Warm Snuggles On A Cold Day

Well now I have plenty of time to snuggle up with loved ones on cold days now I don't have to go to work anymore. I am enjoying the down time but I know it can't last so right now i'm enjoying sleeping in snuggling up on the sofa with my furry friends or playing games on the computer. Christmas shopping when I can and trying to decide what to fix for Christmas dinner next week. I must admit I don't miss the hustle and bustle of working every day and I sure don't miss all the driving I was doing. So now I am just chilling and relaxing at home I'm working on fixing all the drafts in the house and there are plenty. 

A $500 utility bill made me realize my house needed some serious work so I am putting plastic on windows and covering them up to cut down on the drafts. I also made sure all the vents weren't covered up by something kind of hard tho when I have a cat who believes the vent in the kitchen was made specially for her and I have a dog who thinks the other vent in the bedroom is hers but nonetheless I have made the attempt of clearing the vents so the hot air can come up. I also get to yell at kids who like to leave doors open or open garage doors after I get them all shut tight. You would think teenagers would have enough sense not to open windows in the winter time or shut a door behind them when they come in but um I think my kids were born in a barn or something because i'm constantly yelling "SHUT THE DOOR!!" or I go in a bedroom and find a window open because they say " I was hot" Hello it's winter time you do not open the window! The one I loved is I go in my daughters room and find window open and heater on and her smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke outside. First of all I know she smokes so she isn't hiding anything second why open a window? " I didn't want to fill the room with smoke"  I roll my eyes " Shut the __ __ Window!!!!!" Got to love kids at least they say you have to. A well placed screw fixed the opening windows I will worry about getting it out come spring time. I also covered the window with plastic to further detere the hot little girl from opening the window in 7 degree weather. I thought of electrifying it but thought that might be a bit much. I am also considering putting a padlock on the thermostat so nobody can touch it. Anyway I was delighted to say that I did get the utility bill completely paid off which was a nice Christmas present to myself and my mother now we just need to keep it that way. 

Merry Christmas everyone I hope you all stay warm :)

The End of an Era

Today is the last day of AmeriCorps VISTA for me. After serving for 3 years it is finally time for me to move on to bigger and better things. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working to fight poverty in America and I will continue in my own way just not as an AmeriCorps VISTA. The past three years have truly changed my life and I will never forget it.

Today is boxing up stuff and driving to Columbus to drop things off but I wanted to update this posting so it's going to be short. I will post again soon :)

Happy Holidays!

Tis the season

Tax season is here along with the holidays so this means it is a very busy time for the Ohio Benefit Bank. For those of you who may not know what The Ohio Benefit Bank is, The Ohio Benefit Bank is an Internet service that is available for Ohioans who are in need of help. Through no fault of their own, many Ohioans are being forced to make tough decisions each and every day, such as choosing between paying rent or buying food. In an effort to eliminate such choices from having to be made and to help Ohioans gain access to programs that are available for those in need, The Ohio Benefit Bank is now available at your fingertips!
From the comfort of your home, from a local library that has internet access, from the computer of a trained Ohio Benefit Bank counselor or any other computer with internet access, Ohioans can complete applications for programs such as Food Assistance (formerly Food Stamps), the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Child care subsidies, and even file their Federal and State taxes for FREE!

This is a great program and I have been working with it for 3 years now but for the last year I have not been as connected with it as I once was.  Being a VISTA Leader meant I had to be more hands off with this program but one of my VISTA members has had to take a medical leave and we are unable to fill the position quick enough so I have had to step up and step in and help with the trainings and things for the Ohio Benefit Bank. I have been calling various locations that we use for these trainings and reserving rooms and signing people up for the trainings. So my calendar for the next couple of months is getting filled up with traveling and trainings. I do mean filling up every day for the next 2 weeks I am going somewhere. I don't mind the presentations or the traveling but it does get kind of tedious after a while. But the whole time I'm thinking this extra expense check will sure come in handy at Christmas time so this is what will get me through it. I'm just hoping my car makes it and the weather does not become a problem.

Over the last 3 years I have not had too much luck with cars and have gone through  4 or 5 cars which is ridiculous either they die or I kill them. So St. Christopher watch over me while I spread the good news of the Ohio Benefit Bank.

Until later keep safe :)

You can uncross your fingers now

I am very disappointed to inform all my readers that the job interview for a full time position at OASHF did not go very well and I did not get the position. They said I interviewed well but they decided to go another direction with this project. So no relocating to Columbus Ohio which might be a blessing in disguise. It was going to be very difficult for me to up and leave part of my family and my kids for a position in Columbus but I was willing to do it.

I still have another 3 months of AmeriCorps VISTA service to finish and that will get me through the holidays and I am very thankful for that. I was very lucky that I got the extension because usually 3 years is the most anybody can serve in AmeriCorps VISTA. So for that little income to continue throughout the holiday season I am simply ecstatic. I truly love serving in AmeriCorps and this has been the best experience I have had since I had my children. No the income is not so great but the feeling of accomplishing something or being a part of something that changes so many people lives is truly incredible.

