VISTAs in the Piedmont (sponsored by United Way of the Piedmont)

United Way of the Piedmont

VISTAs in the Piedmont (V.I.P.) is sponsored by United Way of the Piedmont, which is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization located in Spartanburg, SC. UWP is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living and working in Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties. Volunteers review agency programs and initiatives and invest in those programs that positively impact the most critical needs of our community. Funds are raised in the annual campaign and distributed to help those who need it most.

VISTAs in the Piedmont

Since 2007, nearly 100 VISTAs have served through the VISTAs in the Piedmont program, impacting dozens of nonprofits and countless individuals and families. V.I.P. focuses on two areas in order to alleviate poverty in our region: Financial Stability and Access to Behavioral Healthcare.

V.I.P. service members spend the year working full-time in one of our partner organizations where they are tasked to not only serve their site but mobilize the resources of the community as a whole. V.I.P. members spend 80% (4 days a week) of their time enabling their sites to serve more people more effectively through resource development, volunteer recruitment and management, public relations and marketing, program development, and other capacity-building activities. The remaining 20% (1 day a week) is spent working together as a VISTA team on a community-wide project. This supplemental project is designed to foster collaboration & problem-solving for a community-wide issue(s) related to Financial Stability and Behavioral Health.

AmeriCorps VISTA

Today, about 46 million Americans live in poverty. ThroughAmeriCorps VISTA, you can make a tangible difference. And, you’ll find the fulfillment that comes from using your knowledge and skills to help those in disadvantaged circumstances turn their dreams into reality.

VISTA was founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 as a national service program designed specifically to fight poverty in America. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs.

AmeriCorps VISTA members are passionate and committed to their mission to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Members make a year-long, full-time commitment to serve on a specific project at a nonprofit organization or public agency. They focus their efforts to build the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of organizations that fight illiteracy, improve health services, foster economic development, and otherwise assist low-income communities.