VISTA Program

The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation partners with AmeriCorps VISTA, a program that recruits passionate and talented volunteer workers to make a difference in their communities. VISTA members commit a year of service to work for the Lighthouse Foundation, helping to ensure quality service for Georgia's uninsured.

The Lighthouse and the VISTA members benefit from the program in many ways. The VISTAs fill key roles in departments such as volunteer coordination, organizational development, and marketing. Their work enables the Lighthouse to expand it's capacity in these areas. At the same time, VISTA members gain skills,experience, and contacts, leaving them well-positioned after their year of service to pursue their career path.

Some accomplishments of past VISTA members:

• Recruited over 300 new volunteers who volunteered over 4000 hours of general office administration, eye clinics, vision screenings and eyeglass recycling.
• Worked with staff to raise $2.6 million in the 2010 Capital Campaign.
• Designed, built, and maintained a new website.
• Managed annual White Cane Fundraising campaign.
• Supported major fundraising gala, Night of Spectacles event that raised $350,000 for the Lighthouse Foundation.
• Started new fundraising 5k, See Now. Hear Now. Run Now, from inception to delivery in less than 60 days, raising $13,000.
• Used a social networking fundraising tool to incorporate viral fundraising into the Lighthouse development strategies.
• Implemented social media strategy through facebook and twitter.

What Christina Lennon, Executive Director of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, has to say about the program

"I don’t think you could find a more die hard fan!  This program is such an incredible win/win for the nonprofit and the volunteer.  To me this program embodies what our government does right…puts people to work, giving them great, marketable skills while increasing the capacity of nonprofits to serve more people  and strengthen their local community. These volunteers  are truly change agents, and to get these fresh, idealistic young people every year is an inspiration and breathes fresh air into the whole office."

Click here to learn more about the AmeriCorps program.

For more information on the Corporation for National and Community Service, click here.