(Woodstock, VT)— The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission is pleased to have partnered with SerVermont AmeriCorps VISTA to host a volunteer over the next year. The VISTA, Christopher Damiani, joined the TRORC on August 10, 2015. Mr. D
amiani is originally from Madison, NJ and has a BS from the University of Vermont in Community Development and Applied Economics. Prior to his VISTA membership he served as the Neighborhood Services Intern at the Community and Economic Development Office in Burlington, VT. Mr. Damiani is eager to apply the skills he gained in both academic and personal experiences to aid lower income populations in his new home in the Upper Valley.
During his time at TRORC, Mr. Damiani will work to integrate aspects of poverty alleviation into the commission’s programs. As a VISTA member, Mr. Damiani will serve to create two-way links between people, programs, plans and policies so that the interests of those in need of opportunity are represented. His areas of impact will include housing, transit, energy efficiency, food security, and the needs of elderly and disabled. He will begin by working with communities in the TRORC region on increasing the availability of housing for lower income residents through zoning and video outreach.
Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) is a federal volunteer program which has been focused on poverty alleviation since 1965. VISTA members serve a one year term during which they work to enhance the capacity of their host organizations to fight poverty. In 1993 VISTA was incorporated into AmeriCorps in order to integrate the service of its volunteers into AmeriCorps broader volunteer network. Here in Vermont, the VISTA program is administered by SerVermont.
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission is one of eleven regional planning commissions in the state of Vermont. TRORC’s mission is to advocate for the needs of our member towns and to articulate a vision and carry out actions that build a thriving regional economy while enhancing the quality of life for its citizens.
Contact Peter Gregory at [email protected] for more information.