Greetings!

Hello BCSL followers! My name is Anna Brown and I took over Ondrea's position a month ago. I'm the new AmeriCorps*VISTA for the Bonner Center and I'm just now getting into the swing of posting on the blogs, facebook pages, etc. on a regular basis. Hold me to that!

My job is very similar to Ondrea's. I'll be:

• Working on continuing the collaboration between Oberlin College and the Ohio Benefit Bank, a computer program that makes it easier for those in need to apply for government benefits
• Educating the Oberlin community about poverty in the United States, Lorain County, and Oberlin
• Collecting, compiling, and sharing data about Oberlin students' community involvement
• Managing social media for the BCSL--sharing photos, cool facts, articles, videos, etc.!

I just graduated with a degree in Politics from Oberlin in May. I spent my time as a student working in the Admissions office, riding for the Equestrian Team, completing my honors project on education policy, and spending a semester abroad in Morocco. I liked living here so much I decided to stay!

We're busy preparing for the impending influx of students--LEADS, a two-week leadership workshop for a small group of returning Oberlin students begins Monday! I'm looking forward to seeing campus bustling again and getting to know the awesome students and community members I'll be working with!

Dissecting my job: What is The Benefit Bank?

Now that I have explained what VISTA is and where my paycheck comes from, on to the next organization I work with: Second Harvest Food Banks and the Benefit Bank.


The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) provide food to people who need it.
Within OASHF is the Benefit Bank, an organization that helps people in poverty get access to governmental benefits like food stamps, cash assistance, and Medicade. It does this by training people to use the online Benefit Bank software to fill out benefits applications electronically and submit them to Job and Family Services online.

www.obb.ohio.gov

This helps cut down the wait time to process the applications and educates the applicants on the process and documents needed to complete the application. The Benefit Bank started out as a VISTA project and is now staffed mostly by VISTAs and former VISTAs. It's grown astronomically in the past five years, and I hope it continues to grow and sustain itself.

Dissecting my job: What is VISTA?

Let's start with the basics, because I didn't really have a grasp of what VISTA was until I went to the Pre-Service Orientation in Chicago.

Official VISTA logo

VISTA stands for Volunteers in Service to America. I often tell people it's like a domestic Peace Corps program--both have the goal of making the world a more peaceful place to live but Peace Corps is international and VISTA is in the USA. Founded in 1964 by President Kennedy, VISTA takes volunteers with a college degree, pays them a small living stipend, and places them for a one-year stint in projects that are designed to fight poverty. VISTA projects range from working with refugees to working with Native American reservations to working in local communities to link people up with the apropriate resources (mental, monetary, medical, etc).

www.americorps.gov

VISTA is a subprogram of Americorps (hence the proper name of Americorps*VISTA, though I have also seen it referred to as *VISTA). Americorps also pays volunteers for service, but there is a crucial difference between the two programs. Americorps is for direct service, which is actually working with people and completing one-time tasks. Examples include tutoring, weeding, and grant writing. VISTA is about capacity building, which puts infrastructure into place that lets the Americorps people do their job. In includes doing all the behind the scenes work to keep a program running. It includes doing all the behind the scenes work--training, program development, networking, planning and all those other good things. When I help someone fill out a food stamp form it is direct service; when I train someone on how to help people fill out food stamp forms it is capacity building. To relate it to that famous fish quote: VISTA is about teaching people to fish so they can eat for life, not giving them fish so they may eat once.

How all this relates to me

VISTA pays my living stipend. For my VISTA project, I am fighting poverty by working as a Benefit Bank counselor to help people sign up for government benefits like Food Stamps and Medicaid. I am working on the capacity building part by training other Benefit Bank counselors, building new connections in the community and Oberlin College, and leaving behind plans for what to do when I'm gone--all of which I am able to do because of the infrastructure that Claudine, the previous VISTA, is leaving me.

I'm off to observe a Benefit Bank training so I can do it myself,
Ondrea
Americorps*VISTA, BCSL Enthusiast

Since we last met

Goodness, if I'm going to get this blog of the ground I have GOT to post more. Fortunately I started drafting up posts last night and there is the ability to schedule posts on Blogger. Hooray for the ability to stockpile blog posts!

Things that I have done since I last posted:

Benefit Bank: Crash Course on Counseling

1. Served as a benefits counselor at a resource fair at the Lorain County Adult Parole Office (1st official day out of training, excellent start....)
2. Served as a benefits counselor for 2 clients down at Oberlin Community Services
3. Gone to a regional Benefit Bank group meeting in Medina
4. Introduced Benefit Bank people to the unique position that is the Oberlin College Benefit Bank VISTA (more to come on this later)
5. Printed posters to advertise a Benefit Bank event (to do: poster downtown)
6. Rented a car so I can observe the Community Training this Friday

BCSL: With The Generous Help of Claudine (VISTA who started my position)

1. Drafted a BCSL annual report newsletter with the help of Claudine
2. Drafted a report for the Carnegie Foundation with the help of Claudine
3. Learned how to make meeting agendas with the help of Claudine
4. Helped out at a food distribution at Oberlin Community Services with the help of Claudine
5. Attended staff meetings and lunches (Claudine was there)
   
6. Argued with the oberlin.edu server about it not wanting to upload pages to the website (while Claudine was on a well-deserved vacation)
7. Sliced my finger open while cutting cardboard for the BCSL Science Center display cabinet (NOT with the help of Claudine)
   

VISTA: In the Background

1. Faxed in time sheets
2. Got paid

Off to meet with Benefit Bank directors,
Ondrea
Americorps*VISTA, BCSL Enthusiast

Introduction

Hello!

I'm Ondrea, the Americorps*VISTA stationed at the Bonner Center for Service and Learning. I'll be here for a year (until next June) happily working on a list of diverse projects:

• Ohio Benefit Bank

helping people get in need connect to and apply for government benefits

• BCSL data collection

compiling the who/what/where stats of Oberlin College community involvement

• BCSL website

bravely hunting broken links and outdated information in the html swamps

• BCSL media

promoting the BCSL on teh interwebs and creating various PR materials


I created this blog highlight what awesome things the BCSL is involved in and chronicle my experiences as a VISTA. I graduated from Oberlin College last month, and I served all four years in the Bonner Scholars Program and the Community Service Work Study Program (CSWSP). I am excited to be sticking around, because Oberlin (town+college) is an amazing area with people to match.

Signing off to head back to html swamps,
Ondrea
Americorps*VISTA, BCSL Enthusiast

PS--If you click on the fishpond at the bottom of the screen you can feed the fish!