UW-Parkside seeks Americorp*VISTA applications

Looking for a job? UW-Parkside's Americorps*VISTA program may be a good fit.

The university's Center for Community Partnerships has a number of AmeriCorps*VISTA positions available. The one-year appointments involve working with existing programs in the environment, mentoring, working with nonprofit organizations, and in community relations. Applications for these positions are now being accepted.

AmeriCorps*VISTA participants spend a year collaborating with local students, faculty, staff, and community partners to support community service and service-learning programs, developing strong campus-community partnerships focusing on anti-poverty outcomes, and improving access to college for low-income people. The positions available include working for Mentor Kenosha & Racine, for the Nonprofit Development Program’s “CAN Works” project, for Peace Learning Circles, and with the Environmental Center’s programs.

AmeriCorps*VISTA employees are paid approximately $891 per month. Satisfactory completion of a full year of service makes members eligible for a $5,350 education award paid in the form of a voucher to offset expenses or a $1,500 cash stipend. AmeriCorps*VISTAs are eligible to receive forbearance on most federal student loans along with health care coverage and child care.

Applications are now being accepted for these positions and interviews will continue through early May. Selection of this year’s AmeriCorps*VISTA employees will be announced in May 2010. Each position begins with paid national training scheduled in summer 2010.

For more information on each program or to apply, visit http://www.uwp.edu/departments/community.partnerships/employment.cfm, call Ruth Tylock at (262) 595-2637, or access ruth.tylock@uwp.edu by email.

The Front Porch: Transitional Living Center Gets a Hand in Helping Homeless People

By Debra Karp

When Melissa Eitel first stepped foot in the Guest House at Burlington’s Transitional Living Center (TLC), little did she know that she would someday serve on the staff of the nonprofit organization that helps people who are homeless find their way back to independence. Now working toward an Associate Degree in Human Resources at Gateway Technical College, Eitel recently accepted a permanent staff position at TLC.

“Back in 2007, when I was released from prison, I was accepted into the TLC program. It was a very powerful sixty days. I felt an abundance of love and acceptance,” Eitel said. While living at the temporary shelter, Eitel utilized every referral she was given including agencies that helped her with counseling, career coaching and clothes for job interviews.

“I wanted a better life than before I went to prison,” Eitel said, emphatically. After 60 days, Eitel had a job and was able to afford her own apartment; but she missed the warmth and companionship she felt at TLC and continued to go back, soon volunteering to provide rides for the women and children. In her new role at TLC, she continues to act as a role model for the other women in the shelter. “I tell them my story to give them hope---let them know there is life after homelessness.”

Those other homeless women Eitel refers to almost did not have a place to go at all. In the fall of 2008, TLC was facing a serious financial crisis and the board of directors considered closing its doors. But with support from University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s CAN (Capacity-building Assistance for Nonprofits) Program and a committed group of donors, TLC is now financially stable and serving more people than ever before.

“A year and a half ago, the direction that UW-Parkside gave as far as where to go was huge for us,” said Dr. David Taylor, President of the TLC Board of Directors. “The knowledge base and information was critical to the survival of our organization.”

UW-Parkside’s CAN Program is one of the many provided by its Center for Community Partnerships (CCP). Funded by a $1.5 million three year Compassion Capital Demonstration Fund grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the CAN program provides free training, technical and financial assistance to build capacity in nonprofit organizations in Racine and Kenosha Counties.

In 2008, CCP staff conducted a comprehensive organizational assessment. Subsequently, in 2009, TLC received a grant from the CAN program to hire a consultant to help them create a Fund Development plan and train the board and staff in implementing it.

“The organizational assessment gave us a map and proved to be a great steering tool as we pulled ourselves out of the immediate chaos of a grassroots organization,” said Carol Marefka, a TLC volunteer who served on the board until 2009. “The CAN Program came at just the right time for TLC. We had successfully built a shelter, but needed to figure out how to run it.”

According to Marefka, TLC is now a stable organization with six months operating cash in the bank and a small capital reserve fund. They received funding from the United Way of Racine County for the first time in 2009 and have the capacity to work with twice as many as people as they could in 2006.

Though the guidance of the CAN program contributed to their success, it was also the hard work of the TLC board and staff as well as the generosity of the Burlington community businesses and individuals that ultimately allowed the organization to continue in its mission, according to Taylor.

Since 2008, over seventy nonprofit organizations in the CAN program have received free training and technical assistance provided by CCP staff or through community-based learning projects completed by students and faculty at UW-Parkside. In addition, the university has awarded over $600,000 for capacity building projects to nonprofit organizations in Kenosha and Racine Counties.

UWP does not do this work alone. Seven community partners collaborate to implement the program including the UW Cooperative Extension of Racine and Kenosha Counties, United Ways of Kenosha and Racine Counties, Kenosha County Department of Human Services, Racine County Department Human Services, and the Volunteer Center of Racine.

