DURANT, Okla. – The AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) builds permanent infrastructures in non-profit organizations to help effectively bring individuals and communities out of poverty.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma plays a vital role in participating with AmeriCorps by engaging in the NSAIE (National Society for American Indian Elders) Tribal Summer Associate program, which is in its second year of existence. Summer Associates’ contributions have a credible impact on those being served as well as the potential to receive benefits for their work. During the eight weeks of service, the Summer Associate volunteers were give a minimum stipend to defray their cost of living and at the end of Service were given an option to receive an Educational Award that can be used by the volunteer to further their education. Of the nine members completing the Summer Associate Service we had two volunteers that elected to receive the education award.
AmeriCorps VISTA has been a part of the Choctaw Nation for about seven years. Connie Hudson, NSAIE VISTA Recruit was appointed to coordinator the activities of the AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers for Choctaw Nation Aging Services. This summer, Choctaw Nation as the host agency recruited nine volunteers who worked within their communities. Majority of volunteers were Choctaw Tribal Members from north McCurtain and south LeFlore counties in which they were designated to work. Two recruits became team leaders who were willing to mentor their teams and help them to realize the importance of volunteerism and taking care of their environment. Clinton James, previous employee of Choctaw Nation and Kirk Tonihka, an elementary school teacher at Battiest Public School, were selected as team leaders. The two volunteers were great leaders encouraging and working side by side with their team through the hottest period of months meeting the needs of Choctaw Elders, assisting Tribal Programs at Tushkahoma and Wheelock Academy, and improving the roadside along state highways. The most prominent form of volunteer work that these Choctaw VISTA workers participated in was “elder chores services” including cleaning up elder’s yards through mowing, edging, pulling shrubs, etc. For the community of Smithville, one VISTA team was provided with the necessary tools to pull tree stumps. The only lady recruit volunteered her hours at the Wright City and Idabel Senior Sites helping the elders understand basic computer skills and assisted with the meals program, in addition to other activities in the community.
Although the elders were given priority, the VISTA volunteers focused on keeping our land free of waste. Choctaw Nation Summer Associate members were able to partner with, “The Great American Cleanup of Oklahoma,” volunteering their hours through “trash pickup” along several highways between Broken Bow and Hochatown, between Grant and Hugo and along the road side of Choctaw Nation Talihina hospital. This Organization is a local non-profit group which has been in existence since February, 2010 and recently credited for picked up of 400 bags of Hwy trash.
The Summer Associates Program also partnered with Tribal Preservation, ODOT, CN “Going Green” and the Tribal Council but special thanks go to the Aging Services department for overseeing the need of our elders. The volunteer team members contributed their hard work to aiding the elderly, improved the community centers grounds and cleaned cemeteries and churches property as needed. They volunteered hours at the Broken Bow softball fields. At Wheelock Academy hours were dedicated to inventorying of the many historical items and did some property up keep. At Tushkahoma the volunteers assisted with the grounds up keeping, recycling and helping some of the elders in that area.
Now that the Summer Associates program is finished and all report is finalized; the full time VISTA Recruit will be given the task of assisting with the upcoming “Need Assessment” survey for compiling of the needs of our Choctaw