Goodwill currently has four VISTA members, with a fifth on his way in a couple weeks. One of my goals with this blog is to introduce each one of our VISTA members and their projects to you.
Our VISTA office at Goodwill has a lot of great things happening right now, but I suppose that’s to be expected when people with degrees ranging from Social Work to Sociology, and from Human Development to Organization Communication, get together to develop programs with one main mission: to help end poverty. You definitely will want to take advantage of the programs we are working on, because after all, they are developed for you!
This week is Eric’s week on the blog; you may have seen him with the Good Dollars and Sense Program at Goodwill, so here’s your chance to get to know him a bit better.
Where are you from?
Chicago, IL
What do you enjoy doing in your downtime?
Walk along the river
Why did you choose VISTA and your project?
To further assist an organization that I love and respect
Tell us about your project and its projected outcomes.
The Goodwill Good Dollars and Sense Program is a 12-hour course in financial management, offered free of charge to all community members. The course provides participants with the proper skills and knowledge needed in order to make the best financial decisions, and to achieve personal spending goals. Good Dollars and Sense covers topics such as banking basics, identity theft, creating a spending plan, savings and investments, housing basics, and understanding your credit report.
What’s the biggest surprise since you started your project?
Rockford’s culture and historical value in American history. Part of an AmeriCorps member’s job is to learn as much as possible about the communities in which they serve. Learning about Rockford’s historical economic changes and future developments is always an exciting experience.
Share one tidbit about you that others might find interesting.
I enjoy networking and meeting new people.
What are your plans after VISTA?
Something related to government or non-profit services
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