So now my role as a VISTA Leader is changing a bit and I'm focusing on other things and not so much member oriented. No more scanning in 20 or so time sheets every Monday and compiling them into one big document and sending them to Columbus. OASHF went to the OnCorps system they all are online and I don't have to worry about them anymore. And no more reading all those monthly reports from all the members and then compiling them into a big report and sending it in to Columbus. That is online now too. I must admit I miss reading those reports.  I liked hearing all the stories that the members would tell about their service. So basically what I do now is get this information from them on our monthly conference calls. It is still great to hear all about what they are doing but it was nice to read the reports too. I always tried to be very hands on kind of Leader and tried to always let my members know that I was there for them and that I have went through a lot of what they are currently going through themselves. I was not their superior but their equal and partner and mentor. Someone they could talk to or bounce ideas off of when they got stuck on something. I am still doing that for them but I just feel that I don't have the communication with them as I did before.

I now am focusing on the Ohio Benefit Bank and AmeriCorps outreach. Tax season is here and we are down to one Community Trainer for all of SW Ohio which is why I have been asked to stay on. I can go back to my Community Trainer role to help out with all of the trainings and tax clinics that are being scheduled now. I must admit it is great to be able to do this again but I sort of feel like a fish out of water. Things have changed on how they do things from when I was a trainer. Things are always changing with the OBB and OASHF this is a good thing but sometimes it is confusing if you are used to doing things one way and they up and change things on you. I'm a smart cookie I'll figure it out.

My AmerCorps outreach includes contacting all the local colleges and high schools in southwest Ohio and setting up days where I can come and set up a table and give out literature or give a presentation about AmeriCorps. This has become harder than I had thought it would be. The first obstacle I have had is trying to get somebody to give me a list of all the public and private high schools and colleges in SW Ohio. So basically I have been calling schools and leaving voice mails for people who are supposed to be able to help me with my questions. So far nobody has bothered to return my calls. Maybe after Thanksgiving I might get some answers. I think a lot of people are out of town on vacation right now going home for the holiday I assume. Anyway this gives me time to get my thoughts in order as to the presentation. I've given this several times at various career fairs so it isn't much different the only difference is that I am not currently recruiting for any positions.

I decided to take on this task because I was shocked on how many people just did not know what AmeriCorps was and I think this is an awesome program so of course I want to shout it from the mountain tops and let as many people know about it as possible. AmeriCorps has truly changed my life and I know it can for so many other people. It is a great opportunity for kids coming out of high school and really do not know what they want to do or what field they want to go into in college. This allows them to help the community earn a little income and get money for college at the same time. In other words a win win deal in my eyes. I only wish someone told me about this when I was in high school. I think things would of been different for me if they had. So this is my mission to go out to the high schools target the senior classes and let them know about all the different programs that AmeriCorps has to offer. I would like to at least get information to all of the high school counselors (at least the ones in SW Ohio) about the program before my service ends.

Cross Your Fingers!

Cross your fingers for me everyone I need it. Next Thursday I go for my first "official" interview with OASHF for the Regional Support and Self-Serve Coordinator position. I am so excited about this interview and nervous as all hell about it too. I will admit I was rather nervous about posting it in the blog because I mean what if I don't get it? There is always that possibility ya know. Oh I know I am awesome and all that and that I can do the job and I have plenty of experience with what the job entails but I also know that others are there and closer and would not have to relocate to take the position like I would have to. And I am sure there are others who actually have a college degree of some sort and not just a little old high school diploma like I do. I would love to be able to go back to school and get a degree of some sort it is one of my goals but sometimes I feel like it is totally unreachable and way out of my league. Then on the other hand I really think I can do anything I set my mind to doing. Oh I don't doubt I have the knowledge and brain power to be able to go to college. It is the money I worry about. Last thing a single mother with 3 kids needs is to get thousands of dollars in debt with student loans. If I had been smarter when selecting my end of service award I would of gotten at least one education award in the 3 years of AmeriCorps service but I didn't and it's too late to change that now.

Oh well onward and upward one day I will get a degree I know it. It is one of my life goals. Speaking about goals; I was reading a friends blog and basically it is a list of goals that she wants to do. This reminded me that having goals is important. We should all have goals of some sort. This blog really struck me for some reason. I mean ya sure I have goals but I don't necessary write them down somewhere but they are in my happy little dizzy head which might not necessary be the best place for them so maybe I should list a few on the blog.

