VISTA Alumni Reunion Highlights

VISTA alums from across the country returned to the Mountain November 10th-12th to mark the end of a nine-year chapter: the sunset of the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Project.

This transition reflects the evolving needs of partner organizations for direct service in lieu of the traditional capacity-building support for poverty alleviation offered by VISTA. The program welcomes its sister counterpart, AmeriCorps, to support direct service activities focused on community development.

The reunion was filled with laughter, camaraderie, and tears as alumni, community partners, and friends celebrated the impact that service members have had on the Plateau. 

The weekend kicked off with a welcome reception Friday evening, followed by “Volunteer with a VISTA” Community Day Saturday morning. Alums and community members painted the Monteagle Fire Hall, cleaned up yards for local residents with Folks at Home, and tended garden beds at University Farm. A “Celebration of Impact” dinner rounded off the evening with remarks from guest speaker Jim Peterman, director emeritus of the Office of Civic Engagement at the University of the South.

 “I think doing this kind of work changes you as a human being,” Peterman shared with the alumni. “You are part of a project that I think has transformed the community. It doesn’t mean we’re a perfect place now, but we’re a different place, and I think there is more opportunity to look forward to – a brighter future down the road.”

The creation of an AmeriCorps VISTA project to strengthen local nonprofits across the Plateau was the brainchild of Dr. Peterman. The South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Project was established in 2014 through a unique partnership between the University’s Office of Civic Engagement and the South Cumberland Community Fund. It was launched under the direction of Nicky Hamilton, who now acts as the special assistant to the vice-chancellor for administration and community relations. Over the course of the program’s nine years, 88 South Cumberland Plateau VISTAs served with 25 local nonprofit organizations and government agencies to build their capacity to tackle difficult challenges facing our communities--such as food insecurity, illiteracy and poor health--by developing resources and programs focused on poverty alleviation. Their efforts helped Grundy County improve from a ranking of 95 to 92 of all Tennessee counties in terms of health outcomes, and to elevate its former economic designation of “chronically distressed” to an improved ranking of “at risk.” Since its inception in 2014, service members with the SCP VISTA program have leveraged more than $3 million to support anti-poverty efforts on the Plateau.

“More important than money is each other,” said Stephanie Colchado Kelley, director of the South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Project (2022-2023). “It’s people, it’s relationships that we made, it’s the connections that we forged. It is our growth as individuals and as a community.”

Colchado Kelley also acknowledged the efforts of community partners in this growth.

 “You have each walked alongside us at different times in the past nine years,” she said. “You opened your arms to the VISTAs, introducing service members to our community, providing professional guidance, and inspiring them to partner with you as agents of change. Our program is sunsetting, but the hard work and efforts of this community development persists.”

Tom Sanders, executive director of South Cumberland Community Fund, praised the VISTAs for their service over the years.

 “We (SCCF) are pulling hard to achieve the vision of hope and prosperity on the Plateau, and it cannot be overstated how profoundly the VISTAs have been a part of that mission,” Sanders said.

That sentiment was echoed by many of the guests Saturday evening.

“Our VISTAs are incredible individuals,” said Katie Goforth, community development director with the University’s Office of Civic Engagement. “Most came from across the U.S., leaving behind family and friends, putting their career goals on hold, and subsisting on a small living stipend during their year-long commitments as VISTA volunteers. They immersed themselves in the community and became our beloved neighbors. They shared their talents, expertise, and vision, and they were passionate about their work in asset-based community development. The impact of their service cannot be overstated. I am so very, very grateful to all of our VISTAs for their commitment and dedication to, and care for, our Plateau community.”

Community member Belinda Kilgore-Morgan summed it up:  “You all showed up. That’s what VISTAs do.”