Chisholm Trail RSVP, Inc./AmeriCorps VISTA North Texas

The VISTA North Texas program embraces the idea that private citizens can contribute, on a voluntary basis, to the solution of poverty and poverty-related problems. The VISTAs’ role in addressing the problems of poverty in a particular community is to mobilize community resources and increase the capacity of the low-income community.

The primary role of VISTA is to help build a sustainable program. Hence, VISTAs do not perform direct service. Instead of tutoring youth, for example, VISTAs may help create or expand a tutoring program by recruiting community volunteers to tutor or by obtaining funding for the program. Rather than provide classroom training, VISTAs may help develop a job skills training program.

The VISTA North Texas projects work with partner agencies to recruit AmeriCorps VISTA members to serve full-time for a year.  VISTA members develop new programs, enhance existing programs, write grants, and recruit volunteers as well as many other capacity building activities.  Each VISTA opportunity is unique to the partner agency’s needs.

VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is a federal anti-poverty program ad­ministered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

VISTA provides full-time volunteers (VISTAs) to support projects at nonprofit, grassroots organizations, and local government agencies that operate programs to help alle­viate poverty in the United States. VISTAs strengthen and support these organizations by improv­ing their infrastructure, expanding community partnerships, securing long-term resources, training pro­gram participants, and developing other activities that help build long-term sustainability for overcoming poverty. Chisholm Trail RSVP, Inc. hosts the VISTA North Texas project and serves as an Intermediary agency in North Texas.