Send the VISTAs Gifts!

Don't worry - we're not pocketing them! These gifts are for eight families in Bertie County, NC where our fellow VISTA Derrell serves (Hi Derrell!). Thanks to everyone's generosity, deliveries are starting pile up in the Winston-Salem Office and though we have a ways to go, this is certainly a promising beginning!

As we mentioned in our Cyber Monday post, you can make the holiday season brighter for families in need via our Target Registry. Each item on that list - no matter how small or basic - represents something on someone's special wish list. So far we've received toys, socks, tools, and family games. It's really neat to see packages arrive regularly like that. It brings smiles to our faces every time! Bertie County has gone through a rough year and we want to do all we can to support our neighbors in rural North Carolina. These gifts are much appreciated. Never before have we seen children put items like "socks" and "school supplies" on their holiday wish lists...


It's not too late to give back! Visit the registry today and pass on the link to friends and family. You can even order items with a large group to save on shipping. As you can tell by some of these images, we VISTAs are getting in the spirit of things. Please join us in this merriment. Doesn't it look fun?

Cyber Monday for a Cause!

Once upon a time there was a young, innocent little girl who was dragged to an outlet mall at midnight on Black Friday. Claustrophobic and unprepared, she tried her best to keep up with the sea of people scurrying to sales and discounts. Much like salmon swimming upstream, it was natural selection and only the strong survived. Eventually she emerged from the crowd, but had no bags. The only thing she had to show for this late night adventure in consumerism was PTSD (Posttraumatic Shopping Disorder).

Yes, I am that girl. She is me. We are one. Even now, years after that fateful night, I stubbornly refuse to participate in Black Friday.

Recently a new tradition has emerged: Cyber Monday. I haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, but I have a feeling this day involves less waiting, shoving, and cramped spaces than its in-person counterpart. This makes me hopeful. After all, giving is one of the greatest parts of the holiday season and shopping is often a necessary step to get there!

With that in mind, I have some uplifting news. You can now participate in Cyber Monday with a greater cause in mind! This year, One Economy has complied has a special registry at Target.com that includes the wish lists of eight families from Bertie County, NC. Items include everything from small toys to toolboxes. Some children even asked for school supplies. The list goes on and includes many basic needs - things that we Winston-Salem VISTAs have unfortunately taken for granted in our own lives. We hope you consider giving back this holiday season. Even one gift goes a long way!

So, guess what? Holiday shopping doesn't have to be terrifying. In fact, it can be inspiring! As a victim of Black Friday madness, I'm relieved to discover this.

'Tis the Season!


Denise and the Winston-Salem VISTAs

Motivational Monday Resurrected

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

~Anne Frank

P.S. - The VISTAs are on Twitter! Follow us @1Economy_VISTA

My_time_at_One_Economy_rev3.ppt

Before I say anything else, I have to say a big thank you to all the VISTAS here in the W-S office for making my birthday ridiculously awesome yesterday. In particular, I appreciate their enabling my Halloween Oreo addiction.

In terms of work, my trail to One Economy was slightly unorthodox and at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about working with a non-profit that is driven primarily by technology. I'm a political science major and technology is not my forte. My friends would tell you that the scene in Office Space where they take the copier out to a field and completely destroy it... is one of my favorite moments ever. I've wanted to re-enact that scene on numerous occasions. However, most of my previous work has generally involved working with policy affecting low to moderate-income individuals and families. Working to change predatory lending laws, point out flaws in the indigent defense system and identify shortcomings of the federal poverty measure are what I know. Not computers. Not digital literacy.

So, I was a bit anxious starting out but that anxiety has long since vanished because it is hard not to get excited about one's work when you are surrounded by passionate and dedicated individuals. The VISTAS and staff in the Winston-Salem office and the staff elsewhere that I have met are incredibly hard-working and approach their work with a zeal that is contagious. Despite powerpoint's best efforts, I have found myself extremely excited about my work, both what I have done and what I will do by June. For example, a fellow VISTA in the office informed us that he has a birthday in mid-April. Now, after a statement like that, there are a large number of directions you could go. You could talk about how your cousin has a birthday near then or how that's still a good ways away. One could ask if it is a major birthday or if there is a trip planned. But me? Oh, none of that would suffice. In choosing to add to the conversation, my comment was "oh... that's right after the tax season comes to a close!" If zeal is a disease, I believe I may have it.

