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February 15, 2000
ROCKEFELLER CELEBRATES VISTA'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today spoke about his experiences in West Virginia at the VISTA program's 35th anniversary celebration in Washington. Rockefeller went to West Virginia as a VISTA worker in 1960s. He served in the small mining community of Emmons for two years, which led him to make West Virginia his permanent home.
Rockefeller said, "My decision to join VISTA literally changed my life. While my goal was to help the people of Emmons, that community came to help me much, much more. It gave me a new focus on public service which has led me into a fulfilling and meaningful career. VISTA truly is a wonderful service program for young people."
"I remember that getting the children to school was the key to success for families in Emmons, but getting a bus down a dirt road was a fight. What I learned from this effort persuaded me to stay in West Virginia and dedicate my life to public service," Rockefeller continued.
The Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program was created in 1965 to meet the needs of low-income communities. The program is now part of the AmeriCorps national network of service programs. With over 1,000 projects and more than 5,000 members, VISTA places individuals in disadvantaged communities to build the capacity of small community-based organizations.
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