My Pivotal Moment

 

I will admit that my motives evolved and grew during the process of applying and of acceptance to Americorp.  

Initially, I was driven by the need to find my “spot” in my community.  Ideally, I wanted to make enough money to 

pay the bills and have money to get my hair done every few months.  (Part of the journey is admitting when you 

are vain?) In this economy, I felt like I had enough to bring to the table that I could easily find a job anywhere.  

However, I didn’t want just any job.  I wanted one that would matter.  I wanted my family to be proud of what I 

was accomplishing.  I wanted to make a difference.  

 

Fast forwarding to after the hiring process and you would have found a very unsure future VISTA.  I had 

an inkling of what the VISTA program was like.  I was mildly concerned about finding myself the “old” 

person of the group.  I was mildly concerned that political or religious differences would make me feel 

like an outsider.  Silly me!  I was more than mildly concerned that I didn’t know enough to bring anything 

of value to the table.  After all, this was a “whole new world” to me and yes, I did just break into song 

there.  

My sweet and fearless VISTA leader invited me to the Fall Retreat, and seemed to really want me there!  

I put on my big girl shoes and drove to KC for the event.  I was not even technically on payroll but I wanted 

a chance to meet my fellow VISTAs and, more importantly, figure out just where I fit into the organization.  

I armed myself with a notebook and snacks, because I have two college kids and they assure me that 

snacks are vital to the learning process.

 

I sat at a table with four or five VISTAs but the two from Kanbe’s Markets (and my supervisor) really made 

an impression.  I asked them questions about Kanbe’s Markets and learned all about food deserts.  Suddenly 

poverty became real again.  I loved their passion to make sure that everyone has nutritious, fresh food within 

walking distance.  Kanbe’s Markets convinces gas stations (and probably other places but I have slept 

since this conversation) to install a cooler at the front of the store.   Kanbe’s regulates the prices, supplies 

the cooler, and stocks the produce.  What a wonderful chance for families to have access to good, solid 

food and teach their children that green stuff is good.  I was invited to visit them at their place of service, 

and I found myself genuinely excited to visit in the future.  

 

 

 

I heard another VISTA present about Welcome KC and I heard her passion about immigrants starting 

businesses in her community.   This was especially touching to me because I have multiple grandparents 

that are children of immigrants.  I was raised hearing stories about when the families were settling into their 

“new world” as well as the unique challenges they faced in  Montana.  My heart was touched to hear how 

much she was working to make KC welcoming to these immigrants.  Suddenly I found myself relating the 

struggle of immigrants to the struggle of the future refugees that I would meet.  

I don’t know when my pivotal moment happened that day.  Was it when I talked to the VISTAs at my 

table?  Was it when I saw the VISTA leader’s enthusiasm and passion for helping us help others?  Was 

it the armload of fun swag that displayed how valued VISTAs are?  Was it the program that shouted just 

how much time had gone into planning the event?  (I was stinkin’ impressed by how first class it was, BTW.) 

I really don’t know.  Somewhere over the course of the day I lost some trepidation and really got excited 

about what I was going to be able to do and the level of support that would be available to me.  Amy, if you 

are reading this blog post, I hope that you know what a difference you made that day.

 

 

If anyone is on the fence about becoming a VISTA, I would recommend a second look.  If anyone is in 

Missouri and can sneak your way into the KC Literacy team, I would highly recommend it.  I don’t regret 

my decision to try something new.  My life is so much richer after meeting everyone at the event.  If we 

only surround ourselves with people whose opinions match ours we are losing out on the opportunity to 

think and grow.  You don’t have to embrace every difference of opinion; but you should be willing to 

embrace the opportunity to learn from others.  It is like going from a black and white television to a color 

television.  Sigh!  And with that last indicator of either my age or my father’s dislike for spending money, 

I will end this blog post with my traditional disclaimer.  

All opinions expressed here are solely mine and are not a reflection of the opinions of the Americorp 

VISTA program or of City of Refuge in Columbia, MO.