VISTA Program Announces 2015–16 Team

Five new volunteers are joining three continuing members for the second year of the South Cumberland Americorps VISTA Program.

“The first-year team of VISTA volunteers can be proud of what they accomplished in partnership with community organizations all across this area. We think this new team will build on those successes by continuing to build community, organizational and leadership capacity here on the Plateau,” said Jim Peterman, director of community engagement at the University of the South, which is the organizational home for the VISTA program. 

The volunteers (who include four Sewanee graduates) and their assignments in the community are Elaine Babb Taylor, C’15, community ambassador coordinator, Discover Together; Jennifer Horton, C’15, communication and assessment coordinator, Mountain T.O.P.; Spike Hosch, C ’12, economic development coordinator, Babson Center; Erica Teasley, C’11, economic development coordinator, Grundy County Mayor’s Office; 

Kelly Farina, healthy living coordinator, Sewanee Dining; McKenzie Liegel, school health activities coordinator, Grundy County Health Council; Bobby Luffman, health network coordinator with Grundy County Health Council; and Hilda Vaughan, grant writing and nonprofit management coordinator with South Cumberland Community Fund.

In 2014–15 the VISTA program members organized and implemented mobile food pantries, partnered with USDA to develop a summer meal program, secured funding for school garden projects and health activities in schools, created a local weatherization network, and researched and developed best practices for community ambassador, work force and economic development programs.

The VISTA program, a collaboration between the South Cumberland Community Fund, the University, and community partners, has started programs on the South Cumberland Plateau to address community-identified needs and pressing issues such as food security, education and economic development. By partnering with the VISTA program, local nonprofit groups are leveraging their resources to provide better outcomes for themselves and the clients they serve.

VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on the forefront of ending poverty in America for 50 years.

For more information, visit <www.southcumberlandcommunityfund.org/capacity-building> or contact Nicky Hamilton, VISTA director, at <nhamilto@sewanee.edu>.

Program Serves Thousands of Meals in First Month

After just over a month, the South Cumberland Summer Meal program is already off to a great start, according to Kelly Farina, the VISTA volunteer who is the project coordinator. Working in partnership with the South Cumberland Community Fund, the University of the South and the USDA, the meal program is working with 21 organizations in Franklin and Grundy counties to serve more than 5,500 meals to kids and teens on and off the Mountain. This program is free for any person under the age of 18, and no registration is necessary in order to receive a meal. 

Several new programs have started or expanded services in July on the Mountain. New programs in Tracy City at the Public Library and Christ Episcopal Church are underway. On Mondays and Wednesdays each week, the Crow Creek Valley Community Center in Sherwood now offers lunch. The Grundy Housing Authority is also offering breakfast and lunch three days a week. The last day of the Summer Meal Program will be July 31. 

Meal programs at Christ Episcopal also include programs for kids that range from demonstrations and interactive games on water and energy conservation to visits from park rangers at the South Cumberland State Park. The Rev. Stephen Eichler of Christ Episcopal said, “We are excited to be participating in the summer meal program and to be providing nutritious meals, along with enriching activities!”

The schedule for the remainder of the program is:

Cumberland Baptist Church, Beersheba Springs—6–8 p.m., Monday–Friday, July 27–31

Christ Church, Tracy City —Noon–1 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays

Crow Creek Valley Community Center, Sherwood —10 a.m.–1 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays

First Methodist Church, Tracy City—5–7 p.m., Wednesdays

Grundy Housing Authority, Monteagle —9–10 a.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

May Justus Memorial Library, Monteagle —10–11 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays

Midway/St.James playground, Sewanee—Noon–1 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays

Palmer Public Library, Palmer—11 a.m.–noon, Thursdays

Tracy City Public Library, Tracy City—11 a.m.–1 p.m., Wednesdays

For more information about the South Cumberland Summer Meal Program, contact Farina at 598-1851 or email
<sfpvista@gmail.com>.

Lunch Program Feeds Hundreds of Kids

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

“That’s the best lunch meal I’ve had in a long time,” said the 7-year-old boy.

He was talking about the June 15 lunch of chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, potatoes in olive oil and pesto, seasoned carrots, chocolate milk, and mixed fruit provided by the South Cumberland Summer Meal Program.

“I didn’t eat the kiwi; I don’t like kiwi,” he added. 

