2020 Highlight: The US Together AmeriCorps VISTA Team
About Our VISTA Team
US Together’s VISTA Team is a group of AmeriCorps VISTA members (Volunteers in Service to America) who work throughout Ohio to alleviate poverty through capacity building and innovation. The team is part of a nationwide program managed by AmeriCorps, a federal agency that engages thousands of people in service with the AmeriCorps VISTA program every year. US Together serves as a sponsor organization for its VISTA team, providing direct supervision of VISTA activities, program guidance, and professional development opportunities for the VISTA members.
The service term for AmeriCorps VISTA members is one calendar year, which means that every 12 months a new cohort of VISTA members is recruited to serve in our offices in Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo. US Together also sponsors AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates who serve for up to 10 weeks during the summer months (May-August).
Our VISTA Team in 2020
In July 2020, we said goodbye to our 2019 VISTA team and welcomed ten new members – five full-year VISTA members and five Summer Associates who served for eight weeks during the months of July and August. Our current five AmeriCorps VISTA members work on diverse projects in our three offices:
In Columbus, Moira Donovan serves as Community Engagement and Development Specialist and Karli Gibson serves as Refugee Integration Specialist.
Originally from Parma, Ohio, Moira moved to Columbus to study Political Science and Nonprofit Management at The Ohio State University. While still in high school, Moira volunteered with US Together’s Cleveland office, which was her first consistent volunteering experience. Since then, she joined and worked with multiple organizations that serve immigrant and refugee populations. As a VISTA member at US Together, Moira is engaged with developing community partnerships, supporting our fundraising campaigns and expanding the agency’s outreach efforts. Serving the community and fostering intercultural experiences are her favorite parts of this work. Outside of her AmeriCorps VISTA service, Moira enjoys studying French, art history, traveling, and reading.
Karli graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts with double major in Public Administration and International Studies. She is passionate about supporting vulnerable communities through non-profit, culturally-informed work. During her service, Karli is coordinating volunteers, managing our Columbus internship program, and aiding staff in curriculum development and grant writing/compliance. When she is not in the office, Karli enjoys cooking, reading, playing tennis, and caring for her many houseplants.
In Cleveland, Olivia (Liv) Randall serves as Community Engagement and Development Specialist and Melissa Mattwig serves as Refugee Integration Specialist.
Liv graduated from The Ohio State University with degrees in International Relations and Middle East Studies. The past two years of her undergraduate career Liv spent conducting independent research on the reconciliation between women after genocide. For this project, she traveled to Rwanda twice and interviewed twenty-five women on their experience before, during, and after the 1994 genocide. Liv shares that this opportunity improved her grant-writing, public-speaking, and academic writing skills. In her current role as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, Liv is leading our community outreach efforts in Cleveland, expanding our partnership base and supporting various fundraising efforts.
Melissa holds a degree in Biology and Environmental Science from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Before joining the Peace Corps program in 2018, Melisa had received a scholarship to study Swahili in Tanzania - an opportunity she pursued for the chance to learn a new language and culture. Melissa served as a Peace Corps Education volunteer until March 2020 when the ongoing pandemic forced global evacuation of all Peace Corps volunteers. As a dedicated young person, Melissa decided to apply for an AmeriCorps VISTA position and continue her mission to serve the community and help others. At US Together, Melissa recruits and manages volunteers, coordinates program needs with case managers and helps us build strong partnerships with our community partners. An interesting fact about Melissa is that she plays saxophone and apart from English and Swahili, she also speaks French and some Spanish!
In Toledo, Emma Gile serves as Refugee Integration Specialist. Emma has a degree in Global Health from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She joined our VISTA team to start her professional career in combatting social injustice and health inequity. During her freshman year of college, Emma facilitated a medical brigade in isolated communities in the Amazon basin of Ecuador, which sparked her desire to learn more and work towards a world where all people have access to health, regardless of their background or financial situation. Following her experience in Ecuador, Emma volunteered at various nonprofits which deepen her passion to help others and build a stronger community. At US Together-Toledo, Emma manages volunteers and leads our fundraising and communications efforts. Due to Emma’s hard work, last month our agency was approved for a $50,000 grant to start providing mental health services for underserved populations in Toledo!
US Together’s 2020 VISTA Alumni
Recently we’ve reached out to our former VISTA team to ask them about their experience with the program from alumni’s perspectives. Here’s what some of them have shared:
“Working at US Together was a great experience! Although I work in a field outside of the non-profit sector, my time as a VISTA allowed me to use my skills in media and writing for good, to positively impact the refugee community in Cleveland. I loved learning about the people and cultures that make up the Cleveland refugee community and learning from my peers and their experiences as well. My time at US Together also encouraged me to donate my time and skills to causes I care about outside of work and make a difference where I can. ”
-Elizabeth Suarez, Education Summer Associate – AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, Cleveland (July 6 –August 30, 2020)
"Following my year of service as a VISTA member with US Together, I moved to Washington, D.C. and started my master's in applied economics at American University. I owe US Together for providing me with a welcoming environment and trusting me to independently manage projects which gave me the confidence and professional experience I needed to take the next steps in my career path. VISTA was a truly formative experience that I continue to cherish."
-Meave Fryer, Refugee Integration Specialist – AmeriCorps VISTA member, Columbus (July 7, 2019 – July 6, 2020)
"My VISTA service was an incredible opportunity to learn and understand the inner workings of the nonprofit sector. The hands-on experience of building US Together’s capacity through grantwriting and communications helped me to develop my professional skills and prepare me for a career in this field. I’m so grateful that my year of VISTA service fostered personal growth in so many ways while also allowing me to give back to a community that I have come to know and love.”
-Isaiah Baker, Community Engagement & Development Specialist – AmeriCorps VISTA member, Columbus (July 7, 2019 – July 6, 2020)
About AmeriCorps VISTA Program
Since 1965, AmeriCorps VISTA members have brought their passion and perseverance where the need is greatest: to organizations that help alleviate poverty. Today, over 8,000 AmeriCorps VISTA members are serving as catalysts for change, living and working alongside community members to advance local solutions. If you are interested to learn more about the AmeriCorps VISTA program, visit their official website.