MTCC SUMMER PROGRAMMING

MTCC VISTA Summer Associates in June, 2015.

Across Montana college students offer communities a myriad of talents. From working and volunteering in schools, with nonprofits and with cities and towns, you can count on a college student to bring fresh perspectives, ideas and energy, whether they're nineteen or forty seven. To support the great needs communities experience over the summer and the great wells of energy, skill and enthusiasm that college students bring, MTCC is continuing and adding resources to our summer AmeriCorps and VISTA programming.

In past years, we've placed as many as thirty VISTA Summer Associates with youth-serving nonprofits, city parks departments and other programs. This year, we will add the new MTCC AmeriCorps program to the equation, bringing additional resources, and a focus on postsecondary readiness, and near-peer college coaching to the work.

MTCC affiliate campuses and their partners are invited to apply to host MTCC Summer AmeriCorps and VISTA members, to add value and impact to their summer programming. Additionally, the MTCC network office is seeking existing partnerships where summer work study awards are utilized to link college students with important community work. These positions may be eligible to link with Education Award vouchers and national service training and affiliation to students. Please reach out and let us know if you need more information, or a phone call!

This page on our website has more information.

MTCC AMERICORPS AND VISTA MEMBERS SERVE ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Between Friday, January 15 and Monday, January 18 (and beyond) all across Montana MTCC VISTAs and AmeriCorps Members coordinated or took part in projects that honored the memory of one of our nation's greatest leaders, Martin Luther King Jr . MTCC's national service members conducted MLK Read for Peace events, toiletry drives, art projects and volunteered with local events from Glendive in the east to Hamilton and Kalispell in the west. Here are some of their stories:

Bozeman:

VISTA Jill McIntyre reads to students at Irving Elementary

Our VISTA members in Bozeman (Alex Opie, Lauren Hall, Dalya Kefi, and Jill McIntyre) coordinated and executed an amazing MLK Read for Peace event. They decided to have their program take place during after school programs in Bozeman at the following schools: Morningstar Elementary, Irving Elementary, Whittier Elementary. After reading to each group of children the volunteers discussed the importance of MLK's message and then helped students create drawings of their "dream for the world." This MLK Read for Peace Event was able to engage 12 volunteers (including 3 RSVP members) who contributed 12 hours of their time. They were able to read to 90 students and had their drawings hung up at the Bozeman Public Library.

Butte:

MTCC AmeriCorps Member Noah Davis Pictured top left

MTCCAmeriCorps Member serving with Montana Tech, Noah Davis, working with his team of college student AmeriCorps members led another exceedingly rewarding MLK Read for Peace Event in Butte, Montana. Noah recruited and placed a total of 31 volunteers, who contributed 61 hours over the span of two separate days of reading. A total of 422 students were read to and participated in an art project depicting their interpretation of MLK's famous "dream" from the I Have a Dream speech.

Missoula:

MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA Olivia Carney reads to students and Hellgate Elementary

MTCC AmeriCorps VISTAs (Alanna Reid, Michele Schahczenski, Olivia Carney, Erik Swanson and Jon Van Dyke), and VISTA Leaders (Austin Terreri and Lacy Fiore) organized Missoula's largest MLK Day Read For Peace Event to date. VISTA Leader Lacy Fiore raised a total of $866 from the Missoula Barnes & Noble, which provided MLK books to libraries, schools and communities across Montana. In the Missoula area 8 elementary schools participated, including; Paxson, Hellgate, Rattlesnake, Lowell, Lewis & Clark, DeSmet, Russell and Bonner. A whopping 901 students were read to by 24 volunteers who contributed 38 hours. The volunteers who participated included: MTCC AmeriCorps VISTAs, MTCC Staff, community volunteers and two Missoula City Council members -Gwen Jones & Michelle Cares. After the reading, students participated in art projects that included drawing pictures to writing poems, all centered around the idea of peace and understanding the message of Dr. King. These wonderful pieces of art are currently displayed at the Missoula Barnes & Noble and Missoula Public Library. 

National service members serving with the Montana Campus Compact made an impact in many communities throughout Montana this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These volunteers are passionate about sharing the important messages of peace, understanding and nonviolence  and helping to make our world a better place. Congratulations to all of our MTCC AmeriCorps and VISTA members, and for our partners in the National Service, nonprofit and education sectors for contributing to our democracy and for striving to complete MLK's dream in your own way. Thank you for your service. 

MTCC HOSTS MLK JR. READ FOR PEACE EVENTS ACROSS MONTANA.

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!

AMERICORPS VISTA CORAL THEDE CHECKS IN FROM GILLETTE, WY

I checked in with Coral Thede (pronounced TAY-DEE) to see how things are going down in Gillette, WY.  She is serving with the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming.  Coral is finishing her service in January and we are excited to see what great things she will do next!  

