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(Left to right) Stacy Gloss, Elizabeth Sanders and Vincent Smith

AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBERS TO BUILD CAPACITY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF PINE MOUNTAIN

Pine Mountain, Kentucky (August 14, 2009)- The Corporation for Community and National Service has awarded Pine Mountain Settlement School (PMSS) three AmeriCorps*VISTA positions to build capacity in the rural communities near the School. AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is a national program that provides full-time volunteers to community-based organizations and public agencies that are working to empower individuals and strengthen the capacity of communities.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members Vincent Smith, of Gilley, Kentucky; Elizabeth Sanders of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Stacy Gloss of Orlando, Florida began a year of service at Pine Mountain Settlement School on June 26, 2009. They will spend their service year working with community children, adults and families to improve their health through better nutrition, exercise, and preventive screenings for chronic illnesses; support and encourage residents to grow their own vegetables as a way to improve diets and save money; and promote weatherization of homes to help save energy and money. They are working with Pine Mountain staff, regional organizations, and volunteers to host exercise programs for children and adults; energy efficiency, nutrition, and home food-production workshops; and to create new community gardens and gardening partnerships between the youth and elderly persons. They are also partnering with several organizations in Southeastern Kentucky to ensure that existing services available to area residents also reach the communities on the north side of Pine Mountain.

Pine Mountain Settlement School will oversee the work of the AmeriCorps*VISTA members. VISTA members commit to a full-time year of service at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, help community groups build stronger support networks, and much more. They receive a small living allowance during their time of service and an education award to assist with student loan repayment or college tuition costs upon completion of their service.

Inspired by the ambitions of President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s, the AmeriCorps*VISTA program was part of President Lyndon Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and is the domestic version of the Peace Corps. Since 1965, more than 140,000 Americans have served the country through VISTA. More than 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members serve throughout the USA to teach reading, improve health services, start businesses, provide affordable housing, and strengthen community organizations.

Pine Mountain Settlement School is located in the mountains of Appalachia in Southeastern Kentucky. It was an early source of education for the mountain youth of the area, offering a hands-on approach to education that continues to be a model for today's schools. The School's programs have evolved to meet the changing needs of the community and region. Today's programs include environmental education and basic educational support for students in local schools. The richness of Pine Mountain Settlement School's campus and its history is a source for multiple other enrichment programs for the local community and beyond. For more information about Pine Mountain Settlement School, visit http://www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

For more information about the PMSS AmeriCorps*VISTA project, contact
Cassie Robinson
Assistant Director of the Pine Mountain Settlement School
36 Highway 510
Pine Mountain, KY 40810
(606) 558-3571 phone/fax
crobinson@pinemountainsettlementschool.com


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