In the short time that I've been here, even this political science major has come to realize the value that the internet can bring to one's life. Changing policy is one way to affect someone's life in a positive way but providing folks with a vast amount of resources at their fingertips works just as well... if not better.

-S.J.

Maps!

I know what you're thinking. What's so exciting about maps?* During my first two months of VISTAhood, I guess you can say my appreciation for them has grown - especially in relation to the stimulus project. I've made quite a few and have adopted a somewhat unconventional patchwork approach to mapping due to resources. Also, it turns out that the supervisors at PSO were right! There are many ways to get to any one goal and creativity is key. Usually, one would use GIS software to map information like Census data, but those tools are very expensive and not accessible in most public libraries. With that in mind, I'm presenting this list for VISTA posterity which I fondly call...

"Mapping when you don't have GIS" (yes, it's possible) :

1) Try ArcGIS Explorer - PRO: You can download the tool or use the online version. It's FREE and you can feel your way around enough to get your project done, no GIS experience needed. CON: You have to piece together all the right data and shapefiles yourself, which can be daunting if you're rusty or have never done this before. Luckily, if you choose this mapping method, there is lots of free data to use online - searchable on data.gov.

2) Random Internet Tools - Thank you, Internet. Thanks to free user-made tools, it's surprisingly easy to find websites to help you with mapping. My favorite census-related example is this the KMZ Census Mapper developed by a University of Tennessee Professor. It's so simple and takes you step-by-step through making a map either by census tracts in states of counties. You can choose your subject (poverty, population, education, households, etc.) and view the results on Google maps. Also, Texas A&M has this free DIY website that let's you maps states with customized, color coded counties. Freemaptools.com is also a good place to go. I used it to generate a radius from a point, save the information as an RMZ, then upload it on my own Google maps. I know that there are tons of tools online, so if anyone is reading this and has an addition to this list, please comment!

3) "Mapping by Numbers" - Sonja christened this old fashioned mapping method after those little paint-by-number sets when she saw me squinting at a computer screen and labeling these paper maps by hand. I'm a digital native, but paper is not below me! When the free mapping tools online cannot deliver, a trusty highlighter and office scanner will never let you down.

4) Make Friends with Someone who has GIS - We are very lucky in Winston Salem because the Center for Community Safety has a GIS lab. Last week MaryKarinna and I went on a field trip to their offices and made some maps. When all else fails and you simply need GIS resources/a GIS expert, sometimes community resources or public universities can be of service.

I've written this post for both selfish and archival reasons. If I didn't centralize all of these links soon, I would've forgotten about them for future projects!

*If you still need an answer to that question, you should definitely watch this clip from the West Wing. It will make you want to map something.

Best from NC,

Denise

Hello OE VISTAS!

Hello all,

I'm Marykarinna and I have been working in the Winston-Salem OE office since August. The past month has been great! It seems like we're getting a lot accomplished, especially with our National Corporate Volunteer program. I can only hope that the rest of the year goes as smoothly as the past month has. I am really lucky to be in the WS office with three other VISTAS!

I also want to thank the WS VISTAS for participating in the National Day of Service on 9/11. Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Walltown Digital Connectors Graduation!

Last week Thursday, August 12, the Digital Connectors program I've been working with held their graduation. We graduated 7 youth, which is a smaller than average class size, but a huge accomplishment for the Walltown community.

It has been quite the year -- full of ups and downs and learning about the most effective way to reach these youth.

One thing I will never forget is how excited they all were when they grabbed their computers and gear to leave the graduation ceremony. I hope this is not the end, but instead, the beginning of a new chapter in their lives with all the tools to succeed within their reach.

---Laura, Durham, NC