Volume 2, No. 4 (Winter 1999) -- Native American Issue

Volunteerism is sweeping the nation and capturing the attention of a pretty select group of individuals. Not so long ago, we watched on Primetime News a volunteer rally in Philadelphia led by retired General Powell. Oprah Winfrey and a host of top public officials joined him in his call for individuals nationwide, to give of their time to create a strong country for the 21st century. The General was right — volunteer time, talent, and money provide the lifeblood of community-based nonprofit organizations.

The phrase "People make the world go round" takes on new meaning when it comes to the success of volunteer endeavors. Our government too, has been in the business of promoting service to those less fortunate. Such government programs began with the Peace Corps, and since 1968 AmeriCorps* VISTA, which is short for Volunteers In Service to America.

With the help of this program, the Brown Foundation has expanded its reach to an underserved segment of the population. Our new undertaking "Books For Kids" is designed to bring books to children from low income families by establishing an on-site children's library in public housing. Since most public housing complexes include a community center, the Foundation is able to use an existing space easily converted to a fully functioning lending library.

We are pleased to have six members of AmeriCorps*VISTA working with our organization to breathe life into the "Books For Kids" concept. This is not a new idea. It is a program borrowed from a successful model initiated by the Washington, D.C. Humanities Council.

Brown Foundation volunteers are setting up a children's library at Pine Ridge Manor. This public housing complex was built in 1961 to provide more affordable housing in Topeka. Two-thirds of the two hundred and eleven residents have families with an average of three children per household. The majority of the children are pre-school through elementary age. When it opens, the on-site library will be named for Mrs. Edna Manago, the longest-term resident of the complex whose husband still lives at Pine Ridge. The facility will be stocked with books for children ages four to twelve with a special section for parents. In addition to the traditional lending component, a book drive will be conducted twice each year to support a "give away" program. This program will assist children with creating their own home libraries.

Interest in reading will be further encouraged by "read alongs" where guest readers offer oral reading sessions every week. The final incentive will be a program that rewards children for reading books. To verify books read, children will give verbal reports on their favorite book once a month. The objective is to increase reading and verbal skills. To date our volunteers have pulled together over 4,000 books from churches, community groups and businesses.

The Brown Foundation is pleased to be part of a network of AmeriCorps*VISTA programs sponsored by the Corporation for National Service. Through this endeavor our government has a 30-year track record of helping people overcome poverty in communities nationwide. We are excited by the program's focus on the mobilization of community resources and increasing the ability of low-income communities to solve problems.

Both Ameri-Corps*VISTA and the Brown Foundation share a mission of working to increase opportunities and creating an overall sense of community.