Why We Serve
April 6, 2010
I promised I was going to post the responses Blake Christenson and I received on our survey, if you will. The first question came about as a tool for future recruiting. We’re looking for people to sign on this coming summer, whether it be for a few weeks or an entire year. So Blake asked what made people decide to join this program:
“I wanted to make a difference in my community and learn more about my community while helping people. I have learned many different skills and also learned about the people and what they go through during a natural disaster.”
–Sidney Thompson“I chose VISTA, particularly the Corridor Flood Recovery program, for a couple of reasons: I went to college in the area and after spending two years away after graduating, I wanted to come back, but after working in coffee shops was ready to do something more fulfilling. After having little success finding jobs in my field (community arts), I learned of the Corridor Recovery team and of the possibility of working in the arts within it.”
–Gabrielle Read-Hess“I chose AmeriCorps VISTA for many reasons. One of them was the economic situation when I graduated from college. The job market was very rough and it was hard to find something I wanted to do. I also wanted to stay in Iowa. My biggest motivation to become a VISTA was to help people and to work with children and VISTA has given me both.”
–Erin Kiefer“I chose AmeriCorps VISTA because service has always been a very important part of my life. I expected to have great experiences not only with the people I helped but also with the people I served with and I have gotten that.”
–Tabitha Smith“After graduating from college, I took a summer job with a local food vendor at a large event, setting up their stands while looking for a more perminent position. Not finding anything, I stumbled upon this opportunity to become an AmeriCorps*VISTA in Cedar Rapids, helping to re-establish the downtown neighborhoods following the flooding in 2008.”
–Blake Christenson“Knowing that I was about to graduate with a two-year degree, and that I would be needing to take the next step in developing a career, I assessed my options and I evaluated myself in terms of my capabilities and wishes.”
–Daniel Young
These are further excerpts of what was said. I had considered including all of it, but it would look like a giant glob of text in some cases, so I chose to excerpt. Later on, we will look ahead at what these people hope to do with the future. Again, there are some good answers.
