520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335, US
How to Apply
Start your application today!
- Send your resume to Program Director Eva Thomas at ethomas@allegheny.edu
- Eva will be in touch to schedule your interview and discuss next steps!
Host Site Projects for 2023-2024
Site Job Descriptions
Focus Area: Economic Opportunity
Job Title: AmeriCorps VISTA Member for Economic Development in Meadville
Project Goal: The VISTA member will work to support revitalization efforts, reinvestment initiatives, and economic growth in the Meadville community and broader Crawford County area by leveraging resources from partner institutions and contributing to the economic development goals of the 2013 City of Meadville Comprehensive Plan.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Implement strategic plan objectives for organizational startup and sustainability
- Manage projects as prioritized by stakeholder advisory committee and identified during the strategic planning process
- Establish a website and social media presence
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning
Job Title: Erie’s Black Wall Street VISTA
Project Goal: This AmeriCorps VISTA project aims to promote economic opportunity and increase accessibility to resources for Erie's African American/Black and minority population. EBWS will use workshops to create opportunities for sustainable change at the interpersonal, familial, and community levels. The project seeks to increase the reach of existing EBWS programs, launch new sustainable programs, and develop a grants database and calendar for applications to enhance services and address pressing community needs.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Coordinate program implementation through setting up workshops, identifying resources, and building and maintaining partnerships.
- Record statistical data on the aspects of social life in Erie that directly affect its constituents.
- Identify, write and submit reports for grant opportunities.
- Collect and analyze data collected internally from EBWS programs and follow up with reports and feedback.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources.
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Groundwork VISTA
Project Goal: Groundwork's AmeriCorps VISTA project aims to develop employment opportunities for 14-24-year-old residents in urban farming, land remediation, and green infrastructure to build climate resilience in Erie. The VISTA member will work with Gannon University researchers and Groundwork's workforce development to identify pipelines to mushroom farming training and expand awareness of mushroom farming employment opportunities. They will also identify target areas for mushroom farming, local businesses to sell mushrooms, and communicate alternative mushroom applications for production and sale.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Enhance employment opportunities for youth/young adults by creating pipelines from educational and community centers to Groundworks or self-employment.
- Enhance commerce and productive land use.
- Project future commercial success for mushroom growth and development.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Rural Area Workforce Development VISTA
Project Goal: This AmeriCorps VISTA project aims to provide workforce training opportunities and support services to underserved rural populations in southern Erie County, PA. The VISTA member will connect with local businesses to understand employment needs, research training programs to meet those needs, and promote training opportunities on social media and other online platforms. The project also involves coordinating social services for trainees and finding solutions for transportation issues in rural areas.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Outreach and establish relationships with surrounding businesses.
- Perform workforce job training services administrative duties.
- Coordinate social services needed for trainees attending classes and programs.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Mission Empower VISTA
Project Goal: This AmeriCorps VISTA project aims to support people with disabilities to become competitively employed and break the cycle of poverty. The VISTA will work with Mission Empower's Mission Employment program to develop marketing and outreach plans, create a database of potential employers, and diversify funding streams for their services. This will help program participants to access employment opportunities that match their strengths and ultimately improve their economic status.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Generate funding streams that will support the operations of Mission Employment.
- Evaluate and revamp current marketing plan for recruiting program participants and potential employers.
- Update and improve a database of businesses and potential employers to collaborate with Mission Empower.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Transition Age Youth (TAY) VISTA
Project Goal: This VISTA project will focus on housing for transition age youth (ages 16-24) who are experiencing mental illness and/or housing instability. The goal is to provide safe and stable housing and recovery-driven support to help break the cycle of poverty and improve overall wellness. The VISTA will build program capacity for three pilot programs through volunteer recruitment, fundraising efforts, community awareness, networking, tracking outcomes, and exploring funding opportunities.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources.
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: CSS VISTA
Project Goal: This VISTA project aims to support CSS in creating accessible and actionable data to plan for future needs and goals related to serving the homeless and at-risk population in Erie County, specifically the City of Erie. The VISTA member will assist in the Lighting the Candle Program, identifying property needs, and creating a volunteer database and program to achieve future projects. The project's goal is to build capacity by maintaining buildings, monitoring volunteer efforts, and expanding programs to operate at their highest level and use resources to their fullest.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Provide support for the Lighting the Candle program.
- Implement a facility preventative maintenance program.
- Increase volunteer database (post-COVID).
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources.
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: USCRI VISTA
Project Goal:
The VISTA position at USCRI aims to re-shape community outreach for volunteer recruitment and management to acquire and prepare affordable housing for refugee resettlement in Erie. The VISTA will work towards ensuring that refugees have access to quality housing and employment to become financially self-sufficient during their critical period after arrival. This position will focus on improving the quality of life for refugees and immigrants to contribute to the economic strength of Erie.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Recruit and manage volunteers.
