The May, 2020 edition of the PSP Jotter is here! Two highlights to note are that we finished up our VISTA Summer Associate hiring – they will start service on June 1 – and said ‘goodbye’ to two amazing full-term VISTA members. We are also still hiring for several one-year positions (click here to view positions).

​We hope everyone is safe, healthy, and looking forward to summer!

The April, 2020 PSP Jotter is attached! There are some great tips for how to reduce stress and stay sane during this time. We're also still hiring, and you can read a bit about those positions in this edition. Stay safe!

Fantastic updates coming your way from PSP! Since our last newsletter, the Northern Utah Native Connection held its annual Crystal Hot Springs Family Night, Bora Lee completed a very successful year of VISTA service at the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP), and we welcomed Diego Mendiola to our VISTA team as Bora's replacement at UATP.

Also, we will announce this summer's host sites and start accepting applications for our 2020 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate program this month. There is a link to our Summer Associate webpage in the newsletter, and feel free to share that link with anyone who may be interested in serving with us this summer.

Finally, congratulations to VISTA Member Clayton Welch (Sky View HS) for receiving this month's Above & Beyond Award. If you have ever met Clayton, you know he is very deserving of this award as he is always going above and beyond to help his coworkers, the students and families he supports, and his VISTA team at PSP. 

Say hello to the first publication of the PSP Jotter of 2020! We encourage you to read the story about our MLK Day 2020 service project that was a HUGE success! There are several other great stories in this edition, including a brief bio of our newest VISTA member, April Erickson. Plus, as always, this edition celebrates our VISTA Member Recognition Program awardees for the month of January. 

For January, award recipients are:

• Outstanding Outcomes Award: Tanza Tupola, Green Canyon HS
• Good Role Model Award: Coral Larson, Logan Family Center
• Exemplary Engagement Award (quarterly award): Leah Parr, Bridgerland Literacy

The Logan Family Center, one of PSP's longest-running VISTA sites, was recently the recipient of a generous $10,000 donation from America First Credit Union. The Logan Family Center was one of 11 nonprofit organizations across the state of Utah selected to receive a donation. In addition to the cash donation, America First Credit Union also created a promo video for the Logan Family Center to use in its outreach efforts. 

We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. The final PSP Jotter of 2019 is here! This edition includes some great PSP highlights, including our annual winter service project with Sub for Santa, a visit from our brand-new VISTA regional office project manager, and Olive Evans’ trip to Phoenix for VISTA in-service training. Finally, two PSP VISTA members have been recognized in December for our VISTA Recognition Program - Karly Meadows (Native Connection) and Myia Barton (PSP VISTA Leader).

The November, 2019 edition of the PSP Jotter is a special edition. As many of you know, we recently lost a very dear friend, co-worker, and fellow service member, Ali Limburg (Mountain Crest HS). Most of this newsletter is dedicated to remembering her and celebrating all of the ways she made a positive impact on our lives. She will be dearly missed, and we truly appreciate the outreach and support we have received from each of you during this time.

This edition also highlights our two newest VISTA members - Leah Parr (Bridgerland Literacy) and Kaia Rubera (The Family Place) - as well as some recent VISTA member achievements. Additionally, we are pleased to announce that FOUR VISTA members will receive VISTA member recognition awards this month! Award winners are -

• Outstanding Outcomes Award: Lyndy Agee (Ridgeline HS) and Olive Evans (Common Ground)
• Determination Award: Darby Atkins (Mountain Crest HS) and Mackenzie Atwood (Mountain Crest HS)

Congratulations to these PSP VISTA members! Finally, we are currently hiring for our VISTA Leader position that will start mid-January. To serve as a VISTA Leader, a candidate must have completed the equivalent of one full service term with: AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps (1700-hour position), or Peace Corps (2-year term). This is a great leadership position with our VISTA team, so let us know if you know of anyone who fits this requirement and would be a great candidate! 

After a great summer, we are back with some news from PSP! Our VISTA members are bringing the arts to youth and their families, celebrating Native heritage and cultures, and connecting students to the resources they need to be successful in school and in life. We also welcomed two more new VISTA members, too - Seth Van Middlesworth (Box Elder Middle School) and Olive Evans (Common Ground).
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Finally, congratulations to our THREE most recent VISTA Member Recognition Award winners. Allison Larsen (Logan Family Center) received the Determination Award, and Abby Slade and Carlysa Openshaw, both at South Cache Middle School, received the Above & Beyond Award! They are all deserving of this recognition, and we are very grateful for their hard work and dedication to their sites and the community.

Schools are back up and running, which means it's time for PSP's End of Summer edition of the PSP Jotter! We have welcomed a lot of new AmeriCorps VISTA members in the past few months, said goodbye to our 2019 Summer Associates, and had a fantastic summer service project. 
We are also hiring for two positions - one at Bridgerland Literacy and one at The Family Place. Send any promising candidates our way! 

Finally, congratulations to Angie Torres for winning this round's Above & Beyond Award for our monthly VISTA Recognition Program! Angie started in June and is already making great things happen for the Northern UT Native Connection program and Native students in Cache and Box Elder counties. She is a great addition to our AmeriCorps VISTA team!

Read this edition of the PSP Jotter to learn more about all of our amazing new VISTA members...

The Summer, 2019 edition of the PSP Jotter is here! Over the past two months, we have had 21 new people join our team - 18 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates and three one-year VISTAs! They have each already made a great impact at their site and have been very engaged in their service. We are lucky to have such an enthusiastic group!
Also, Bora Lee, PSP VISTA Member at Utah Assistive Tech Program (UATP), was recently awarded PSP's Determination Award. Bora is incredibly deserving of this award. Make sure you check out the story in the newsletter.
More updates to come in August!