Cincinnatian in Federal Service

As I prepare to end my year of service, I can't help but reflect on what this year was all about.

One year ago I was sitting in a ballroom in an Indianapolis hotel learning about what it means to be an AmeriCorps*VISTA member. While the details of the VISTA health plan were still a little foggy, our mission for the year was perfectly clear: to alleviate the effects of poverty. Sure it was a daunting task, and I wasn't exactly sure how I would go about doing it, but at least the purpose of my position was clear. As the year progressed, though, I realized that the goal of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program was a little too big for just one person in just one year. We VISTAs do the best we can with the time we have, but at the end of the day we know that we aren't going to win the "war on poverty" in 365 days. Poverty is a bigger issue than just signing up a couple for food stamps or collecting canned goods at Christmas. To really end poverty, we'd have to make major changes to the way this country operates, including job/wage reform for starters.

That isn't to say that the work of AmeriCorps*VISTA members isn't important. Through our indirect service, we make a difference in the lives of thousands of people in our community every day. By signing up the senior citizen couple for food stamps, they are able to afford their medications. And those canned goods we collected during the holidays? They are feeding the family of 3 who has fallen behind on their bills and needs a little extra help.

Perhaps the biggest revelation I have had since beginning this year of service is that the mission to alleviate poverty doesn't end on my last day of service. I have kind of had this countdown going over the past few weeks (or months, let's be honest) to my last day in service. Yes, Saturday, June 19th will mark the end of my piddly service stipend, limited health benefit, and travel reimbursements. It will also mark the first day I can accept and use my education award and seek permanent employment. And most importantly it is another day in the fight against poverty. I realize that VISTA is more than a year of service; it is a lifelong commitment to care about our country's social issues and to do something about it, stipend or not.

Which is why I find this picture we snapped at the Cincinnati Museum Center especially pertinent: