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Helping More Organizations Serve Minnesota Communities

Maureen Bourgeois | Published on 6/15/2022
As I near my second anniversary with MAVA and the MAVA VISTA program, I am continually aware of how our program is a prime example of MAVA’s mission in action. 

Connecting
Through connecting Minnesota organizations and communities with dedicated and committed VISTA members, our program helps them build capacity to provide more services to those in need. 

Educating and Strengthening 
I have enjoyed working with a number of talented and energetic VISTA members who have joined our cohort in a variety of life stages. Whether they are just starting their career, or nearing the end, I want to make sure that our VISTA members have a well rounded experience. In addition to social gatherings, MAVA devotes time to educating and strengthening our VISTA Cohort by providing training opportunities that can benefit our members both professionally and personally. 

Strengthening and Advocating As a volunteer engagement professional with over 20 years of experience leading volunteers, I have seen what a strong volunteer program can do for an organization and for its volunteers. Our MAVA Vista members have been working on volunteer recruitment, training and orientation, management, recognition, and  retention practices. They are organizing events, planning and implementing community orientations, creating volunteer handbooks, and assisting the volunteer engagement professionals at their organizations manage volunteers.

Positively Impacting Communities Finally, and what I believe really is what drew me to being involved with MAVA’s AmeriCorps VISTA program, is the topic of positively impacting communities. 

As a young girl growing up in South Minneapolis, I benefited from many community programs. From free lunches at the Minneapolis public parks, to reduced camp registration at local and rural camps. The programs that my family used, helped my mother support me and my sister. Without these programs I would not have been able to have many of the experiences that I did. Working with MAVA‘s AmeriCorps program, I am proud to be a part of an organization that strives to help other organizations alleviate poverty in their communities.

Contact me at mbourgeois@mavanetwork.org for more information about MAVA's VISTA program. MAVA accepts project and VISTA member applications year-round.