Get To Know Your VISTA

Who: Coral (like the reef)

Where: Gillette, Wyoming

Age: 310 months

Originally From: Is this Heaven?    ..........No, it’s I O W A!

College: University of Northern Iowa Major: Communication Studies Minor: Spanish

Hobbies: Playing my guitar, bonfires, road trips, snail mail, blogging, Netflix.

Fun Fact(s): New Year’s Baby, natural ginger, once cut my hand ice skating (turns out I’m no Tara Lipinski)

Favorite Quote: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why did you join AmeriCorps? A family friend suggested I look into it. I wanted to try something new and give back in some way, so becoming a VISTA seemed like a good idea. I think the empowerment of young women is especially important as well, so I was eager to serve alongside an organization like the Girl Scouts.

What has being an AmeriCorps VISTA taught you? My year of service came with a lot of ups and downs. It taught me to be more humble and grateful and gave me a better look into the modern day struggles everyday Americans are facing. It’s definitely been a year of growth and strength; including a lot of learning experiences. While this has probably been one of the toughest years for me, I can honestly say I’ve never given back more.

VISTA Service Accomplishments: With it being a huge rebuilding year, basically from the ground up for our Girl Scouts office, I focused mainly on service projects, revamping programs and creating partnerships.  Our main partnership is between the Boys and Girls Club and the local Gillette Community College. We had the Boys and Girls Club troop lined up and with my MTCC focus on College Positive Volunteers, I reached out to the college and luckily their Executive Student Senate decided to lead the troop. We had a very successful first semester and look forward to continuing this partnership!

In addition; we put on a camp that had been non-existent for two years and made it Reduce, Reuse, Recycle themed, received a grant for $2,000 from the Indian Education Committee to start a troop at the school on the reservation in Lame Deer, Montana, received another grant from the United Way for $5,000 for the girls at the Boys and Girls Club, participated in numerous community service projects including planting a garden in front of the Community Art Center and sending care packages to my Adopt-A-Soldier overseas, and had the most registered Girl Scouts in the whole state!

Post VISTA Life: After I complete my VISTA service, I fully plan on being rich and famous. Until then though, I will go back home to Iowa, find a full time job of sorts, pay off those student loans (eventually) and begin building my very own tiny house on wheels!

Contact:

Coral Thede

JANUARY VISTAS GATHER FOR CLOSE OF SERVICE

Montana Campus Compact January VISTAs gather in Missoula for their Close of Service.  We had presenters and sessions to prepare them for life after AmeriCorps.  All sessions were held at the University of Montana in the Payne Family Native American Center and the Mansfield Library.   We had delicious lunches and dinners donated by local restaurants Five on Black , Pie Hole and coffee from Starbucks.  Our members exiting service are:

Brandon Fish- Native Science Field Center- Blackfeet Community College

Sam Garetson- Upward Bound- Salish Kootenai College

Constance Johnson- Garfield Literacy Project- Montana State University Billings

Kate Johnson-Student Marketing and Outreach- Bitterroot College

Dalya Kefi- kidsLINK Afterschool Expanded Opportunities Project- Montana State University Bozeman

Sunny Pate- Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming- University of Great Falls

Morgan Ray- Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming- Flathead Valley Community College

Michele Schahczenski- Children's Museum of Missoula- University of Montana

Coral Thede- Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming- Gillette College

Jon Van Dyke- Zootown Arts Community Center- University of Montana 

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As always, we wish you all the best of luck with life after AmeriCorps and keep in touch!

MTCC VISTA DEANNA LINN BRINGS NANOTECHNOLOGY OUTREACH TO MSU

Deanna Linn is a Montana Campus Compact VISTA serving with the Girls STEM Collaborative at Montana State University.  She began her service in July 2015.  Below is a press release about the amazing work Deanna is doing at MSU.

BOZEMAN, Mont.—An annual Halloween festival for children received an infusion of nanotechnology when an AmeriCorps VISTA member based at Montana State University brought science outreach activities to the university’s Family & Graduate Housing.

FGH hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival near Halloween, and Deanna Linn, who serves via Montana Campus Compact within MSU’s Extended University, recruited undergraduate and graduate students from MSU’s Chemical and BiologicalEngineering Department to volunteer at the Oct. 17 event.

The team presented several hands-on science activities to approximately 115 children and their families who attended the event, which also included a costume contest, pie-eating contest and pumpkin catapult along with pumpkin bowling, pumpkin painting, bean bag toss, arts and crafts, sack race, tic-tac-toe, cookie decorating, science experiments with bubbles and dry ice, and face painting. This is the first time the annual event has included a NanoDays outreach component. MSU Extended University is part of a national program that helps the public better understand nanoscale science and engineering

Families from around the world live in MSU’s Family Housing complex, where children range from newborn to 18 and who hail from all backgrounds: single-parent families, low-income families, military families, etc. Many countries are also represented, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, India, China, Japan, Nepal, Lebanon and Brazil as well as families from around Montana and the U.S.

