This summer, two new faces will join Donnelly’s staff. Thanks to a five-year grant from AmeriCorps, the College will host volunteers from Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).
While Donnelly submitted the grant, four other sub-sites are partnered with the College in the Higher Education Readiness Initiative: El Centro, Inc.; Bethel Neighborhood Center; Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools.
The VISTA program, which is housed under AmeriCorps, provides full-time service opportunities for nonprofit organizations or public agencies. Two VISTAs will be housed at Donnelly: one serving as a First-Year Experience coordinator, and the other as the Higher Education Readiness Initiative Leader. The latter VISTA will lead the four other VISTAs in Kansas City, all of whom will work to create infrastructure generating more college awareness and access around the metro.
Donnelly Admissions Counselor Darius Jackson will serve as the liaison for Kansas City metro VISTAs. According to Jackson, the idea is to build student recruitment and retention while shaping the culture for students.
“I’m most looking forward to the community-building aspect of this program,” Jackson said.
VISTAs who serve at the sub-sites will have separate, organization-specific responsibilities — all of which will be geared toward providing higher education access around Kansas City, especially for low-income students.
While partner organizations have different goals, all share similar visions centered on educational access for Latino and/or low-income students. Each VISTA assignment lasts one year, so Donnelly and its partners will have new staff members each of the program’s five years.
While Donnelly submitted the grant, four other sub-sites are partnered with the College in the Higher Education Readiness Initiative: El Centro, Inc.; Bethel Neighborhood Center; Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools.
The VISTA program, which is housed under AmeriCorps, provides full-time service opportunities for nonprofit organizations or public agencies. Two VISTAs will be housed at Donnelly: one serving as a First-Year Experience coordinator, and the other as the Higher Education Readiness Initiative Leader. The latter VISTA will lead the four other VISTAs in Kansas City, all of whom will work to create infrastructure generating more college awareness and access around the metro.
Donnelly Admissions Counselor Darius Jackson will serve as the liaison for Kansas City metro VISTAs. According to Jackson, the idea is to build student recruitment and retention while shaping the culture for students.
“I’m most looking forward to the community-building aspect of this program,” Jackson said.
VISTAs who serve at the sub-sites will have separate, organization-specific responsibilities — all of which will be geared toward providing higher education access around Kansas City, especially for low-income students.
While partner organizations have different goals, all share similar visions centered on educational access for Latino and/or low-income students. Each VISTA assignment lasts one year, so Donnelly and its partners will have new staff members each of the program’s five years.