Goal #1 Go back to school for business and social skills and get that darn degree!
Goal #2 Get a better paying job. This should probably go before going to school sense they kind of go hand in hand. You have to have money to pay off those school loans.
Goal # 3 Become more self sufficient. I have been working on this one since I divorced my husband but have not been very successful. Oh I have had good jobs and my own apartment for short periods of time but I always seem to come back home to live with my mom. Thank you Mom for everything!!! Thing is me and my mother are close and I am an only child and if I leave she will have nobody there to help her so no matter what I do I have to always be there for her because she was always there for me.
Goal #4 I would love to actually write one successful grant. I have started a few but they have never been successful where you actually get the funding. The last grant I tried to write was for a special project for Shared Harvest Foodbank. I had rotten computer luck and my laptop died and I had not backed up any of my information so I had to start over from scratch and by the time it was time to submit there was no way I could get it finished on time.So I failed terribly with that one.
Goal #5 I want to always make my children proud of me and to be a good role model for them. I haven't always been a good role model I don't think but I have grown and changed many things about myself for the better I think.

OK there is a few of  Martha's goals for you and me to think about.

Simply Delighted!

I am simply delighted to announce that I have been granted an extension for 3 more months of AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader service! Yay! So no more counting down days or at least not for a while. What this means is instead of me ending my service on December 9th it will now be March 9th which will give me more time to secure full time employment and get me through the holidays with some kind of income coming in. So I can relax for a bit and not "Freak Out" like I put in my post yesterday.

Another thing I am seriously considering is relocating to Columbus Ohio which is where my main office is located.  I have officially put my request in for a position they have available there. This is right up my ally and works with the same programs I have been working with for the last 3 years which is The Ohio Benefit Bank and the The AmeriCorps*VISTA program I love working with The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks and all the people there are just fantastic! They have made my job such a joy over the past 3 years and I really think that is important when looking at a career. You have to be happy where you are working the people you are working with and be passionate about your goals and accomplishments. As long as your goals and the organization you are working with match then going to work every day is not like work but  fun. Work shouldn't have to feel like work so I always try to find something I think I would really enjoy doing. This just makes it easier to get up early in the morning.

Relocation will be the only difficult part. I have lived with my mother for so long ever since my divorce from my ex husband which has been around 11 years. I love my mother and I thank God for her each and every day but I really feel it is time for me to take this leap of faith and spread my wings and fly.  I've been searching on Craigslist for apartments but I just know that the only way to really find what I want which is a little 2 bedroom apartment for me and my girls, if both of them want to go with me, is to actually get there and spend time in Columbus and I'm really not going to do much of that until I get conformation that I have the position. Columbus is huge compared to Hamilton where I am now so this will be an adventure one I am very excited about doing. So cross your fingers for me and say a few prayers I need all the help I can get with this one.

Make A Difference Day!

Only 21 Days of AmeriCorps VISTA Service left and this does not count weekends and to be honest I am kind of starting to freak out a little as to where I will be going next. But I know something will open up and everything will be OK. All else fails I will enjoy the holidays and seek for work after the first of the year so I guess it's not so bad.

October 23rd was National Make A Difference Day which meant it was one of those days that all National Service Volunteers such as VISTA's or AmeriCorps State members have to do some kind of direct community service for the day. It is always great to be able to do direct service and get in there and help the community directly and I always get a big kick out of these service project days. VISTA members are limited on how much direct service they can do so when it is a National day of service such as Make a Difference Day we get to go out into the community and do some hands on stuff.

For my Make A Difference Day project I volunteered the day at the Lighthouse Food Pantry. This was a great opportunity to help out the food pantry and the local community. I helped people shop at the Choice Pantry picking out the food they were allowed to have and helping them load up their groceries in bags. This was really great because this food pantry is only a few blocks from my house and I have gone there for food before so this was a great chance to give back.

The Lighthouse is what is considered a “Choice Pantry” meaning people get to pick what they want from the different categories of food. Each person is given a color coded card for their household size and they go through the shelves of food which is color coded according to each food group. The person then gets to choose the food that they want which I think gives them a sense of control over what they get from the food pantry. Some food pantries just give you a box of food and say there you go and you really have no idea what is in the bag until you get it home. Choice pantries give people the right to choose what they get and it educates them on proper nutrition. Some people have food restrictions and cannot eat just anything so the choice pantry let’s them pick out what they want and sometimes they will hold back food for people with special diets. This is what makes a Choice pantry so fantastic and the Lighthouse is filled with so many compassionate people who really seem to care about the people they serve. Even going out of their way to talk with people who are there giving them a hug and let them know that the Lighthouse cares about them.

It is never any fun going to a food pantry for food but when you do have to go to one it is nice to feel welcome and not just another number and I think the Lighthouse really goes out of their way to make sure everyone feels welcome there.

This is the front of the Lighthouse Church located at 626 Ridgelawn Avenue Hamilton Ohio 45013

This is just the beginning of the line as I first got to the church this line ended up wrapping around the building!

This fuzzy picture is of one of the people who volunteered at the Lighthouse that day sorry my camera took fuzzy pictures my camera wasn't the best but hey what can you expect from a $15 digital camera from Krogers?

