We’re excited to bring on our first-ever Americorps VISTA!

Della Cole will be joining our team mid-August!

This Family Support VISTA will increase access to community resources and improve resilience, health outcomes and economic opportunities for low-income individuals and families in Seeley Lake. The VISTA will help expand the Seeley Lake Sunday Market, grow a community tech hub, increase access to family support resources, and help provide back-end support to the Seeley Lake Community Foundation.

This one-year Americorps VISTA position begins mid-August 2021.

Through capacity building activities such as fundraising, grant writing, research, and volunteer recruitment, AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program serve in an office setting and gain experience and leadership skills. This opportunity prepares members for a life of service in the public, private, or nonprofit sector.  

Americorps VISTAs, or Volunteers In Service To America, are volunteers who serve a one-year term through the Americorps national service program working at a community organization. VISTAS receive a stipend and are eligible for educational awards for their service. 

About Americorps

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities, bringing people together to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. 

The mission of Americorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.

What will the VISTA be doing at the SLCF?

Capacity Building Activities:

  • Build capacity for the Seeley Lake Sunday Market by conducting outreach and developing partnerships to improve access to healthy foods to the community.

  • Build capacity for SLCF through fundraising and development of social media strategic plan and increase organizational capacity for Seeley Lake by developing a volunteer management training available to Seeley Lake area organizations.

  • Community Tech Hub support

  • Increase access to family support resources.

 

1.      Objective: Seeley Lake Sunday Market capacity building

Activities:  

  • Coordinate a community resources booth, using the market to build a program to educate community about resources available

  • Increase opportunities for low-income families to access resources (ie explore expanding healthy purchasing options for low income families)

  • Build partnerships between resource providers to better serve community (ie, Seeley Lake Food Bank, Missoula Farmers Market, other local nonprofits)

    Timeframe:  Sundays June – Sept; building partnerships throughout the rest of the year

2.      Objective: Increase general organizational capacity for the SLCF

Activities:  

  • Grant writing, fundraising (includes event support), database management, and other tasks as needed

  • Take photos to build up our photo bank

  • Coordinate trainings for Seeley Lake area organizations and community members (ie volunteer management)

  • Develop and help implement social media strategic plan

      Timeframe:  throughout the year

3.      Objective: Community Tech Hub support

Activities:  

  • Set up tech trainings for community members, especially low income residents.

  • Create business plan for community tech hub

  • Explore options to help local business women: talk further with Missoula SBDC

   Timeframe:  Sept-Dec

4.      Objective: Increase access to family support resources

Activities:  

  • Research funding and facilities options for a childcare facility  

  • Work with Missoula County services to promote healthy relationships. Ex: Provide support to facilitator of a GUTS! Group (Girls Using their Strengths!)

  • Work with Zero to Five Missoula on ways to partner. Recruit parents, coordinate support activities

Timeframe:  November-July

About the organization

The purpose of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation is to strengthen Seeley Lake while keeping it special. The SLCF is a 501c3 nonprofit that engages philanthropy, provides leadership, and enhances the quality of life and economic vitality of the Seeley Lake area.