With or without kiwi, this is the type of nourishing meal kids in Grundy and Franklin counties are getting for free this summer, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant and a partnership between the South Cumberland Community Fund and the University of the South.

Kelly Farina, an Americorps VISTA and program coordinator of the meal program, said organizers served more than 2,000 lunches the first week of June. 

“Each of our sites has done a great job reaching out to kids and teens in their communities,” Farina said. “We are very excited about all the great work they are doing and the dedication they have to helping make this program a success.” 

St. James Episcopal Church, Otey Parish, Grundy Housing Authority and May Justus Memorial Library in Monteagle are among more than a dozen sites in the two counties where kids 18 and under can get a free lunch regardless of family income level.

St. James has been the busiest site, Farina noted, with volunteers there serving 40 to 50 kids each day.

University executive chef Rick Wright and staff members of McClurg Dining Hall are preparing about 500 nutritious meals each day, Wright said.

“It would be easier and less expensive to meet the USDA requirements by using processed and packaged foods, as many sponsors do; that is not acceptable for me,” he said. “We do almost everything from scratch and exceed the dietary requirements set by the USDA.” 

A lunch last week included chicken fajitas with grilled natural chicken, local peppers and onions, a whole wheat tortilla and real cheese, with refried pinto beans, Spanish brown rice, and a fresh pineapple and shredded coconut cup.

When school closes for the summer, many children have less to eat. One out of every three children are food-insecure on the Cumberland Plateau, Wright said, adding that most children do not get the minimum requirement of fruits and vegetables. 

“Proper nutrition is critical to a child’s development. Not having enough of the right kinds of food can have serious implications for a child’s physical and mental health, academic achievement and future economic prosperity,” he said. “…No child should be hungry, not even sometimes, and every child should be getting fruits and vegetables.”

Wright credits Farina with much of the work in establishing the meal program. 

“Overall the kids we are serving have really been enjoying the meals,” Farina said. “Everything has been very filling and nutritious, and all the people at McClurg have been doing a great job and are really working to make this program the best it can be.”

The summer meal program will be back next year, Farina added.

Lunch days vary at the meal sites, and the sites also have activities for kids, like reading programs and guest speakers. Otey Parish serves meals from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; St. James serves from noon to 1 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; Grundy Housing Authority serves breakfast from 9 to 10 a.m. and lunch from 1 to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; May Justus Memorial Library has a reading program from 10 to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with lunch following.

A full schedule is available at “South Cumberland Summer Meal Program” on Facebook, or contact Farina at <sfpvista@gmail.com> or 598-1851 for more information.

Free Summer Meal Program for Children Across the Plateau

The University of the South is sponsoring a food program for children this summer, an effort administered in Tennessee by the Department of Human Services under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program is called the South Cumberland Summer Meal Program. It will provide free meals for young people who qualify for free/reduced-price meals during the school year who may go hungry during the summer. The program’s goal is to improve the health and well-being of young people across the Plateau while providing good food and summer fun at the same time.

According to data from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, 48 percent of young people in Franklin County qualify for the free/reduced-price lunch program; in Grundy County, 68 percent of young people qualify. Statewide, 44 percent of students qualify for the program. This idea was first envisioned by Rick Wright, executive chef at the Sewanee dining program. He is a longtime advocate for healthy eating. Kelly Farina, an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the University, is the program organizer.

In addition to the meals, at each site there will be a program that will last a minimum of one hour. Some summer meals are being served in partnership with library reading programs, vacation bible schools and other summer programs, and may include such information as nutrition education, gardening activities and art workshops.

Meals will be provided to all children without charge. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program, and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. There will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. 

Meals will be provided on the following dates and times at these area sites:

Franklin County

Community Action Committee, Otey Parish, Sewanee: June 1–30; Monday and Wednesday; noon–1 p.m.

Crow Creek Valley Community Center, Sherwood: July 1–31; Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

St. James Episcopal Church, Sewanee: June 2– 30; Tuesday and Thursday; noon–1 p.m.

Sewanee Elementary School ESP: June 1–Aug. 14; Monday through Friday; 9:30 a.m. and noon.

Huntland Community Center: June 4–Aug. 13; Thursday; noon–1 p.m.