 For Christmas I am hoping Santa brings me a nice new digital camera :)

Ghosts, Ghouls & Goblins

50 Days of Service left

Well it is October and it is time for all the fall leaves and pumpkins and time for all the little kiddies to go door to door trick or treating. This must be my favorite time of the year and one of the reasons I love living in Ohio. I love how the seasons change here. I lived in Phoenix Arizona for a year and it was so boring. The same weather year round. I just love how the seasons change here.

This is the time of year when mother nature is truly spectacular and I love going for walks and picking up leaves.

I also love sitting on my front steps and handing out candy to all the Trick or Treaters

I usually put on my witches hat and plop down with the pumpkins and a big bowl of candy and enjoy all the little kiddies and even sometimes doggies. I always get a good giggle when people dress up their doggies for trick or treats and it seems in my neighborhood a lot of people do that which is why I also usually have a box of doggie treats on hand for them.

Some animals really seem to get a kick out of getting dressed up like this guy who really seemed to love being a lion.

Then others are like you have got to be kidding me a pink too too?

This is sure the time of the year when the strange and unusual things come out so watch out this year you never know what you might see.

The Power of Word of Mouth

62 Days of Service Left

It has come to my realization that Word Of Mouth is the most powerful thing in the world. Most people don't know what is out there unless someone tells them and it goes for anything. I mean if you think about it you don't know anything unless someone tells you really. So don't hold what you know to yourself. Tell as many people as possible about a good thing because 9 times out of 10 someone else needs that information they just don't know who to ask and how to go about doing it.

I think a lot of society has disconnected themselves from everyone. I mean do you know your next door neighbor? Most of us don't or don't want to.  It takes a special kind of person to reach out to their fellow man and help them. At one time people didn't think anything of it but now we live in a society that is disconnected.

If it isn't on the internet or in a newspaper or a radio or TV people just don't care. I'd like to know what has brought us to this point.

I was recently talking to an old high school friend on FaceBook who I have not seen since school. She is going through a tough time with being unemployed and she seen me on Facebook posting things about AmeriCorps. Well she went to the website and checked it out and is not applying for an AmeriCorps position. I really hope she get's it really I do. And no it's not with the organization I work with but it's a great program too.

Thing is she wouldn't of even thought of AmeriCorps if it had not of been for me talking about it on a Facebook post. It's funny how a little thing like that can change someones lives and really make a difference. So my challenge to you is to tell someone about something that has really impacted your life today. It doesn't have to be much of anything really. Share a recipe or tell someone about a program that might help them if they are in a bad situation or if they are in a good situation ask them how they got there.

I am currently trying to find a job for when my service ends on December 9th and I have found that I get more leads to jobs simply by talking to people I work with. No I have nothing set in stone for December as of yet but I do have some great leads. 

It would be nice if everyone had a hover text over their heads like in video games then you know who to ask what to. *Giggles* but we don't  live in video games now do we? We must live in reality unfortunately. It's OK to live in reality it's not such a bad place. Sure there are crimes and pain and sickness but that kinda makes life interesting doesn't it? So what if it's not a perfect world. It's the imperfections that give us reason to get out of bed in the mornings and try to make a difference in the world we live in. I think everyone likes a challenge and life can be challenging sometimes but if we pull together we can make it a great experience.

It is our challenges that make us who we are today.

The Final Countdown

65 Days of Service left.

Well here we go the final countdown of my service. I can't believe it has been 3 years since I started with AmeriCorps*VISTA and lately I've been kinda down because I really don't know where I am going next. I had thought I was going to stay on here at Shared Harvest but now it seems that may not be an option for me. I was looking forward to continuing on with Shared Harvest but It is very possible that they wont be able to take me on even with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest matching half my income. Oh well that's the way it goes with nonprofits. They just want to make sure they have enough work for the SNAP outreach workers they have and they may not have the funds to take on another full time employee. Things can change but basically I was told to look for other work and put in applications anywhere and everywhere. I'm kinda depressed about it and terrified about looking for work at Christmas time and the high unemployment rate is really scary. I mean employers keep laying off employees so where do you go to find a job? I don't really want to do fast food or work in a warehouse on an assembly line standing long hours. Talk about a nightmare!

Going to school might be an option. I would like to get my bachelors degree and I think it would help with getting the kind of job I want. But I know I still need to find income even if I go to school. And then I wonder how I am going to pay to go to school. I wasn't smart and did not take the education award that VISTA offers. I took the cash stipend and it will come in handy at Christmas as it has in the past. I can probably apply to FAFSA see what they would cover. I've never done it before so it's all new territory. Might be interesting come to think of it. I like trying new things so I will look into the school situation.

So that still leaves the job problem. I would love to do something in nonprofit so I've been looking on Craigslist and Idealist. So far I haven't seen anything in this area only things in Cincinnati which I suppose isn't too far and I could drive it.