- Secure donations for housing support.
- Identify additional housing providers.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Focus Area: Healthy Futures
Job Title: Gannon Tobacco Free Campus VISTA
Project Goal: The Allegheny College VISTA member will build the capacity for the campus to address systemic campus food insecurity among the student population in a more systematic and coordinated manner. With an approach that includes data collection on students’ measurable gains in food security through research, development, and a build out of interventional and educational programming, the VISTA member will ultimately bring more individuals out of poverty on campus. The member will also be another community leader at the local food coalition roundtable in terms of building a stronger network of support between the college and among community organizations who are addressing gaps in the food system and supporting more food insecurity locally.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Conduct research and design for effective food security programming.
- Coordinate and connect campus food-related resources to help build a campus that is more knowledgeable about food security on campus, aware of available resources, and can navigate the local food system.
- Facilitate and co-lead in the campus to community connections for food resources.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources.
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Gannon Tobacco Free Campus VISTA
Project Goal: The AmeriCorps VISTA project aims to address tobacco-related disability and premature death among economically disadvantaged individuals and families. The VISTA member will increase awareness of tobacco use risks through targeted health communication campaigns, research best practices, advocate for policy change, identify grant funding sources, and track outcomes. The project aligns with the Healthy Futures focus area.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Increase awareness of the risks of tobacco use in adolescents and young adults through targeted health communication campaigns.
- Evaluate current programs and initiatives and make recommendations based on research of best practices for adolescent and young adults.
- Launch and support a campus and community school club whose mission is to promote tobacco-free lifestyles.
- Establish collaborations between Gannon and community partners in advocating for policy change and adequate funding locally, regionally, and at the state level to support tobacco-free initiatives.
- Garner funds to support tobacco-free lifestyles in adolescents and young adults.
- Track outcomes and begin strategic planning.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources.
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: BEST Fresh Foods Initiative VISTA
Project Goal: The BEST Fresh Foods Initiative VISTA project aims to improve access to fresh, healthy foods for low-income residents in the Historic East Bayfront neighborhood. The VISTA member will work directly with residents to research and develop long-term solutions to address the lack of desired foods in the neighborhood. The expected outcome is that the project will increase access to desirable foods for residents in the neighborhood, despite facing challenges such as poverty, low transportation access, and a food desert.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Conduct an assessment of the community’s needs.
- Expand fresh food options and accessibility for the community’s residents.
- Expand and strengthen partnerships and network with other food producers/providers with similar initiatives.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Gannon Campus Food Security VISTA
Project Goal: Gannon, like many colleges and universities across the US, has seen a substantial rise in the needs of students and their families, particularly when it comes to accessing healthy and affordable food. Food security is a fundamental need to ensure student success at the collegiate level. The VISTA member will be instrumental in increasing awareness of food insecurity on campus, researching best practices for on-campus food pantries, establishing sustainable processes to support campus food drives and innovative food delivery systems, raising funds, and tracking outcomes.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Increase awareness of food insecurity on campus and the potential impact it has on student success and retention.
- Evaluate current operations in Store U-Knighted and make recommendations based on research of best practices for on-campus food pantries and implement processes to ensure sustainability of operation.
- Determine which innovative food delivery systems are most feasible for an urban college campus and create a sustainable process for implementation.
- Establish collaboration between Gannon and community partners to support education of faculty, staff, and student leaders about SNAP eligibility and the application process.
- Garner funds to support food security on campus.
- Track outcomes and begin strategic planning.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning
Job Title: Meadville Market House VISTA
Project Goal: This VISTA project aims to increase food benefit usage in the Market House and outdoor farmers' market located in downtown Erie, which provides fresh and local foods to individuals and families experiencing poverty. The VISTA will collaborate with existing support organizations and community groups to increase awareness of the Market House, build out the market token program, and encourage more people to use their assistance funds to buy local foods. The ultimate goal is to increase accessibility to fresh and healthy foods for those in need.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Increase community awareness about the fresh and local foods available at the Meadville Market House.
- Increase awareness and usage of SNAP and WIC benefits.
- Implement and assess the farmers’ market token program.
- Build a volunteer capacity to assist with outreach through Friends of the Market House.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Focus Area: Education
Job Title: E-BORO Teach VISTA
Project Goal: The PennWest Edinboro VISTA program aims to provide support to first-generation college and high school students to help break the cycle of poverty. The program will offer educational, social, and emotional support to increase academic achievement from planning to graduation. VISTA resources will be utilized to assess data, recruit volunteers, and establish sustainable programs and community partnerships.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Serve as a liaison between school districts and PennWest Edinboro University to identify new and develop current BORO-Teach programs.