Rain Teen Center, Winchester: June 3–Aug. 12; Wednesday; 6–9 p.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church, Winchester: June 3–July 30 ; Wednesday and Friday, noon–1 p.m. 

Grundy County

Altamont Community Center: June 1–30; Monday–Friday; noon–1 p.m.

Beersheba Public Library: June 3–24; Wednesday; noon – 1 p.m.

Beersheba Springs Medical Center: June 1–30; Monday; 9 a.m.

Cumberland Baptist Church, Beersheba Springs: July 27–31; Monday–Friday; 6–8 p.m.

Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle: June 1–June 29; Monday, Wednesday, Friday; noon–1 p.m.

First Methodist Church, Tracy City: June 1–5; Monday–Friday; 5–7 p.m.

May Justus Library, Monteagle: June 2–30; Tuesday and Thursday; 10–11 a.m.

Palmer Library: June 18– July 30; Thursday; noon–1 p.m.

Swiss Memorial Elementary Garden Club: June 18– July 30; Monday–Friday; 8 a.m.–noon.

Tracy City Library: July 1–31; Wednesday and Friday; 11 a.m.–noon.

ACA & Health Care Across the Plateau

The deadline to enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is Sunday, Feb. 15, and there are local resources to help consumers get more information and obtain insurance. The South Cumberland Plateau Health Network is sponsoring two Marketplace enrollment events.

Free in-person assistance will be available 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Music Room at the Smoke House Restaurant in Monteagle. Certified ACA navigators and application counselors will be on-site. They will be able to answer questions about eligibility and enrollment procedures, assist consumers with the enrollment process and facilitate options for insurance premium reductions.

On Saturday, Feb. 14, enrollment assistance will be available, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the lobby of the Southern Tennessee Regional Hospital in Winchester. 

To enroll in ACA, folks must bring the following information: proof of identity; Social Security numbers and birth dates for individuals in the household; pay stubs; W-2 forms; policy numbers for any current insurance coverage; and a valid email address.

The Health Insurance Marketplace helps people without health coverage enroll in a high-quality plan. When you apply, you’ll learn if you qualify for a health insurance plan with savings based on your income, and learn if you qualify for premium tax credits that lower the costs of coverage. 

People who were enrolled in the 2014 Marketplace should not file their income taxes until they receive IRS form 1095-A from the Department of Health and Human Services. When it arrives, verify that the information is correct and keep copies of it. If there is a problem with the form, go to <www.healthcare.gov/tax-issues> or call (800) 318-2596 to get it corrected. If you filed your tax return before you received the 1095-A form, you must file an amended federal income tax return. 

The South Cumberland Plateau Health Network and the town mayors of Grundy County are sponsoring community conversations about how to improve healthcare in the county. Organizers want to hear from everyone. The information they receive will help as new programs are created to improve the health and wellness of the entire community. Dinner will be provided by the Smoke House. There is no charge to attend.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, the meeting will be at Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City. On Thursday, Feb. 19, the meeting will be at the Smoke House.

On Thursday, Feb. 26, the meeting will be at the Three Crosses at Calvary Church, Altamont. On Thursday, March 5, the meeting will be at Coalmont Community Center. On Thursday, March 12, the meeting will be at Pelham United Methodist Church.

All meetings will be 5:30–7 p.m. On the day of the event, if schools are closed due to inclement weather, then the Community Conversation will be rescheduled for a later date. 

These conversations are made possible through the support of the Grundy County Health Council, the South Cumberland Community Fund and the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Program. 

For more information contact Katie Goforth at (615) 417-7258 or email <Goforth.SCPHN@gmail.com>.

Town Meetings Scheduled About Area Health Care

The South Cumberland Plateau Health Network and the town mayors of Grundy County are sponsoring community conversations about how to improve health care in the county. Organizers want to hear from everyone. The information they receive will help as new programs are created to improve the health and wellness of the entire community. Dinner will be served. There is no charge to attend.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the meeting will be at the Palmer Community Center. On Thursday, Feb. 12, the meeting will be at Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City. On Thursday, Feb. 19, the meeting will be at the DuBose Conference Center. 

All meetings will be 5:30–7 p.m. Organizers expect to have locations for future meetings in Altamont/Beersheba, Pelham and Coalmont.

These conversations are made possible through the support of the Grundy County Health Council, the South Cumberland Community Fund and the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Program. 