My head tells me to crawl in a hole and hide but that won't solve anything now will it? I have to go on and pray for the best and do the best I can and hopefully something will open up at the end or I will be surprised and Tina will tell me that I can stay at Shared Harvest so keep me in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed for me.

I'm a tough cookie I am sure I will find something and it will all work out one way or another.

Recruitment Fair Fun!

Part of my job as AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader is recruitment and I must say I think this is the funnest part of the job. I get to go to all the local Career fairs at the local Universities and tell bright young men and women about AmeriCorps and all it has to offer. I am always surprised to find out how many people have never heard of AmeriCorps. Usually they have heard of the Peace Corps but not AmeriCorps which is what makes my job all the fun.

Usually it's just me at a table with literature about all the programs AmeriCorps has to offer but sometimes i recruit a volunteer to go with me. This is where my daughter Angel comes in handy. Since she is unemployed and living at home and 18 I draft her in to do all kinds of fun things like service projects and recruitment fairs.  It's hard for me to lug all my boxes and display board and computer and anything else I decide to take with me to the fairs so I draft my kids or co workers to go with me sometimes. And it is great to have someone at the table at all times for those inconvenient bathroom breaks.

I keep trying to recruit my kids but they wont budge and I think it is because I am in AmeriCorps right now and probably when I am finished Angel will start her service but that's what I'm hoping for anyway. I did draft a young man who lives in my home Josh. He is serving in the HarvestCorps Program right now which is different than VISTA. They get to do more direct service than VISTA does. VISTA is more capacity building than direct service. We recruit the volunteers and manage them and we find funding sources such as grants and in kind donations for the organization.

I have some pics of my display at the Miami Career Fair

 Nope I'm not in them it's hard to take pictures and be in them too.
Anyway if you happen to see a table like this stop by and chat with the VISTA Leader for a bit and pick up some candy and some useful information. We are always happy to tell people about AmeriCorps*VISTA !

TELL CONGRESS WE CAN'T CUT SNAP!

HUNGRY CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP!

TELL CONGRESS WE CAN’T CUT SNAP!

In a matter of days members of the United States House of Representatives will be headed home for the primary elections, and there is pressure to pass Child Nutrition Reauthorization. There is a significant effort, with backing from the White House and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” initiative, to bring a child nutrition reauthorization bill to the floor this week. As there is no significant money this week or next coming out of the House Ways & Means Committee, House members are being urged to pass the Senate bill in its entirety, including the $2.2 billion in SNAP offsets. Any bill that takes food off the plates of families, individuals, seniors, and veterans at home in order to place food on the plates of children at school is unacceptable.

Every member of the Ohio delegation needs to hear that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is our Nation’s first line of defense against hunger and food insecurity. Any cuts to this program will lead to increases in hunger, food insecurity, and loss of economic revenue for the communities in which the SNAP dollars are spent. Children need access to healthy foods both at home and at school.

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/sep/24/2/congress-vote-new-and-controversial-school-lunch-f-ar-240113/


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130073117


http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/09/26/House-set-to-vote-on-child-nutrition-bill/UPI-24031285518256/

What you can do to help?

: Contact your representative using the contact
information provided below. From now until September 24th, make your CNR calls to
Members of Congress toll free via 1-877-425-4810.

1. Tell them the House needs to pass a strong child nutrition bill that increases access for low-income children to healthful food
2. Let them know that any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are unacceptable
3. Forward this message to your network and encourage others to take action
4. Call Again! Be sure to call every day!
5. Get updates From FRAC’s website –http://www.frac.org
6. Circulate and sign letter opposing SNAP cuts Etienne Melcher at emelcher@frac.org to sign on.

CALL TODAY:

White House Comments: 202-456-1111 http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Dennis Kucinich—Yonatan Zamir (202) 225-5871 yonatan.zamir@mail.house.gov
Steven LaTourette—Sarah Cannon (202) 225-5731 sarah.cannon@mail.house.gov
John Boehner—Katherine Haley (202) 225-4000 katherine.haley@mail.house.gov
Jean Schmidt—Matt Perin (202) 225-3164 matt.perin@mail.house.gov
Michael Turner—Joseph Heaton (202)225-6465 joseph.heaton@mail.house.gov
Jim Jordan—Wesley Goodman (202) 225-2676 wesley.goodman@mail.house.gov
Robert Latta—Bethany Peck (202) 225-6405bethany.peck@mail.house.gov
Steve Austria—Courtney Temple (202) 225-4324 courtney.temple@mail.house.gov
Zack Space—Dan Farmer (202) 225-6265 dan.farmer@mail.house.gov
Pat Tiberi—Kelli Briggs (202)225-5355 kelli.briggs@mail.house.gov
Charlie Wilson—Heidi Ross (202) 225-5705 heidi.ross@mail.house.gov
Betty Sutton—Pam Bowman (202) 225-3401 pam.bowman@mail.house.gov
Tim Ryan—Michael Julian (202) 225-5261 michael.julian@mail.house.gov
John Boccieri—Justin Palmer (202) 225-3876 justin.palmer@mail.house.gov
Marcy Kaptur—Matt Kaplan (202) 225-4146 matthew.kaplan@mail.house.gov
Marcia Fudge—LaDavia Drane / Brandon Garrett (202) 225-7032
ladavia.drane@mail.house.gov or Brandon.garrett@mail.house.gov
Mary Jo Kilroy—Reginald Barker (202) 225-2015
reginald.barker@mail.house.gov
Steve Driehaus—Sarah McHugh (202) 225-2216
sarah.mchugh@mail.house.gov

