AmeriCorps*VISTA Current Members
 Jane Larsen, VISTA Project Coordinator (541)492-3535 |
Hi. I'm Jane, Coordinator for the AmeriCorps*VISTA Team. I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived in Oregon for twenty-three years. I have worked for UCAN since 2001 and am energized and excited by working with the VISTA Team. Over the past few years our VISTA members have demonstrated creativity and amazing personal growth. As team members they have supported one another and collaborated to develop projects that maximize resources and utilize community assets. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about VISTA positions with the UCAN VISTA Coalition VISTA Team, please contact me. |
 Amy Adkison Riddle Elementary School | Where did you move from? Owensville, Missouri Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Joseph Basile Douglas County Museum | Where did you move from? Harrisburg, PA Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I was working at UPS after I got out of college. That was not fun. I decided I wanted to do something worthwhile, something I could be proud of. I like Museums. I also wanted to move out west. Manifest Destiny. What do you like to do in your off time? I like music, reading, the outdoors. 0 |
 Emily Brown Adapt & United Way | Where did you move from? San Diego, California Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Sue Butkus Elkton Community Eduction Center | Where did you move from? I was lucky enough to get to serve as a VISTA in a town, Elkton, adjacent to where I have lived for 20 years, Scottsburg, on the Umpqua River. Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I decided to serve as a VISTA because I had been involved with ECEC for some time as a volunteer. I felt I had several years that I could continue working, without career building, and that I could make a contribution to ECEC and Americorps VISTA. The experience has far surpassed my original feelings and I am starting my second year at my site. What do you like to do in your off time? In my off time, I spend time at home with family and doing chores. I read voraciously – especially mysteries, and have started “geocaching” with my family. I used to have horses and am tempted to indulge myself with a “pasture ornament.” 0 |
 Jamey Davidsmeyer Riddle Jr/SR High School | Where did you move from? Los Angeles, CA Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Rebecca DeGreyt Team Leader | Where did you move from? Grants Pass, OR Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I love the opportunity it gives me to serve a community in a structured and organized manner. What do you like to do in your off time? I love to Scrapbook, write in my journal, and I have been singing since I was 4. 0 |
 Cat Feral UCAN Resource Development | Where did you move from? I’ve lived here (outside Myrtle Creek) for 20 years. Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I became a VISTA because I needed a change (formerly held several positions at UCC) and medical benefits. Largely I wanted to feel useful and productive again—my kids are all grown, and in 2001 I retired after 25 years of midwifery practice. Being a VISTA gives me an outlet for my congenital, insistent inner-drive to help people, while affording me some freedom from the stress of providing direct service. (25 years of being on-call was sufficient, thank you.) This position also provides opportunities (learning grant-writing, networking with new people, working on new projects) which are sure to be useful in post-VISTA life, and it’s a bonus to get rid of some of those pesky student loans. What do you like to do in your off time? In off-time, I enjoy sleeping (ah, sleep!), reading (indiscriminately and voraciously), writing (mostly non-fiction), raising goats, chickens, ducks, and cats, dabbling in medicinal and culinary herbs, making cheese, baking bread…you know—those usual hippy-dippy Earth Mother things. On the other hand, I’m a rabid Seahawks’ fan, a CNN addict, and my idea of a gourmet feast is pizza and beer. (One doesn’t want to be too predictable, right?) 0 |
 Michael Harris Alder Creek Children's Forest | Where did you move from? Victoria, TX Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Sara Holland Dougls Co. Early Childhood Planning Coalition | Where did you move from? I relocated from Asheville, North Carolina Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I decided to serve as a VISTA for a number of reasons. Service has always been a large part of my growth as a person. I like to see myself as a servant. I chose the VISTA program also because I knew it would be a hard step for me and I would learn a lot. Considering my love for service and all that this has put my in the position to learn about, this should serve as a great transition into grad school. What do you like to do in your off time? In my off time, I like to read, study, listen to music, play sports, be outside, and figure out new ways to create...and sleep! 0 |
 Mark Miller Douglas Soil & Water Conservation Dist. | Where did you move from? Glendale, OR Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Mariah Pepper Oregon Coast Community Action | Where did you move from? Boston, MA Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? I liked the idea of moving to a new place and getting to know the community there. The specific job I applied for here (local food resources development) was the perfect career opportunity for me as I just graduated college and want to work to increase the capacity of local food systems in one way or another. What do you like to do in your off time? I love to dance. And here in Coos Bay I've joined an Anfrican drumming and dancing group. I'm taking an international folk dance class at the community college, and I'm learning to call (teach and lead) contra dances. 0 |
 Maureen Richey VISTA Team Leader | Where did you move from? Chattanooga, Tennessee Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? To learn more about non-profits and to experience a different part of the country, meet new people and work at a different sort of job than my past experiences. What do you like to do in your off time? Read, watch movies, spend time with friends, road trip, play trivia games. 0 |
 Jill Tucker Pathways to Care Network | Where did you move from? Turlock, CA Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
 Guy Vogt Josephine Co. Food Bank | Where did you move from? I'm originally from New Jersey Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? (The Family Garden) was the right idea at the right time for me What do you like to do in your off time? More gardening, travel, and pretty much anything outdoorsy 0 |
 Erica Woodmansee Project Literacy | Where did you move from? Why did you decide to serve as a VISTA? What do you like to do in your off time? 0 |
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