The mission of the South Cumberland Plateau Health Network is to improve the health and quality of life for the people of the region.

The mission of the South Cumberland Community Fund is to improve the quality of life across the plateau by increasing philanthropic giving and providing community leadership to build on the strength of the area’s people, communities and natural setting; enhance community capacity and collaboration; and support innovative ways to solve community problems. 

For more information contact Katie Goforth at (615) 417-7258 or email <Goforth.SCPHN@gmail.com>.

VISTA Volunteers Work Across the Plateau

Nine VISTA volunteers are beginning their work with five local organizations. The AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program, co-sponsored by the South Cumberland Community Fund and the University of the South, is sending volunteers to work for one year or more with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s mobile food pantries, Discover Together, the Grundy County Health Council, Mountain T.O.P. and the South Cumberland Community Fund.

McKenzie Liegel and Zach Berry are working with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in Grundy and Marion counties. Liegel grew up in a small town in rural Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the VISTA mobile food pantry coordinator for Grundy County. 

Berry is from Chattanooga and studied literature and philosophy before graduating with a B.A. in 2013. He is the VISTA mobile food pantry coordinator for Marion County. Liegel and Berry will work to develop mobile food pantry programs and delivery systems with a local support network in their respective counties.

VISTAs working with Discover Together are Chris Paff and Michelle Thibodeaux. Paff, from Portland, Ore., worked as a computer programmer for a year before serving in Tanzania for three years with the Peace Corps. As VISTA community workforce development coordinator, he will build workforce development activities for parents of young children participating in Discover Together, and potentially for other adults in the community. 

Thibodeaux is a recent Sewanee graduate, originally from Atlanta, Ga. As a student, she worked with multiple schools in Grundy County and now plans to pursue a career in education. She is the VISTA community ambassador coordinator for Discover Together, and will develop a network of trained volunteers to better engage families in Discover Together programs and the community.

The Grundy County Health Council will be working with VISTAs Lacey Oliver and John-David Wheeler. Oliver was raised in the local area and graduated from Sewanee in May. As the VISTA school health activities coordinator, she will develop trainings for students and other volunteers in all seven schools in Grundy County and will develop a school anti-tobacco program. 

Wheeler is originally from Union City, Tenn. He served in the U.S. Army, then graduated from University of Tennessee-Martin. He is the VISTA health network coordinator, and will expand GCHC’s partnerships with local social service agencies and churches to develop a community-wide health information and education network.

Ida Zago and Melanie Pozuc are working with Mountain T.O.P. Zago grew up in Michigan and New York City, and also graduated in May from Sewanee. She is the VISTA weatherization coordinator, and will create a new low-income housing weatherization program that will help improve the economic well-being of area families. 

Pozuc is a recent graduate of Kent State University. She has experience with Mountain T.O.P. and is looking forward to working with the organization in a new capacity. As the VISTA communication and assessment coordinator, she will develop a volunteer networking and communication system in support of Mountain T.O.P. programs, determining community needs and assessing the results of programs.

Franklin County native Charles McClain is working with the South Cumberland Community Fund. Serving in his church has been important to him, and last year he entered into the discernment process. He is the VISTA grant-writing coordinator and will help build the capacity of community organizations by developing a grant-writing and management network for them.

For more information contact Jim Peterman, director of Community Engagement at Sewanee, at 598-1482 or by email to <jpeterma@sewanee.edu>.

University Creates New Community Engagement Office

The University has announced the creation of an Office of Community Engagement. Spurred by the growth of the Bonner and Canale service internship programs in the College and the establishment of the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) Program, the new office will work to meet the growing needs of students and expand the University’s relationships with other community organizations.

The Office of Community Engagement is composed of three staff members. Jim Peterman, professor of philosophy and director of Community Engagement, will continue to direct Community-Engaged Learning, the academic community engagement program, as well as the Bonner Leaders service internship program.

Nicky Hamilton, C’99, associate director of Community Engagement, will direct the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Program and also assist the South Cumberland Community Fund to develop the capacity of community organizations to alleviate poverty. In this unique role, she will use her practical and academic training at the Clinton School of Pubic Service to help faculty and students understand how students can engage in the wide variety of facets of community engagement as a central component of their education in which they learn optimal ways of making a difference in their communities.