Hungry Kids are relying on you!

Septeber 11th National Day of Rememberance Project

Every year on September 11th we take time to remember those who were lost on September 11th 2001 and AmeriCorps has adopted it as a National Day of service and remembrance. Since September 11 fell on a Saturday AmeriCorps had our service project on September 10th. All over the nation AmeriCorps members worked on various community service programs. Sometimes all the OASHF AmeriCorps members come together for one big service project in central Ohio but not this time. This time we all did service projects in our own area. Since I am the AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader for SW Ohio it was my job to organize a service project for the members in my area. Usually I have a little notice that I have to do these projects but this time I only had 1 week to get one together so I was scrambling to get one that we could all work on.

I manage 13 AmeriCorps*VISTA's so I had to find something that we could all work on together. I remembered while we were in the middle of the Summer Feeding program that one of our agencies was working on a community revitalization project. They had recently acquired an old school or at least one wing of the school the rest of it was torn down. All that was left was a 2 story building and a playground which was perfect for them. The only thing was vandals had broken in and broke windows and spray painted dirty things on the playground equipment. So this made a perfect service project for my VISTA members and me to work on.

I had planned for all of my members to come and work on this one project but as it turned out only 5 showed up others had found other service projects that they wanted to work on in their area which was fine. I'm pretty flexible with things like this but I could of used the extra hands to help.

We arrived at Hamilton Living waters at 9 am and I met with the Executive Director Cathy she handed me a box with a box of rags 2 spray bottles and a roll of garbage bags. I'm thinking ok maybe there isn't that much to it. How wrong I was. We chatted for a bit waiting for some more people to show up to help. While waiting a lady came to the door looking for help with housing. My heart went out to this lady. She had been living at various friends house and in her car with her children. Cathy herself took this woman in even though the office wasn't supposed to open for another couple of hours and took down her name and contact information. There was no sorry you have to come back later or anything like that and I must say I was amazed at the kindness this executive director showed to this poor woman with really nowhere to go.

After the lady left feeling much better than she did when she first arrived a few more VISTA members showed up so we put a sign on the door and walked a block to the building we would be working in. There were large rocks everywhere that people were using to throw at the windows. A door was chained shut and windows were boarded up. The playground was littered with rocks and other trash and the equipment had been spray painted and written on with ugly words. I looked down at the little box of items and knew we were going to need much more than what was there. I had planned a little for this and brought 3 brooms and dustpans from my house along with any work gloves I could find a roll of garbage bags. My daughter Angel came along to help too so there was an extra person.

Cathy told us that people had broken in and they had to install security system and that it was worse inside. So I braced myself for the worst. She let us in and ran to turn off the security system and then we saw what she meant. As soon as we walked in the first door there were chairs stacked in a corner under the stairs as we moved in further there were more chairs in the halls. She then told us we needed to sort the chairs by size and put 50 in each room. She told us to pick up rocks and put them under the stairs because she figured if they didn't have rocks to throw then maybe they wouldn't break anymore windows. Cathy walked us thru the building and informed us as to what to do in each room and put up sticky notes on the doors of how many chairs to put where and the computer room got the chairs with wheels. She let us know that she had meetings to do that day and would try to come back at the end of the day.

I looked around at all the chairs and rocks to pick up a said ok I’m calling in reinforcements and called my son who had a truck. If I was going to pick up all those rocks I might as well get rid of them too. My son Jesse who worked 12 hours third shift grumbled a bit but he showed up with his truck and we loaded it up with rocks. I would of put more in but he said that's it and he had to go especially when he seen me picking up little rocks along with the big ones. I think those rocks are still in the back of his truck ha-ha. So no we didn't pick up every rock that was there but we got most the big ones and some of the small ones.

We worked on the building and playground and playing musical chairs with the million chairs that were there until 4:00 in the afternoon. Some people did a service project for maybe 2 hours but my team worked a full 8 hour work day there and boy were we tired at the end of the day. But we were all happy to be doing some kind of direct service and it really felt like we made a difference that day.

I'm very proud of all of the AmeriCorps members for all of their hard work and I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of them!

