These VIP Fellows are part of a cohort serving sites across 17 California counties.
by Eric Harrison, President & CEO United Way of Ventura County
Recently, three AmeriCorps VIP Fellows were sworn in to serve United Way and our partner sites. Partner sites for the upcoming year include the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and Westminster Free Clinic, a brand-new site. These VIP Fellows are part of a cohort serving sites across 17 California counties. United Way of Ventura County has served as the Supervising Organization for the AmeriCorps Volunteer Infrastructure Project (VIP) in our county since 2016.
AmeriCorps VIP is a capacity building program created to grow volunteer engagement at local nonprofit partner sites. VIP Fellows work to increase the infrastructure, volunteer support, and resources that will empower the nonprofit to serve their constituents more effectively. Over the past five years, United Way of Ventura County has placed 22 VIP Fellows with 13 different nonprofit organizations.
Our most recent class of fellows, who graduated in July, did remarkable work during the pandemic to mobilize COVID-19 volunteers for nonprofits in our community. Lauren Zika, our fellow here at United Way, helped us in countless ways–even serving as a 211 operator during the height of pandemic related calls in early March.
Nonprofits interested in participating as a partner site for 2021 should contact [email protected].