- Create an operation manual for all BORO-Teach programs.
- Research current trends and best practices on school district partnerships and dual enrollment for students.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Early Connections VISTA
Project Goal: The AmeriCorps VISTA will work on two community initiatives served by Early Connections to increase the number of quality child care opportunities for children from families in poverty and to improve the credentials of child care workers. The VISTA will expand the programs' reach by creating community partnerships, developing data tracking mechanisms for program analysis, and improving the community's understanding of the programs. The initiatives aim to address poverty by improving the number of children from low-income families served by quality child care and increasing opportunities for child care staff to improve their credentials.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Conduct marketing and outreach efforts.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: STRONG GO Trade VISTA
Project Goal: The GO Trade VISTA project aims to increase the number of middle school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at Erie High School. The VISTA will develop the GO Trade program by building relationships with community partners, recruit middle school students to participate in the program, and work with guidance counselors and the CTE program coordinator to advertise the program to current eighth graders and streamline the application process. By implementing these strategies, the project seeks to increase the number of students who graduate high school with industry-recognized credentials and are prepared for post-secondary education and careers.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Recruit community partners to lead GO Trade CTE programs.
- Recruit and retain students to participate in the GO Trade program.
- Develop and implement a smoother transition from middle school to high school CTE programs.
- Secure funding for GO Trade programming.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: United Way VISTA
Project Goal: The VISTA project aims to reduce poverty by addressing barriers to learning faced by students in Erie's 16 Community Schools. The project will focus on implementing sustainable strategies to improve attendance, expand vision correction services, and develop out-of-school time programming. This will involve building frameworks, researching best practices, and supporting the implementation of these programs.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Expand safer walking routes to more Community Schools in Erie.
- Expand mobile vision clinics to more Community Schools in Erie.
- Expand out-of-school time programming to more Community Schools in Erie.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Focus Area: Environmental Stewardship
Job Title: City of Erie VISTA
Project Goal: This VISTA project will focus on Environmental Stewardship by building community resilience in the City of Erie. The VISTA member will build capacity for sustainability projects that reduce the impact of climate change on the city's most vulnerable residents. This will be achieved by developing a sustainability strategy, building data collection methods, increasing capacity to leverage sustainable energy sources, and building capacity for the Urban Forest Committee.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Create and implement efficient 2030 District data reporting and progress tracking.
- Develop a Sustainability Strategy and Implementation Plan.
- Coordinate Urban Forest Program capacity building planning with the Urban Forest Committee and create maintenance plans for Erie’s neighborhoods.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
Job Title: Our West Bayfront VISTA
Project Goal: The Our West Bayfront VISTA project aims to enhance the neighborhood's environmental assets and reduce harmful impacts through a sustainability strategy. This will involve collaborating with residents and partners to assess and prioritize improvements to the tree canopy, sidewalks, litter, energy efficiency, and pedestrian activity. The VISTA will also develop outreach activities to increase understanding of the community's environmental assets and improve individual quality of life.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Collaborate with neighborhood residents and community partners to develop systems to assess and prioritize improvements to the neighborhood tree canopy and sidewalk conditions.
- Conduct outreach and collaboration with community residents and organizations to assist with action steps and goals.
- Implement strategies to reduce litter and calm traffic to promote pedestrian activity.
- Network among other Lake Effect Leaders’ (LEL) VISTA host sites to support programming, recruit volunteers, and leverage resources
- Support regional initiatives/community-wide strategic planning.
VISTA Leader Position
Job Title: VISTA Leader
Project Goal: The Lake Effect Leaders is a multi-county intermediary AmeriCorpsVISTA Program Grant that serves as a pipeline for nonprofit leadership development.Led by a partnership consisting of Allegheny College, Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, and Penn State Behrend, the program professionally equips VISTA members to servecritical capacity-building functions in nonprofit organizations in order to eliminate poverty.VISTA Leader resources will be utilized in order to expand and build the capacity ofindividual VISTA members and the project as a whole.
Objectives of the Assignment (July 2023 - July 2024):
- Understand the different Lake Effect Leaders projects in order to support VISTA members throughout their year of service.
- Increase Lake Effect Leaders project reach.
- Create and implement a Wellness Plan for Lake Effect Leaders.
- Expand VISTA members professional development capabilities.
- Expand Lake Effect Leaders Alumni Network.
- Help members develop an end of year project that can include binders/scrapbooks, video presentations, tri-folds or powerpoints.
Note: Must have completed at least one year of service with AmeriCorps.
Download the PDF below for project descriptions
2023-2024 Host Sites and Project Descriptions.docx (pdf)
DownloadCopyright © 2022 Lake Effect Leaders AmeriCorps VISTA Project - All Rights Reserved.
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