Recruitment Fun

Part of my job as AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader is recruiting other VISTA's and that is what I am currently doing. I am recruiting for 3 placements. Washington United Church of Christ in Cincinnati Ohio is one of them. I have recruited for them several times and I think it is an AWESOME organization. Basically they want someone to do grant research and volunteer recruitment and management for them. It will be a great working environment for someone to work in. The people are great there and the site supervisor is the Pastor of the church. She is a hard working diligent lady and I admire her greatly.

Another place I am currently recruiting for is Hamilton Living Water Ministries in Hamilton Ohio. This organization has gone far in helping inter city youth in Hamilton Ohio. Basically they want someone to do volunteer recruitment/management, Social Media research and to create profiles on social media links such as Facebook & Twitter (can you imagine getting paid to research Facebook and Twitter and posting on them?). They also want someone to do grant research and in-kind donation research. This organization has never had a VISTA before but they have gone far and over come some great obstacles in their community. They were recently  a center of focus of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks and the Corporation of National Community Service and the Mayors office of Hamilton Ohio. They made front page of the Journal News when all the big wigs and even the Mayors office came to tour their facility. They were also a Summer Feeding Site last summer and received 3 summer VISTA's. Now for the first time they are going to get an AmeriCorps*VISTA for a whole year! which is very exciting for this little organization. We are going to have a service project there tomorrow for our 9/11 day of service. Yes I know tomorrow is only 9/10 but 9/11 is Saturday and since our members get enough Saturday work time we try to do things during the normal work week. If members would like to participate in a service project on 9/11 they are more than welcome to. Anyway the AmeriCorps*VISTA members in SW Ohio are going to go to Hamilton Living Water ministry to help clean up an old school that they recently acquired to use for their program. We are going to spend the day cleaning up broken glass painting and cleaning up the playground area. Yay! The kids in that area will have a nice clean place to play which is awesome.

Another place I am recruiting for is Freestore Foodbank Power Pack Program. This program is located on Tennessee Ave in Bond Hill Cincinnati. The Freestore Foodbank is one of the 12 Foodbanks that are members of The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks which is the largest anti hunger charity in Ohio. The Freestore Foodbank Power Pack program is all about feeding kids. This program targets "at risk" children and provides them with a small bag of food that is slipped into their backpacks on Fridays. We find that kids tend to do better in school when they have a full belly. Basically the VISTA they are looking for will help to Expand and sustain the Power Pack weekend food program for children in urban and rural Freestore Foodbank counties. This person will help inform organizations and schools about the program and give them information about it and answer any questions they have. The will also be recruiting/managing volunteers that will drive and deliver the food bags to the schools and organizations. Another thing this member will do is grant research and writing to find cash donations to support the program. Freestore Foodbank covers Hamilton, Clermont, Brown, Adams, Scioto, Pike, Highland and Clinton counties.

These are all great places to work and they are all helping the community in unique ways. But as excited I am about each placing, I also get the joy of calling every single person who applies and telling them about the position. So needless to say my days are filled with talking and saying basically the same thing over and over. Sometimes I consider recording myself and just playing it back for the next person who is interested in the position. Of course I would never do that. I like giving individual attention to each applicant and to the sites themselves. I figure they deserve it since they are basically going to sign their lives away for a year of service making very little income. After working a 8 or 9 hour day working on recruitment I go home and collapse in the bed or the recliner for at least an hour before I can even think about doing anything else.

If you are reading this blog post and you are interested in the positions mentioned above please feel free to go to http://www.americorps.gov and fill out the application and I will be giving you a call or an email or both on the same day. All of these positions have until October 1 to get someone placed and all the paperwork turned in so there isn't much time to even think about the position just act.

Sounds a bit crazy but if you are like me and have a passion to help people and non-profit organizations you don't need to think.

A Little History about me

OK so I'm starting late with a blog but hey I figure better late than never right?

So about me and how I got started on this Journey of AmeriCorps*VISTA.
For 13 years I was a Certified nurses assistant working in various nursing homes. I never really felt complete doing that even though I was helping people at a time in their lives when they really needed someone. I even worked one year doing Operating Engineering which is heavy equipment. While I was working for one of the many nursing homes, my grandmother took ill. She had Alzheimer's Disease and cancer and when it got to the point that she could not live on her own anymore; I quit my job and stayed at home with her and took care of her while my mother worked. I loved my grandmother and I was always brought up to take care of my family members when they took ill. So Grandma got to stay in the home she loved with the family she loved untill the day she died. When she did pass away I was the only one home with her and she died in my arms. After taking care of her for 5 years I was back out looking for work and applying for cash assistance and foodstamps. I worked at pay day places and temporary agencies whatever I could whenever I could.

