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VISTA of the Month/August 2010

August 2010:  Christie Montgomery/Columbia Housing Authority (CHA)

1.    Where are you from?  Bowman, SC.  

2.    What were you doing before becoming an AmeriCorps VISTA?   I had finished up my associates degree (Paralegal) in May of 2009 at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, and was going back there to complete 5 courses for a degree in Criminal Justice. I was also working as a full- time security officer.            

3.     Why did you join AmeriCorps VISTA?   I would always volunteer at different organizations, but I felt like I wasn’t giving back enough. I researched ways that I could give back to my country because that was the right thing to do. I applied for Peace Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA. I have a 5 year old son, so AmeriCorps VISTA just seemed more realistic.

4.     What are your duties as a VISTA? I currently serve at Columbia Housing Authority. I assist staff in the coordination and development of training and marketing materials for the homeownership training classes. I also develop and maintain class/training evaluation forms, and create/maintain volunteer and participant databases. I am also responsible for creating participant completion certificates, coordinating registration at each session and organizing workshop locations, activities, sponsors and schedules. One of my other duties is working with a program called With Every Heart Beat is Life (WEHL).  I am the program coordinator for that program at CHA.  We work with community residents, and some college students that actually volunteer their time to teach the curriculum to housing residents, who can in turn educate other community residents. Heart disease and other health risk are a major issue in the area I work in. We want to educate people so they can live healthier longer lives.    

5.     What are your goals from your two years of service?  My main goal is to make a difference in someone’s life, and to give selflessly of myself to any cause that can help uplift a person.  Of course I want to leave a mark on my organization; that volunteering and giving back can only strengthen it even more.  I only hope that others will follow my lead and do the same, not only here but in their daily lives.      

6.     What are your plans after your years of service?  I plan on going back to college to complete my bachelor’s degree.  I want to travel the world maybe try the Peace Corps…just give some more of time to any great cause.  Hopefully that will eventually lead me to a successful job.     

7.       Any special accomplishments? Just seeing a smile on my co-worker’s, volunteers, and community resident’s faces is all the satisfaction I need to know that I have made a difference in my community and a person’s life. 

Christie is currently coordinating the WEHL program at the Columbia Housing Authority.  Anyone interested in Christie's project or interested in participating should contact her @ (803)254-3886 x254 or Cmontgomery@chasc.org.