be placing collection boxes around town from 9/11-9/25 for community members to donate toiletries. To kick off the event we'll be manning a booth outside of the drug store and supermarket to drum up more donations. Our use of grant funds will be primarily to match donations to boost the impact we have on our community members.

Our primary beneficiaries are local nonprofits that work directly with community members in need. These groups are:

-Domestic and Sexual Violence Serves which provides temporary, emergency assistance to those

facing domestic and sexual violence (often in the form of clothing, motels, etc.) as well as long-term support.

-BareTooth Cupboards which provides food to community members in need. They hand out toiletries when available but do not have a steady stream to provide their clients.

-Yellow Ribbon Communities which provides assistance to local, visiting, and transient veterans. Assistance often comes in the form of motels, car repairs, and other financial assistance.

-Red Cross which provides emergency assistance during disasters, often in the form of clothing and

shelter.

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Project Description

Please describe your event with details about target audience, volunteer activities and desired outcomes.

Collaborative fire canvassing project in the East Missoula neighborhood on September 111"1

American Red Cross of Montana, Northwestern Energy and East Missoula Fire are partnering to complete a fire canvassing project in the East Missoula neighborhood on September 11'". Missoula Office of Emergency Management will be joining to promote Smart911 phone services and how to receive alerts during emergencies.

The purpose of this priority disaster preparedness activity is to increase the knowledge of home house

fires, hopefully increase the number of fire alarms and provide the knowledge to build a disaster plan. An additional outcome would be to increase awareness and alleviate human suffering.

Cross- stream collaboration between AmeriCorps VISTA and Missoula Aging Services Senior Corps will

provide volunteers for this campus-community project that engages volunteers to support September 11Day of Service & Remembrance activities.

AmeriCorps VISTA and Missoula Aging Services Senior Corps serving together to meet this vital community disaster preparedness not only add value to their service it will add an important intergenerational aspect to the project.

The partners sponsoring the fire canvassing project will provide public outreach promoting the project and

expected outcomes.

Senior Corps, AmeriCorps/Vista,  Red Cross and community-wide volunteers will meet in the East Missoula Fire Department's  parking lot for training, a safety  briefing, dinner and an opportunity to reflect upon the sacrifices of those who lost their lives or rose in service as a result of the events of 9/11/0.