3 years ago I was serving community service at Shared Harvest Foodbank and if your not sure where that is, it is in Fairfield Ohio on Dixie Hwy. just a quarter mile south of Jungle Jims and right next door to Jeff Wyler Nissan. My community service was because I was receiving OWF which is cash assistance. I only had 1 month of OWF left so I was only going to be there for 1 month. I must of done something right there because they asked me one day if I had computer skills and I said "yes I have certificates in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that I had received while working off OWF." Well after that they brought me to the office where Chuck Osso was working on the "No Name Survey" This is a survey that the food pantry's give to clients who come in for food assistance. They don't put a name on the survey so thus the name "No Name Survey" I really enjoyed working on the surveys. It was very interesting to read everyone's surveys and see what they were going through that brought them to the food pantry. I even did my own survey when I visited a local pantry when my groceries ran low. Yes I received foodstamps at the time but they just don't go far when you have 3 teenagers to feed so when the cupboards went bare I would visit a pantry for help. At the end of the month and the end of my community service I asked if it would be OK if I came in anyway and finished up the Surveys. Chuck almost jumped out of his chair answering yes. He was so happy to have the help. When I was finally finished with the last survey and the spreadsheet was finally complete; Tina Osso (the Executive Director of Shared Harvest and Chuck Osso's sister) asked me if I was interested in being a VISTA. Well at that time I had never heard of VISTA before and thought of the Microsoft program and said I knew a little about computers but I don't think I have what it takes to work for Microsoft. When she told me more about AmeriCorps*VISTA and what it stood for Volunteers In Service To America I was excited and jumped at the opportunity. So Tina had Meredith Hill come and talk to me about it. Meredith is the Regional Coordinator for SW Ohio. After hearing all about it I didn't wait to sign up. As soon as Meredith left me I turned around in my chair and went to http://americorps.gov and filled out the application. Then I told Tina I filled out the application but I couldn't submit the application to Shared Harvest program and she made a call to VISTA Leader at that time Joe Cennimo he pushed some buttons on his end and I went back in and was able to apply to Shared Harvest Foodbank as an AmeriCorps*VISTA. A few days later I signed my life away for the next year and I've been here ever since.

My first year of VISTA I was a community trainer and I helped people learn how to use the Ohio Benefit Bank software. If you haven't heard of The Ohio Benefit Bank before it is a web based software program that is designed to help people apply for various public benefits. You can access The Ohio Benefit Bank by going to http://obb.ohio.gov I don't know how many people I helped that first year either filing taxes or apply for benefits or giving demonstrations and trainings on the program. Oh I'm sure if I rummaged around long enough I could come up with the numbers but it doesn't really matter. I don know that it impacted me enough to want to stay for a second year.

The second year was pretty much like the first year. I was a community trainer working with The Ohio Benefit Bank. My family thought I was crazy to sign up for a second year. The pay isn't much but it is steady and it didn't count against my eligibility for Foodstamps so I could continue to receive them. I even got a little raise in foodstamps a month because my income could not be counted.  The counted the income of my kids that worked so that counted against me. It still wasn't enough to make it through an entire month but it sure helped.

At the end of year 2 and I was really getting worried about getting back out there and looking for work again and brushing up my resume. They asked me if I would be interested in serving a third year as a VISTA Leader. I really liked what I was doing so I said yes. Dustin Speakman worked out a deal with Tina Osso and I was able to stay at Shared Harvest Foodbank and The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks would pay Shared Harvest a little each month as rent of my space and printer use.

It was great to be able to stay in the work place I had grown to love. My mother and children thought I was nuts to stay on even with an extra $100 added to my VISTA income it still wasn't much to live on and they felt I could do better with the skills I had. But I always feel that if you like what you are doing you should keep on doing it no matter how much it pays. The most important thing is that you are happy and happy I was. I loved helping people apply for Benefits and file their taxes. Now I would get to help new VISTA's learn the ropes of AmeriCorps. I can still help with the occasional client now and then during tax season but right now my main focus is on managing the 9 full time members that are assigned to SW Ohio and recruiting more every time there is another Pre Service Orientation.

Now here we are 2 and a half years in AmeriCorps*VISTA. It seems to have gone so fast. I guess time does fly when your having fun. What will I do when December 9th comes along you may be asking? Well I have some plans for that. I may be able to stay here at Shared Harvest Foodbank working with foodstamp outreach. That would be great and I really hope it all works out that I can. It's still sort of up in the air so in the mean time I am tweaking up my resume and getting ready to hit the streets on the everlasting perfect job quest.

Well now your all caught up to current time and I'll leave you with something to think about. Never give up! Usually when you are at your absolute lowest and you think that everything is against you and nothing is ever going to go right, Have faith and things will get better. I never would of dreamed I could actually work a job where I didn't have to stand all day or work my tail off and not even break a sweat but hey here I am and if I can do it anybody can.

I don't have a college degree or anything like that to go on only my hard work and perseverance to go on and it has gone a long way. Why don't I have a college degree you may ask? Well life happened and I had to drop out but that's a whole other story and I will save it for another day.