Robin Hille Michaels, assistant director of Community Engagement, will continue work with students through the Bonner Leaders Service Internship Program and the Canale Service Internship Program. In working closely with students and community partners to place students in community organizations, she helps Sewanee service interns develop professional skills and social understanding commensurate with the demands of their service projects.

The Community Engagement Office will work with its community partners to understand needs in the three-county area (Franklin, Grundy and Marion counties); what organizations (churches, clinics, schools) are invested in addressing those needs; what community-based research projects may assist; and how to align resources, including student internships, in support of those organizations and community-based research projects. In doing so, the new office seeks to support the University’s purpose to help students lead lives of “achievement and service” in local communities.

Given the burgeoning community engagement activity at the University by students, faculty and staff (sometimes with multiple groups reaching out to the same community organizations), the time is right to administer these community partnerships through an office that is aware of and able to monitor all of the programmatic relationships, and ensures that they are not only sustainable but also beneficial to Sewanee students and the local communities hosting them. 

The current community engagement plan and the University’s 2012 Strategic Plan envisioned the development of an Office of Community Engagement in its role in coordinating student opportunities “to learn about, and learn from, the variety of populations and their experiences, both locally and internationally. Many of the intractable problems facing the world—food security, poverty, public health, climate change and conflict—have local and global dimensions.” The opening of this office fulfills that goal.

Sewanee’s VISTA program came from a deepening of the University’s relationship to local community organizations and especially to the South Cumberland Community Fund, a co-sponsor and co-funder of this program. The VISTA program is also underwritten in part by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. The program is also supported by a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

For more information contact Peterman by email, <jfpeterm@sewanee.edu>.

VISTA Program Hiring Begins

The AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program will bring 10 volunteers to the Cumberland Plateau in August. They will work for a year or more with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s mobile food pantries, the Grundy County Health Council, Mountain T.O.P., the South Cumberland Community Fund and Discover Together (a partnership between the University of the South, Yale University and children’s publishing company Scholastic).

Applications are now being accepted for the 10 VISTAs and one VISTA leader, who will assist the program director. The planners hope to draw applicants from both within and outside the local area. The goal of the VISTA program is to build capacity and expand current outreach projects; the VISTAs will be trained in ways to provide for larger population sizes and new areas. Each volunteer will work for at least a year with his or her designated organization.

The projects are designed to last three years. The link to apply is: <https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=54895&fromSearch=true>. Those who have already served as VISTA members may apply here for the VISTA leader position: <https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=54895&fromSearch=true>.

The organizations in which VISTAs will serve offer a variety of services in the region. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank provides food to an estimated 20,000 clients each week, including mobile deliveries to thousands living in the 20-county service area. The Grundy County Health Council addresses the health needs of Grundy County residents, assuring that quality healthcare is available, teaching programs on nutrition and diabetes, and working to get Grundy County residents more active. Mountain T.O.P. is a Cumberland Plateau outreach project that seeks to meet people’s physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs. The South Cumberland Community Fund was established in 2012 to improve the quality of life across the Plateau by providing community leadership and increasing philanthropy. Discover Together, a project of the South Cumberland Collaborative for Children and Families, is designed to provide a safe gathering place for young children and their parents and caregivers to share in learning and exploration.

The VISTA opportunity came about when the University of the South received an invitation from the national office of the Corporation for National and Community Service and applied for a grant to hire local and national volunteers. The program is cosponsored by the South Cumberland Community Fund, whose support, leadership and commitment to benefit Plateau communities was central to the success of the grant proposal.

South Cumberland Plateau Hosts New VISTA Program

Sewanee has learned that it will be an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) site. Ten VISTA volunteers will be hired to serve within a number of community organizations, including the Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantries for Local Schools, Discover Together (a collaboration between Sewanee, Scholastic and Yale University), Grundy County Health Council, MountainTOP and the South Cumberland Community Fund. 

VISTA volunteers will commit to a 12-month term of service, beginning in August 2014 and will focus on addressing poverty alleviation through a variety of programs, such as education, health and hunger. Each VISTA volunteer will be matched with a service site at an off-campus, nonprofit partner where he or she will connect the resources of the campus and the community to further strengthen their work. For more information contact professor Jim Peterman, director of Community Engaged Learning, by email, <jfpeterm@sewanee.edu>.