Front Porch Rockers


1) Attend Mentor Training: Mentor Kenosha & Racine presents “Gang Diversion 101” on Wednesday, April 14th from 4:30-6:00 in Tallent Hall 281. Community representatives will discuss why kids join gangs and what can be done to change their path. Learn more at www.mentorkr.org or 262-595-2652.

2) Register for Camp at UW-Parkside: Join us for a week filled with Rockets, Robots, Astronauts, Scientists, and Space Flight Simulations at Space Camp Exploration for 6th thru 12th Grade Students! July 19-23, 2010

3) View a Film: UWP hosts a four-film Kente Film Festival continuing through May. Each of the featured movies were created and directed by African American women filmmakers. Admission is free and open to everyone.

Debra Karp is the Director of Community-Based Scholarship and Nonprofit Development at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. Contact her directly at debra.karp@uwp.edu.

The Front Porch: New mentoring program one way to help build community

Do you recall the last time you enjoyed a visit on a front porch? Perhaps you chatted with a neighbor about how to solve a problem on Main Street, or maybe a friend came over to brainstorm about how to launch a new business. It seems to me that a whole lot of good thinking and old fashioned community building takes place on front porches – it’s a nice place to spend some time and sort out next steps.

The front porch is a metaphor we often like to use for the Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. We strive to be a front porch for the University as community members come for a visit and decide whether to spend a bit of time with students, faculty and staff. Community members may choose to step from our porch into the door of a classroom or conference, or experience some other opportunity our campus has to offer. There are also many instances when our faculty, staff and students step off the porch and venture into the community. A campus community member might engage in a service-learning or research project, provide expertise for a local business or organization, or participate in a collaborative effort to address a regional need like workforce development or educational attainment.

At the CCP, our primary focus areas are nonprofit development, community-based scholarship, continuing education for teachers and other professionals, and community development and diversity issues. In this column, my colleague Debra Karp and I will not only let you know about some innovative programs and opportunities that you can explore at the university and in the community, but also about various resources that are at your fingertips.

The Front Porch will inevitably celebrate significant UW-Parkside grant awards like the $1,000,000 we recently received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to foster nonprofit capacity building, or the $500,000 awarded by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to expand mentoring in middle schools, or the $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to support science teaching efforts, particularly in grades 3 – 8 in urban schools. But more importantly, we will explain what we’re doing with the resources we garner and how you can benefit from and collaborate in the work that takes place.

To be clear, community engagement does not only happen at the CCP. As our new Chancellor Deborah Ford is quick to point out, community engagement is a hallmark at UW-Parkside that permeates throughout the University. In fact, our university wide community engagement efforts have been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation that chose us as the first public post-secondary learning institution in the state to be honored for service-learning and community partnership efforts.

Since community engagement is a university wide priority, this column will also highlight community engagement efforts across campus. You will learn about star-studded teaching and outreach efforts like when our Theatre Arts Department recently earned the first University of Wisconsin Regents Teaching Excellence Award ever bestowed upon an arts department. We might also share news about some nifty global partnerships like when Professor and Fulbright Scholar Jonathan Olsen connects with colleagues in Germany to co-author a book, or when he creates an international learning opportunity for students. Have a chat with Prof. Olsen and he will likely urge you to “Die Welt erleben,” or “Experience the World.”

Yes, there may be some boasting on our front porch just like grandpa used to do, but more importantly, we hope to stimulate thinking and prompt opportunities to meet community needs and spark new partnerships. We won’t just pontificate about building social and economic capital – we’ll do it right here in this column by helping you make connections and provide pieces of information that are relevant and meaningful.

Each column will end with three “Front Porch Rockers” that provide opportunities for you to engage with the University and/or the community. Here are today’s rockers:

Front Porch Rockers

1) Become a Mentor: Mentor Kenosha & Racine is making a big push to recruit mentors for sixth graders in the Racine and Kenosha Unified School Districts. Learn how you can become a mentor at www.mentorkr.org or call (262) 595-2635.

2) Apply for a Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant: Attend the “CAN Works Launch” on February 4 to learn how local nonprofit organizations can get grants and technical support to help to sustain and grow their efforts. Learn more at www.uwp.edu (keyword: nonprofit development) or call (262) 595-2312.

3) Attend a Play: The Theatre Arts Department presents a one act play festival on through Jan. 31 entitled “Delights in Dementia.” Learn more at http://www.uwp.edu/news/newstemp.cfm?storyID=3250 or call (262) 595-2547.

So please pull up a chair, spend some time on your university’s front porch, and let’s see together what problems we can solve, partnerships we can create, and learning and laughter we can enjoy.


Mark Gesner is the Director of Community Development & Dialogues at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Contact him directly at mark.gesner@uwp.edu.