Janis Walters

Janis Walters of Boxley, and Steven Wilgus of Deer, were recently sworn in as members of AmeriCorpsVISTA, the national service program dedicated to helping fight poverty in the United States.

Steven Wilgus

Walters and Wilgus have been assigned to the Arco Iris Earth Care Project to coordinate with the local community to help develop The Earth School, which will be established in the Boxley Valley. Walters and Wilgus recently attended pre-service orientation for service with VISTA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Vista builds capacity in non-profit organizations and communities to help bring individuals and communities out of poverty. In the past 40 year, over 177,000 people have served as VISTA volunteers working with local organizations to strengthen communities and start new and innovative programs.

Today, nearly 8,000 VISTA members serve in hundreds of non-profit organizations and public agencies throughout the country—working to promote literacy, improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities, or bridge the digital divide.

The Earth School will be a community based facility utilizing a natural and holistic approach that incorporates the cultures of indigenous and Ozark people to promote and teach sustainable living practices to all members of our communities.