The partnership was a success and has opened up possibilities for future NanoDays and other STEM outreach projects between MSU Family and Graduate Housing and MSU Extended University. Linn shared information about the partnership with the national project, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, to inspire other organizations to partner with their local Family Housing complex.

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Great work, Deanna!  We can't wait for our next check in to see what all you have accomplished. Keep up the amazing work!

CAMPUS COMPACT HONORS STUDENT ATHLETE VOLUNTEERS

As you might know, Montana Campus Compact is a seventeen campus higher education network that advances the public purposes of colleges and universities by deepening their ability to improve community life and educate students for civic and social responsibility. This weekend, Saturday November 21,  MTCC Board Members and Governor Bullock will honor fifteen exemplary college student athletes who are model examples of our mission and vision.

“College students in Montana do amazing community work, and their investment of time, talent and energy help improve our communities across the state. Campus Compact’s Montana Athletes In Service Award honors the contributions of student athletes and volunteers.” said Josh Vanek, of MTCC.

The 2015 Montana Athletes in Service are:

Anthony Williams, Fort Peck Community College, General Studies, Weightlifting, Football, community/college gym volunteer

Brett Thompson, Montana State University-Northern, Major: Biology, Basketball, Community Volunteer

Callee Remsen, Montana Tech of the UM, Major:  Nursing, Basketball, Big Sister/Child Mentor

Cameron Lee, Montana State University Billings, Major: Organizational Communications, Soccer, Community volunteer

Emily Mendoza, University of Montana, Major: Social Work, Track & Field, Advocate for Student Advocacy Resource Cntr

Greg Thompson, Helena College UM, Associate of Science, Basketball coach, Volunteer Coach & Youth Mentor

Jesse McCloud, University of Montana-Western, Major: Art Education, Football, volunteer Coach and Youth Mentor

Kayla Johnson, Salish Kootenai College, Major:  Tribal Historic Preservation, Basketball, SKC Foundation &  Safe Women’s Shelter

Robert  Pritchett, Rocky Mountain College, Major: Athletic Training, Football, Big Brother Mentor

Taylor South, Carroll College, Major: Biology, Football, Homeless shelter Volunteer, Volunteer Counselor, Disabled Child Volunteer

Taylor Buschy,   Montana State University, Major: Health Education, Track & Field, Elementary/Middle School Volunteer

Tiffany  Marks,  University of Great Falls, Major: Business Administration, Volleyball, Elementary School Volunteer

Zach Levitt, Flathead Community College, Major: Secondary Ed., Intramural Athletics, Volunteer Coach, Community Volunteer

Vanessa Old Coyote, Little Big Horn College, Major: Pre-Med, Basketball, Youth Mentor & Local Campus Clean-up

Ben Powell, Blackfeet Community College Major: Business, Rodeo, Local Toy Drive, BCC Rodeo fundraiser/volunteer

Kayla Johnson (SKC)

MTCC is proud to honor these remarkable student athletes for their outstanding effort this coming Saturday. Each student athlete was nominated for qualities that prove they are an integral part of their communities and campuses. Campus staff who nominated of these athletes provided some insight on why these students deserve recognition, here is what they had to say:

“ Kayla Johnson  has shown other students you can be involved in various things and still maintain high academic standards. Lending a helping hand to those in need can be self-rewarding when you see others benefiting from your efforts which, in turn, lead others to step up and help” said Juan Perez, Student Activities & Gym Director of Salish Kootenai College.

Shawn Huse Head Coach of Men’s Basketball at Montana State University Northern reports that, “Brett Thompson provides help in a friendly fashion to those in need, whenever needed. It is very rewarding for him when others’ lives are affected so positively.”

Robert Prichett (RMC)

“Robert Pritchett is a first gen college student in his family and he is showing all of us the spirit of being more than “just a student.” He is the very definition of an engaged student. He is an inspiration to everyone he knows and perhaps part of his legacy will be showing all the kiddos in the schools that anyone can be a successful first generation college student” said Jill Washburn of Community Involvement, Veteran Services, & Parent Relations at Rocky Mountain College.

“Anthony Williams is the first to volunteer his time for the community and college activities. He is a true leader; he is deeply engaged and concerned for others, sometimes to his own detriment. Anthony is a living example of the principle that hard work is its own reward and pays off in the long run” reports of Fort Peck Community College

These students are making a significant difference at their respective institutions and communities. Please join us in honoring these deserving award winners this Saturday during the Brawl of the Wild!