Five Vista volunteers are serving in Lancaster County; two are at Arbor Community Services, and three are at Community First Fund, a Lancaster-based lender to businesses and entrepreneurs. 

AmeriCorps, established in 1994, recruits young people nationwide to perform service to their communities. The Vista program, which dates to 1965, focuses on fighting poverty.

Vista is “an excellent opportunity for a recent graduate, whether high school or college, to fill a gap year between school or getting a paying job,” said Sonja Crafts, 24, Education and Training Coordinator of Tabor.  The program is only one of three service programs under AmeriCorps.

James Frederick, similar to the other graduates, is given $10,000 a year to defray expenses, plus $4,725 in an education credit that can be applied to graduate school or student loans. He is committed to a full year of being available to Vista 24/7, in addition to not being able to take any other job. 

Vista focuses on helping poverty-fighting nonprofits “build capacity,” so workers aren't just doing mundane, mindless jobs.  While each individual is assigned a specific task, Frederick’s was a difficult one; he helped to develop and administer the new Eastern Market and the Community Fresh Food Initiative. He said one of his most satisfying projects was working with a market vendor to open a pizza shop in the old Fairmount Hotel. “It's a way for me to get hands-on  experience,” Frederick said.

After his Vista service, Frederick plans to attend Marine Officer Training School. “I thought I was pretty good with people before I started,” Frederick said. “In terms of the business world, it's a completely different experience.”

For information on Vista opportunities locally, contact Community First's Stephanie Kessler, skessler@commfirstfund.org, or Phyllis Stacks, pstacks@tabornet.org. The AmeriCorps Web site is www.americorps.gov.