It’s the 45^th anniversary of VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). I am one of over 175,000 Americans who have joined VISTA since 1965, dedicating a year of their lives to tackling poverty and building capacity in our nation’s nonprofit sector. President Kennedy envisioned the program in 1963 and it was implemented by President Johnson two years later. VISTA is a program I am proud to be a part of for many reasons. Here is one of them.

VISTA, like all the national service programs, can be a life-shaping experience, especially for young people. I recently spoke with Alex Cherup, a Nevada VISTA alum, who is being sponsored by Nevada Volunteers to participate in the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in New York at the end of June. Alex is an outstanding young man who is passionate about service because of his VISTA experience. It gave him the chance to turn an aspiration into reality, and he still marvels at where it has brought him. (more…)