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Alyzah McGlasson serves as the SAU+AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow for the Foster Care Initiative and Muleriders Serve programs at Southern Arkansas University. Her goal is \u201cto provide support and assistance to the foster care community found both on and off campus, along with recruiting and uplifting those Muleriders who serve their community through our Volunteers Service.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alyzah was inspired to join after seeing the impact of VISTA projects firsthand. \u201cI had already met many individuals who were a part of the program and got to see how their projects affected my personal life. For instance, I knew how impactful the Mulerider Market was, and I wanted to be part of something that would make as big of a di<\/span>fference as that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She first learned about AmeriCorps VISTA as a student. \u201cBack in undergrad, I was attending track practice, had two different on-campus jobs, and had an overloaded class schedule, so I was utilizing the market every week. Michael Flowers was a VISTA Fellow at the time, and both the Mulerider Market and his service made a lasting impact on my college experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When she heard about the Foster Care Initiative position, Alyzah says she was \u201cecstatic.\u201d She explains, \u201cI have always loved working with children. If there was a chance that I could make a difference in these kids\u2019 lives, I was all in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alyzah\u2019s passion comes from her own upbringing. \u201cI had the advantage of growing up in a loving, Christian home with parents that nurtured me. Most individuals don\u2019t have the same privilege. I want to use the skills and passions that I have to help others feel like they belong and have a purpose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One of her favorite projects has been creating a binder of volunteer opportunities to help students find meaningful ways to serve. \u201cIt will be interchangeable as our opportunities come and go seasonally and will hopefully give students a better understanding of how many different organizations we help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alyzah sees the difference her work makes. \u201cEvery month, I can see the impact the hosted event has on the parents and kids, along with the volunteers that provide the childcare service. Not only are we providing a few hours of reprieve for the parents, but we give the kids a chance to hang out and be kids.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her experience as a VISTA Fellow has helped her grow both personally and professionally. \u201cI have always been passionate about working with others, especially the underprivileged,\u201d Alyzah shares. \u201cOne of my career goals is to eventually establish a nonprofit based on building the accountability and passion of children through the creative arts. This service gives me the opportunity to learn how to run a program efficiently and effectively\u2026 It is a great stepping stone to help me excel in the next stage of life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Reflecting on her VISTA service, she says, \u201cWhether in the office or in the field, there is work to be done and people to inspire.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alyzah McGlasson serves as the SAU+AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow for the Foster Care Initiative and Muleriders Serve programs at Southern Arkansas University. Her goal is \u201cto provide support and assistance to the foster care community found both on and off campus, along with recruiting and uplifting those Muleriders who serve their community through our Volunteers Service.\u201d… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2408,"featured_media":824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[74304],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-823","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spotlights","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=823"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions\/828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/vista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}