Reflections on Service in AmeriCorps VISTA
“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You do not have to have a college degree to serve. You do not have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. Most importantly, you only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
At a very young age, I knew I wanted to serve others. As a child, I dreamed of being a teacher. Later, I considered joining the military as a psychologist to help service members. By my senior year of high school, I had discovered anthropology, fascinated by the idea of preserving culture. But as I entered college, I still wasn’t sure what path to take.
In college, I explored everything that sparked my interest before finally settling into the Communication Studies and Anthropology programs at Southeast Missouri State University. But just as graduation approached, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. My experience during the pandemic wasn’t unlike many others around the world. My classes moved online, graduation was canceled, and I was furloughed from work. I found myself quarantined in a city that hadn’t yet become “home,” miles from my family, with plenty of time to re-evaluate my skills and my goals in life.
As I reflected, I discovered at the heart of everything I was interested in – every afterschool activity, every course, every potential career path – was the desire to be part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to educate, to help vulnerable populations, and to provide connections within a community. That was when I discovered the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program.
Like many, I had heard of the Peace Corps. But as I planned a future with my now-husband and reckoned with pandemic-era uncertainty, serving closer to home felt right. I discovered a Marketing VISTA role at United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) and dove headfirst into learning about AmeriCorps. When I learned what AmeriCorps was all about, I knew it would be the perfect fit.
Originally created in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, VISTA became part of the AmeriCorps network in 1993. The program strengthens communities by placing members in roles that support education, economic opportunity, health, and more—building organizational capacity through volunteer recruitment, grant writing, outreach, and fundraising. The VISTA position with UWSEMO involved all of this and more.
“I am an AmeriCorps member, and I am going to get things done!”
My first week at UWSEMO was a whirlwind. I began just 9 days before our “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive. Although marketing had already begun, our organization had a small staff and no one person was assigned to get the word out. I jumped in headfirst—and that year, we helped over 650 reported students in 16 districts. It was just the beginning.
Over the next two years, I worked behind the scenes to expand UWSEMO’s reach. As partner outcome reports came in, I felt overwhelming pride knowing I played a small role in helping thousands of lives. Children were educated, families were housed and fed, seniors remained independent, and neighbors supported one another in times of crisis. It gave me a profound sense of purpose—and reminded me that service, even in small ways, matters deeply. And if I could impact this many lives, how many lives were being impacted each year by the thousands of AmeriCorps members serving communities around the country?
Last week, news broke that $400 million in federal funding for AmeriCorps programs was pulled without warning. The abrupt decision by the current administration left more than 1,000 service programs and 32,000 AmeriCorps members suddenly without support. These individuals—many serving in high-need communities—lost not only their positions, but also their income, healthcare, childcare assistance, and education awards. Programs supporting disaster response, education, environmental work, and veterans lost essential staffing and funding overnight.
The impact is heartbreaking and far-reaching. While it’s impossible to measure the full impact, I know from experience just how many lives one AmeriCorps member can touch. The loss will be staggering.
At UWSEMO, this decision puts vital plans at risk, including our Childcare Resource Center—an initiative designed in direct response to community needs and one we hoped to launch with significant AmeriCorps support.
Here’s how you can help:
- Call your lawmakers using 5 Calls and urge them to restore AmeriCorps funding.
- Support United Way of Southeast Missouri with a donation to help us move forward despite this setback.
Even without federal funding, we remain committed to serving our community—and with your support, we’ll keep moving forward. Like the AmeriCorps Oath of Service says, when “faced with adversity we WILL persevere. We WILL carry this commitment this year and beyond.”
